Two Toronto families meet the first responders who changed their lives forever

From car crashes to home fires, first responders and members of the public often find themselves together in dangerous situations for brief, but life-changing, encounters.

But paramedics and firefighters don't usually know what happens to a patient after they've dropped them to hospital. And the people whose lives they've saved don't always get the chance to thank them.

On Thursday afternoon, two families had the chance to do just that at a reunion at Toronto Emergency Services' joint headquarters.

Catharine Motley was among them. 

On Nov. 11, 2023, Motley and her two children were critically injured in an apartment fire. Emergency responders saved their lives. 

"From what I understand, the fire possibly started in my kitchen. The paramedics and firefighters here were kind enough to get us out," Motley said. "It was a really close call."

Motley said her son suffered a brain injury from smoke inhalation, and she was in a coma for two months. 

Being able to thank the emergency responders who helped her that day, she said, was "enormous."

"To say thank you, is a huge deal," she added.

"I don't remember anything about the fire. I don't remember anything about my injuries. I don't remember anything being in the hospital. I was never in the hospital with my children when they were injured. I almost lost them and I didn't even know it."

Toronto Paramedic Brian Annett said he remembers responding to an apartment fire on Wilson Avenue, east of Keele Street. Firefighters found the mother and her two children, both one-year-olds, in a unit and pulled them out. All three were critically injured.

"I was the first paramedic on scene. Seeing a one-year-old VSA (vital signs absent) is probably one of our nightmare calls. Then you see another one," Annett said at the reunion. 

"It's basically deciding who do we help," he added.

Annett, a superintendent and advanced care paramedic, said he pulled the firefighters together, had his equipment spread out and was radioing his dispatch. He is a supervisor but had to go into "paramedic mode" at the scene because there weren't other paramedics around.

"We don't see this often. We don't get to meet our patients. Once you go vital signs absent and you're doing CPR on someone, it's a very small survival rate. To actually talk, it's emotional. It's a surreal moment."

Annett said the reunion shows that the work of paramedics makes a difference and it's heartwarming to meet his patients.

"This made my Christmas, that's for sure."

Toronto firefighter Eyglo Thrastardottir said she was on the scene as well.

"The mom was my patient, and to see her walking about and smiling and laughing, it shows you why we do this," Thrastardottir said.

Another woman at the reunion, Danielle Takahashi said she didn't think she would make it to the car on Aug. 13 when she was in labour. When 911 was called, the crew that responded made sure she got to the hospital just in time for her son to arrive.

"Before they got there, we were really panicked. And then as soon they were on the scene and got me in the back of the ambulance, their professionalism, their calm helped to calm me in a very uncontrollable situation, so I felt safe and taken care of right away, which was huge," she said.

"It's so nice to be able to close the loop, and show them our family now and how they helped to bring our son into the world. It's wonderful to be able to see them and really take in who they are and let them know how much they help people everyday."

Toronto paramedic Jacob Pettigrew got a chance to hold the baby whose mother he helped to get to the hospital.

"It was a learning opportunity. I remember the family being incredible," he said. "Knowing that you made an impact, seeing the impact on the family, just gets you through the day."