Meet the B.C. paramedic who's been on the job since 1967
Ken Riddle has served for 50 years, all of them in the tiny southern Interior town of Greenwood
Ken Riddle is a small-town fellow with a very big accomplishment.
Riddle was honoured recently by B.C. Emergency Health Services after 50 years of service, for being the longest-serving paramedic in B.C.
"I love working with people, and you know what? I love the system," he said. "It's probably one of the best jobs you can ever have and the system works. We do our jobs as best we can on a daily basis and it works."
Riddle is the unit chief in Greenwood, between Osoyoos and Christina Lake, a town that bills itself as Canada's smallest incorporated municipality.
It's where he started his career at age 17, and he's never worked anywhere else.
"I'm still kinda the little boy in town and I know just about everybody there. It's a family-type thing," he said. "Every time I go out, it's nice to see people I know."
Don't call 911; call Ken
Riddle says when he started his career, he had nothing more than a 1963 Chevrolet panel truck and a canvas cot to do his job.
Over the years, the tools of his trade have advanced significantly, and his familiarity with the community's people — and theirs with him — has advanced too.
It's gotten to a point where people will sometimes call Riddle on his personal phone before they call 911.
"It's quite often I'll get a call from someone in the middle of the night that they need an ambulance," he said. "I tell them to call 911, or I just do it myself. Most of the time, it's just easier to do it myself."
And even after 50 years, Riddle says he has no plans of retiring anytime soon.
"I always say, if you love something, keep doing it," he said. "It's gratifying to take people in and make sure they're doing OK."