International Paramedics Day 2026
8 July 2026
Celebrating International Paramedics Day.
Emily is originally from Guernsey and attended Blanchelande College before moving to the UK to train as a paramedic.
She qualified in 2019 with the University of Hertfordshire and went on to work for South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Trust.
After five years in the NHS, she returned to Guernsey and has been working as a paramedic here since June 2024.
Emily said: “Being a paramedic is a privilege. You meet people on some of the worst days of their lives, and it means a lot to be able to bring a sense of calm, reassurance and care when things feel frightening or uncertain. Working in Guernsey makes that feel even more personal, because this is our Island and our community and there is often some connection to the people we help.
“It can be a tough job, physically and emotionally, but it is also one with a lot of purpose. I feel proud to be part of a team that keeps showing up for people when they need us most.”
nternational Paramedics Day is not just about paramedics, it is a celebration of all emergency medical responders who deliver expert care and compassion to our community.
In Guernsey we employ Paramedics, Emergency Medical Technicians and Emergency Care Assistants on the frontline blue light service. We also have Ambulance Care Assistants working across our Patient Transfer Service.
Blaise is an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) in Guernsey. She went to school at St Sampsons High and joined the ambulance service in 2019. She did her initial training on island and then qualified with West Midlands Ambulance Service.
Blaise said: “I love the job because I love being there for our community, helping people out when they are going through difficult experiences and making it better, whether that’s just by checking them over and reassuring them, or by giving treatment and getting them to the appropriate place to continue patient care.
I also love working with my team, which consists of ECA’s, EMT’s and Paramedics. We all work together as a unit, and we will always be there for each other. Nothing is more important than having a close working relationship with your team. We spend long hours at work with our team, so we all understand the hardships and challenges we face. I love our community and will always dedicate myself to caring for them. I’m so proud to work as an EMT alongside ECA’s and Paramedics, and I do what I do knowing I’m making positive impacts on people’s lives.”
Chief Ambulance Officer John Atkins said: “International Paramedics Day is not just about paramedics, it is about recognising the valuable, often life-saving work carried out by all ambulance clinicians. In Guernsey our highly skilled paramedics work alongside Emergency Medical Technicians and Emergency Care Assistants, while in Alderney our Emergency Ambulance Crews are supported by a Paramedic Team Leader and Paramedic Leads. We also work closely with staff in Primary Care, HSC and the voluntary sector, with one common goal, to provide the right person-centred care, in the right place at the right time.”
International Paramedics Day takes place every year on July 8 because this marks the anniversary of the birth of Dominique Jean Larrey, the French military doctor who became Napoleon Bonaparte’s chief surgeon of the Grand Armee and the man often referred to as the ‘father of modern-day
ambulance services.’
