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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Friday, May 29, 2015 | 6 They are there when we need them, 24/7. On May 1, Halton police, Oakville Fire Department and Halton Paramedic Services came together at the Halton Regional Centre to celebrate First Responders Day and kick off Emergency Preparedness Week (May 3-9). Police Week followed from May 10-16. The week did not pass without Halton Regional Police Constable Rick Buys being recognized for his quick action and lifesaving efforts that saved the life of Oakville's Evan Di Iulio, six weeks old, and left Evan's mom, Kelly Bragg, forever indebted. Last week, paramedics Tad Nelson, Kim Kennedy, Steve McCallum and Sam Comeau-Seguin stopped by Trafalgar Lodge Retirement Residence so residents there could say thanks for all they do for seniors such as themselves and others. When a senior is taken to hospital by ambulance, a paramedic ensures the senior is not left waiting alone in the Emergency department. In addition, these men and women who ride in our local ambulance service frequent much more than the Emergency halls of Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital. They are out on the streets and highways in our community, responding to often brutal human injury and suffering from crashes. They are in our residential neighbourhoods, responding to emergencies that folks may suffer while at home. And while it is these folks who we call when we are at a loss, who we watch in awe from the sidelines feeling helpless, there are some actions we can take to assist them. Emergency Preparedness is all about keeping the three `Ps' in mind: prevent, protect, prepare. We can prevent harm, protect each other, and be prepared for emergencies. Prevention includes simple deeds, such as making a re safety plan and ensuring smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are working. Protection stresses thinking ahead, such as stopping at a red light and not using a mobile device while driving. Preparedness is about being ready for emergencies, no matter the scenario. And while it's not likely we'll ever succeed in eliminating emergencies, accidents or illness, our preventative work could at least make such eventualities a little easier for ourselves and our rst responders. Ontario designates May 1 as First Responders' Day to celebrate the sacri ces and hard work of rst responders who devote their lives to public service. "It is a great statement from the government to recognize the work the frontline staff do day-in and day-out," said Halton Paramedic Services Chief Greg Sage, who of cially opened a new ambulance station at Pine Glen and Bronte roads this week. We will see paramedics there. We will also see them at many of our local events, and there is one more thing we can do to make their job easier. We can say `thank you'. After all, they are there for us, in sickness and health, 24/7. There for us 24/7 in sickness and health Editorial L O O K I N G B A C K A T "Connected to your Community" W A R 5046 Mainway, Unit 2, Burlington ON L7L 5Z1 General Inquiries: (905) 845-3824 Classi ed Advertising: (905) 632-4440 Circulation: 5300 Harvester Rd., Burlington (905) 631-6095 Volume 53 | Number 43 The Oakville Beaver is a division of Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. Vice­President and Group Publisher of Metroland West Regional General Manager Halton Region Editor in Chief Advertising Director NEIL OLIVER DAVID HARVEY JILL DAVIS DANIEL BAIRD Managing Editor ANGELA BLACKBURN Second World War Veterans, pictured from left, Mike Vencel, Ron Kirk and Andy Barber, all of the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN), and John Burke, Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), look on as students from St. Dominic Elementary School unveil a plaque to honour all veterans in a ceremony at the Bronte Veterans Garden last Friday. The students also presented veterans with special memory books, which the youths compiled after interviewing them in February. Among others also receiving memory books were: Bill Shields, George Stal, Hugh Paterson and Ken Lloyd. Among those attending the ceremony were of cials from the Halton District Catholic School Board, Oakville MPP and Ontario Labour Minister Kevin Flynn, Ward 1 Town Councillor Ralph Robinson, Father Mike Anderson, Pastor of St. Dominic Catholic Church, and Chris Mark, Oakville director of parks and open space. For more photos, visit www.oakvillebeaver.com. | photo by Graham Paine ­ Oakville Beaver (Follow on Twitter @halton_photog or facebook.com/HaltonPhotog) RIZIERO VERTOLLI Photography Director Business Manager Director of Production SANDY PARE MARK DILLS MANUEL GARCIA Production Manager Director of Distribution CHARLENE HALL KIM MOSSMAN Circulation Manager There are tax dollars wasted in transit Re: Resident says Oakville has too many buses, Oakville Beaver, May 1, 2015 May I say how heartily I agree with everything Mr. Foster has said. Twenty- ve years ago, Ann Mulvale came to my door (Kingsway Drive) soliciting my vote for mayor of Oakville. I complained to her about the waste of taxpayers' money running humongous buses along local routes with just the bus driver on the bus. I suggested it would be more appropriate to run small vehicles (like the shuttlebuses at the airport that run on natural gas) until passenger traf c increased. She said she would give me an answer. The answer came: shuttle buses would not withstand the constant stopping and starting -- no reference to waste of taxpayers' money. Since then, more and more buses and Letter to the Editor Proud Official Media Sponsor For: Canadian Circulations Audit Board Member routes have been added -- still largely empty. I have been so angered at the waste, I have wanted to follow a bus along its route to count the passengers getting on and off just like the letter-writer has done. He is absolutely right, they are being run to give the manager, mechanics and of ce staff employment and worse still, the capital cost of the equipment, extended garage facilities, wear-and-tear of the vehicles and the pavement they run on, the bus shelters, concrete bus standings at the curb, etc., etc., has left us with an outrageous budget for transportation. Nobody is in control of these costs, it is a blatant waste of money, just because this is such a wonderfully rich part of Canada. John S. France, Oakville Recognized for Excellence by Ontario Community Newspapers Association Canadian Community Newspapers Association Proud Official Media Sponsor For: The Oakville Beaver welcomes letters from its readers. Letters will be edited for clarity, length, legal considerations and grammar. In order to be published all letters must contain the name, address and phone number of the author. Letters should be addressed to: The Editor, Oakville Beaver, 5046 Mainway, Unit 2, Burlington ON L7L 5Z1 or via email to ablackburn@oakvillebeaver.com. The Beaver reserves the right to refuse to publish a letter. The Oakville Beaver is a member of the Ontario Press Council. The council is located at 80 Gould St., Suite 206, Toronto, Ont., M5B 2M7. Phone 416-340-1981. 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