Norm (Butch) Lambert

The only male to graduate from Durham College’s nursing program in 1978, Norm Lambert began his career with the Oshawa General Hospital (now Lakeridge Health) providing direct patient care before moving on to the Durham Region Public Health Unit. Soon after, he was hired as a paramedic with the City of Toronto. Over the past 30 years, Lambert’s most ambitious work has been seen at the Toronto Emergency Medical Services (EMS) where he has held various titles including superintendent, commander and deputy chief. His responsibilities have included hiring and training new paramedics and emergency medical dispatchers; managing Toronto’s EMS Communications Centre where approximately 700 emergency 9-1-1 calls come in daily; and ensuring excellence in patient care delivery, paramedic education, emergency planning, public education and staff support programs through the Program Development and Service Quality Division. In the late 1980s Lambert returned to Durham College to teach cardiopulmonary resuscitation and First Aid for the Centre for Professional and Part-time Learning. As deputy chief of Toronto EMS, Lambert also visited with faculty from the college’s 9-1-1 Emergency and Call Centre Communications program to review their program and supported the curriculum by allowing students to complete their observer and co-op hours with City of Toronto EMS workers. Lambert worked closely with the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC) in the development of EMS patient care policies and transport procedures during the severe acute respiratory syndrome outbreak; was assigned deputy chief of operations in the City of Toronto’s Emergency Operations Centre during the G20; and worked with the MOHLTC and Toronto Hospitals to implement a hospital bypass system for stroke patients. Lambert also led a team in the successful development and implementation of a plan to decrease ambulance off-load and emergency patient wait times for the City of Toronto. In 2008, Lambert was recognized for his accomplishments by the Governor General of Canada with an Emergency Medical Services Exemplary Service Medal. Married with children, Lambert is a devoted husband, father of four – two of whom are paramedics – and grandfather of four who enjoys spending time with his family. He is an active volunteer with the Knights of Columbus and enjoys golf and gardening.