July 8 is the first International Paramedics Day and to mark the occasion, two paramedics from the UK have proven they might be good at their job, but they’re not good on camera . While filming a video about what it’s like to be a paramedic, Dave Tamarro and Joe Cartwright of Luton Ambulance Station couldn’t contain their laughter.
Their blooper reel, shared on Facebook, shows Cartwright unable to utter a word because with each attempt he bursts into laughter.
“Hello, everyone. Welcome to Luton Ambulance Station,” Tamarro said. Before introducing himself, Cartwright bursts out laughing, which then makes Tamarro laugh.
Finally – after several takes interrupted by laughter – Tamarro is able to explain that the first International Paramedic Day is July 8, and he asks his colleague, “How does it feel to be a paramedic? ?”
“It feels really good to be a paramedic,” Cartwright says, before laughing again. “I don’t know why I keep saying that. I keep saying, ‘That feels good.’ I am really sorry!”
The clip was shared by East of England Ambulance Service, or EEAST, NHS Trust and gained attention online.
“We have received thousands of lovely messages about Dave and Joe’s many attempts at their International Paramedic Day message,” Tom Abell, CEO of EEAST, said in a statement to CBS News. “I know they were both amazed by the response.”
“We felt it was important to mark this first-ever International Paramedic Day on Friday July 8 to celebrate the work of our dedicated teams, who work so hard to support our patients and our communities.”
International Paramedics Day was created and organized by the College of Paramedics in the UK, as well as professional paramedic organizations around the world.
July 8 was chosen because it is the anniversary of the birth of Dominique-Jean Larrey, “the man often described as the ‘father of modern ambulance services'”, according to the College of Paramedics.
The organization shared several more videos of paramedics on July 8 to mark the day. “Really so proud to be a paramedic and to see the profession grow,” Marcus Bailey, COO of EEAST, said in a video. “The amazing things that everyone does every day, it’s amazing. It’s so special.”
“Like 32,000 others in the UK, I am a paramedic,” says Graham Clark, paramedic and chair of the EEAST LGBT+ Network. “Being a paramedic is important to me. It gives me a special opportunity to be there for people in the best times of their lives – but also to make their worst times a little easier for them, or bearable.”
Caitlin O’Kane
