See episode of reality TV show featuring Frontenac Paramedics this week

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to do your job in a different country? How about swapping jobs with someone working in your field half a world away?

This was an experience that became a reality for two Frontenac Paramedics and their counterparts from Switzerland who participated in the Swiss show Job Swap earlier this year.

The process began in March of 2019, when Frontenac Paramedic Services got an invitation from the show’s production team asking if they would be interested in participating in the show. The premise of the show is that people in Switzerland switch jobs for a few days with people in distant countries, with the goal of having workers gather experience in their field on another continent while engaging in cultural exchange.

Frontenac Paramedics accepted the invitation and, over a few months, the local paramedic service was chosen to participate in the show.

Here in Kingston and Frontenac County, Alison Shorey and Harris Lemon of Frontenac Paramedic Services were selected to swap jobs with Sandra Wenger and Sylvan Schibler in Switzerland. Frontenac Paramedic Services Superintendent Jeff Burgess was chosen to oversee the Swiss paramedics and the show’s operation while here in Ontario, and Frontenac Paramedics Eric Lepp and Andrea Haggart were paired with the Swiss paramedics while they were here in Kingston. The episode of the show was filmed in Kingston and Switzerland, and Shorey and Lemon exchanged jobs with Wenger and Schibler for a week.

“The experience for myself and the paramedics was a once in a lifetime experience where we combined the job we love with and international twist. We loved sharing our experiences and professional lives with others that also have committed themselves to helping others in another part of the world,” said Burgess.

“Our jobs mirrored one another with very similar equipment and training. There were some variances in protocols and regional specialties.”

Now, Frontenac Paramedic Services is offering the community the chance to view the episode of Job Swap that features our very own Frontenac Paramedics.

The episode will be shown at The Screening Room on Thursday, Oct. 3, 2019 where members of the public can watch our local paramedics at work in Switzerland, and their counterparts from Switzerland hard at work here in Kingston. And, according to Burgess, the episode is sure to entertain as the experience was one that ran the gamut of emotions.

“We had laughs, tears, and built friendships. What we learned from the experience is that we are very similar, and that show biz is a lot of work – long days, but worth it for the life experience we gained,” he said.

The Canada-Switzerland paramedic episode of Job Swap will be shown at The Screening Room on Thursday, Oct. 3, 2019 at 8 p.m. Tickets are available here, and the cost is $10, with proceeds going to the ALS Society of Canada – the chosen charity of Frontenac Paramedic Services in support of veteran paramedic Dale Hodgins who was diagnosed with ALS at the end of 2018.