N.B. paramedics volunteer to replace P.E.I. colleagues grieving after fatal collision

A New Brunswick ambulance is pictured. (Nick Moore/CTV News Atlantic)

FREDERICTON — About 120 paramedics in New Brunswick have volunteered to fill in for their colleagues in Prince Edward Island who are grieving the loss of two emergency workers.

Two paramedics with Health PEI and a patient died when their ambulance collided with a transport truck in rural New Brunswick on Tuesday, not far from Confederation Bridge.

Chris Hood, director of the Paramedic Association of New Brunswick, says his members will be issued 30-day courtesy licences in P.E.I. so they can volunteer on the Island during their off time.

He says the volunteers could be working on the Island within a matter of days, allowing P.E.I. paramedics to attend memorial services for the pair that died.

Hood says the willingness of so many paramedics to help out their colleagues shows how tight-knit the sector is in the Maritimes.

He says Nova Scotia is also considering sending volunteer paramedics to the Island.

Eli Ridder, The Canadian Press