Ben Addley takes over as manager and chief of Oxford County Paramedic Services
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A new paramedic chief has taken the reins in Oxford.
Ben Addley started his new role as manager of Oxford County Paramedic Services on Monday, according to a statement from director of public health Lynn Beath.
Oxford's last chief, Joe Pember, died suddenly in November.
“The reputation of Oxford County and their paramedic group is very good. They’ve had a long history of great EMS leaders here, so to come in and be part of that is certainly a great carrot for me to take the role here,” Addley said in an interview Tuesday afternoon.
Addley has nearly 25 years experience in emergency medical services all across the province.
He was born and raised in Lambton County, where he started his career with the Lambton Middlesex Ambulance Service in 1991.
After getting some management experience with forces in central Ontario, Addley spent 14 years with the Peel Regional Paramedic Services, including the last seven as deputy chief of operations.
“Paramedic services has changed so much over my 24 years. I’ll be honest, I was an ambulance driver when I started, to now becoming an advanced care paramedic - there’s been lots of levels,” he said.
Addley's had a couple of high-profile gigs, too, like managing the polyclinic in the Athletes Village at the 2015 Pan Am games in Toronto.
The clinic was essentially a mini-hospital with an emergency department, dental, vision and mental health centres, as well as sports and rehab facilities and a pharmacy.
“It was definitely unique, and a once in a lifetime opportunity,” he said. “You have to create and design an entire system to service the athletes for the period they’re here. It was a huge undertaking.”
He was also on the frontlines during the 2005 Air France plane crash at Pearson airport.
That's part of the coverage area for Peel paramedics.
The call came in at the end of Addley's shift. An inbound plane had crashed into Etobicoke Creek after landing.
“I happened to be the on-duty manager that day, just ready to leave for vacation to tell you the truth. My wife had the kids loaded up, the van loaded up, just waiting for me to get home,” he said.
Addley was EMS site commander during the response to that crash.
“It’s certainly one of those large-scale events that I’ve had the exposure (to) and been part of,” he said. Addley was also part of planning for emergency medical services during the G8 and G20 conferences.
Now, he’s excited to start a career in a region that’s close to his roots.
“Oxford had some definite interest to me, coming back closer to home is most certainly one of those. I still have a lot of family in the Lambton, Middlesex and Elgin areas,” Addley said.
He’s commuting from the Peel region for now – his kids are midway through a school year there – but said a move will be something for his family to consider.
“When I was going to the Pan Am, downtown Toronto, I would be over an hour to travel half the distance,” he said, saying the time to Oxford is about the same.
And the newest chief is ready to get moving on his goals for the Oxford County Paramedic Services.
“Develop(ing) a strong strategic plan for the future of Oxford, that’s one of the initial goals and targets that I have here, to design that 10-year going forward plan,” Addley said.
Calls for paramedic services are climbing, and they’re not expected to level off anytime soon, Addley said.
“Certainly as the communities age, we found that has a more significant impact on call volumes for paramedic services than actual population,” he said. “To be able to manage those growths and still be financially responsible to the community is a big thing we have to plan for.”
He’s only been on the new job for two days, but Addley said it’s been smooth sailing so far.
“My peers in the EMS industry have been really supportive and congratulatory, especially some that I reconnected with here in the southwest, coming back,” he said.
“It’s been very welcoming.”