Eight Ottawa paramedics, including a superintendent and the chief of paramedics, are receiving bravery awards from the province for their response to the shootings at Parliament Hill and the National War Memorial in 2014.

The Ontario Award for Paramedic Bravery honours paramedics who show “exceptional courage” on the job or off duty. This is the second year the awards are being offered.

The Ottawa paramedics receiving the award are:

• Chief Anthony Di Monte.
• Supt. Rodney Hamberger.
• Michael Call.
• Mylene Carbonneau.
• Eric Jetten.
• David Perras.
• Dan Pollock.
• Adam Whiteford.

The province says Di Monte, who was nearby when the first shots were fired at the National War Memorial by gunman Michael Zehaf-Bibeau on Oct. 22, 2014, was the first paramedic to arrive at Cpl. Nathan Cirillo’s side, followed quickly by the others.

“Without regard for their own safety they responded into a chaotic, uncontrolled scene,” according to the media release about the awards.

Cirillo died from his injuries and the gunman was killed in a hail of gunfire inside Centre Block on Parliament Hill just minutes later.

A paramedic based in Renfrew County, near Ottawa, is also being honoured. On Feb. 12, 2012, Brad Smith responded to an accident on Calabogie Lake, where a snowmobiler was stranded in the water.

As he was helping load the victim onto a rescue boat, Smith fell into the cold water himself and was pulled to safety by his crew.
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