SUCCESS STORY
Northern Pride Animates La Ronge EMS

When Eric Bell took over La Ronge Ambulance it had five employees, one of whom was a northerner. Now, Bell notes with pride, La Ronge EMS has 23 people on staff, and 15 are of First Nations background. That's just one aspect of the pride Bell exudes in talking about the business.

Before getting into business for himself Bell spent 18 years as a Parks Canada warden, including two stints at nearby Prince Albert National Park. However, he could see changes coming in the organization and operation of the parks service, "and I couldn't see myself in that picture."

The La Ronge ambulance service was one of the business possibilities that Bell considered as he looked around for a new line of work. As a park warden he'd had many experiences responding to emergencies, so the ambulance service was "a nice fit." Still, he spent about a year pre-planning and arranging financing before buying the business in August 1994. He also sank all of his superannuation into the purchase. "It was a risk," Bell acknowledges. "My wife wondered why I was leaving a safe, secure job."
"Community Futures Visions North helped with operating dollars and money to upgrade equipment. They helped with long-term planning and sometimes short-term fixes, until I could get three or four years of records to take to the government in Regina and say 'This is the value you're getting and this is what you're paying.' Visions North has always stood behind me, and I think that's because the Board of Directors has a clear understanding of businesses that are important to the community," he observes.

I have a young primary care paramedic who wants to become a nurse," Bell says. "I had an emergency medical responder who became an emergency medical technician and then decided that he had the skills and ability to become a teacher. I'm happy to be a part of their success." It's an exciting time to be in the EMS industry, according to Bell