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By Daria Nowaczek
In December 2024, Bob Chamberlain was in the auditorium of the Ukrainian Cultural Centre in Vancouver. As he watched his grandson’s preschool holiday concert, a sense of deja vu came over him. Nearly 49 years earlier, almost to the day, he had stood in that very building as he began his training with the BC Ambulance Service (BCAS).
Bob worked full-time with the provincial ambulance service for 37 years and is still active with BC Emergency Health Services (BCEHS) today. While Bob has had a lasting impact on BCEHS and the evolution of paramedicine in BC, he still modestly describes himself as someone who’s “just been around for a long time.”
Bob’s journey into paramedicine began at Simon Fraser University, where he took courses in biology and kinesiology. While playing junior hockey, he got to know one of the team trainers, Roy Daniels, who worked for BCAS.
Roy suggested that Bob take an industrial first aid course, as a development opportunity. Bob wasn’t sure what to expect but was curious to find out more. He took the course in early 1975, and as fate would have it, the course was taught by another BCAS paramedic, Pete Kehler.
Over the course of the hockey season, Roy continued to speak highly of his work with the Ambulance Service and mentioned that an Advanced Life Support (ALS) course was being created. This was a precursor to today’s Advanced Care Paramedic (ACP) training. What captured Bob’s attention was the idea of providing patient care, traditionally reserved for the emergency room, outside of a hospital setting.
Bob joined the ambulance service on December 8, 1975.
Bob began his career as a full-time Emergency Medical Assistant I (EMA I) in White Rock. Within weeks of starting he was enrolled in the EMA II course, now known as Primary Care Paramedic (PCP) training. At the time, the White Rock station operated out of the third floor of an apartment building, and the ambulance was a Cadillac parked down the street at the unit chief’s house.
Excited to get started, Bob did not expect that it would take two days before receiving his first call. Call volume was considerably lower back then and so Bob set out to find more action. “I phoned my manager and said, ‘I’m going stir crazy. I don’t like sitting around. Where’s the busiest station? That’s where I want to be.”
Bob was soon transferred to Vancouver’s West End.
Eager to advance his skills, Bob quickly set his sights on the ALS program and began training in the Emergency Department (ED) at Royal Columbian Hospital. There, he shadowed inspiring physicians, worked with talented nurses, and helped wherever possible. “We made beds, helped patients get dressed — we wanted to show we understood everything it took to run an ED,” he said.
“The trust and rapport we built with the ED physicians was incredible.”
Bob’s
ALS graduation ceremony in 1981
After completing the intensive two-year program, Bob secured a full-time position in August 1981 at the newly formed ALS station 244 in Vancouver.
Bob’s introduction to flying started in 1977/78, as he occasionally attended calls with the flight crews as a second set of hands on his days off. His work in aviation really took off after completing his ALS training and becoming the unit chief of station 244 and 280 at YVR.
Bob became a full-time flight paramedic in 1983.
He was instrumental in the growth of the BCEHS flight program, always pushing for better equipment and finding ways to adapt it to the planes. He also recognized the need for formal, standardized training for all flight paramedics, as well as the importance of consultation with hospital-based physicians. As a result, BCEHS established the first flight-specific air evacuation training program.
Bob (centre) on the cover of BC Health Management Review in 1988. Left to right: Brian Twaites, Bob Chamberlain, and Doug Weiss
Reliving this era of his career, Bob speaks of those who were at stations 244, 280, and 283 with great pride.
“Everyone was there because of one reason; they wanted to make sure that when the patient arrived at the receiving facility that they were in better shape than when we picked them up – just an incredible group of people.”
Bob also pays tribute those who lost their lives on January 11, 1995, the crew of CG-PUN. The crew included two paramedics, Wendy Thompson and Andreas Goedicke, along with Dr. Jeffrey Dolph, and pilots Daniel Jorgensen and Geir Zinke. Their contributions to the Air Evacuation program will never be forgotten.
In his final years at the airport, Bob was a founding member of the Technical Advisor Program—what has become today’s Paramedic Specialist role—supporting crews across B.C. with real-time guidance during complex calls involving unknown illnesses, hazardous exposures, and much more.
After two decades of flying, he became unit chief of station 247 in New Westminster, in 2001, where he supported the initial efforts to standardize ALS ambulances in the Lower Mainland.
In the exploration of lone responder work, Bob was a part of the core team who trialed the original Paramedic Response Unit (PRU) program —alongside colleagues Randy Hansen, Andy Fletcher, Joe Puskaric, Kathleen Pascuzzo, and John Chambers. The trial offered key insights, emphasizing the importance of prioritization in solo response work.
As an instructor of the Airway Management (AIME) course, Bob was an advocate for change. When asked to teach the course one year, he respectfully declined, noting that paramedics needed access to better medications to fully benefit from the training.
“I could not to continue stand up in front of my peers and ask them to do this work without access to the right drugs. I said: ‘this needs to be fixed.’”
Bob’s peers agreed, and this grassroots effort was a stepping stone towards today’s expanded pharmacology for paramedics. Bob credits his colleagues, and specifically BCEHS Chief Medical Officer Dr. Sandra Jenneson, for making it a reality.
“It was a complete group effort — we all knew we needed to push for change,” he said.
When the Olympic Games came to Vancouver in 2010, Bob was selected as venue commander for the Pacific Coliseum, home of the figure skating and short track speed skating events. Having done some speed skating himself as a child, he was thrilled.
One of the most memorable moments of his experience happened during an orientation session with the various team physicians. Bob walked them through the response protocols and one physician had a lot of questions – “Why this? Why that?” Bob recalled with a laugh, “It was kind of a lot.”
He patiently answered each question, explaining the rationale behind the approach. Afterward, the physician came over and, with a smile, acknowledged his intense questioning. He then told Bob, “At every event, I lose sleep worrying one of our skaters will get hurt and won’t get the care they need. This is the first time I can rest easy, I know they’re in good hands.”
Bob describes the Olympics as one of the most incredible experiences of his career—exhausting, but unforgettable. “I got to work with some exceptionally talented medical professionals,” he said. “I’d do it all again in a heartbeat.”
Bob (left) and Alan Anderson (right) working at the Molson Indy Vancouver
The Olympics was just one of many major events that Bob supported. He served as site commander for the Molson Indy Vancouver, multiple marathons, and other large-scale events—often as part of the BCEHS bike squad, which he was involved with for over 20 years.
Bob as part of the BCEHS bike squad supporting a local event
Bob was also part of the HUSAR (Heavy Urban Search and Rescue Task Force) and was deployed to assist in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
“It was surreal,” he said. “We practiced medicine in unimaginable ways, moving patients in shopping carts, hovercrafts, anything we could find to get them out safely.”
Today, Bob supports the NEO program which is an intensive two-week course that prepares new paramedics for their roles at BCEHS.
“The NEO cohorts have such enthusiasm for the profession, dedication to their studies, and no preconceived notions”, Bob said. “It’s truly inspiring.”
When asked what advice he would give to new employees or those just starting their paramedic careers, Bob’s answer is three-fold: gratitude, respect, and life-long learning.
“You have to appreciate the honour that a patient bestows upon you in their most vulnerable situation,” he says. “They give you a level of trust and you have to understand the weight of that measure. Because of that, you must do everything in your power to treat them with kindness, empathy and respect, and utilize everything you’ve learned to provide the absolute best care, no matter how uncooperative or challenging the circumstances might be.”
He also notes the importance of being a lifelong learner. Whether that be refining one’s practice, engaging with research, or participating in mentorship opportunities, these all contribute to better quality care and push the field of paramedicine forward.
Bob at the YVR hanger speaking to local students on a class trip
While reflecting on his career, Bob is in awe of how far the service and the field of paramedicine has come.
“What we have accomplished in the last ten years is staggering – new pharmacology, new procedures, and greater recognition that the ambulance service makes a substantial contribution to the health care system,” he says.
Although the practice advancements and opportunities over the years have been significant, Bob says the small moments of humanity are what have made the biggest impact.
Like the time he responded to a call from an elderly man who was taking care of his terminally ill wife. The man was panicked that he had done something wrong, so Bob and the crew came in and assessed the patient. Bob told his partner he was going to stay a little longer just to make sure everything was settled.
Bob sat down with the man and took a moment to reassure him. He told him he was doing a great job caring for his wife, and although they might not have much more time, he was the reason she had gotten this far.
Filled with emotion, Bob credits this as one of the most fulfilling calls. Being able to have that moment of connection and offer some reassurance during a challenging moment like that is something he will never forget.
Bob credits his career to the medical professionals and mentors who trained him, the friends and colleagues he continues to learn from, and the unwavering support of his wife of 49 years, Sharon.
Bob Chamberlain 2025
“This has been an incredibly satisfying career; I have been truly blessed. As a profession we do an incredible job, I am so proud to be a part of that and the strides we are continuing to make.” – Bob Chamberlain
