Badge of the Toronto Emergency Medical Services

Blazon

On a bezant the star of life Azure, its rod of Aesculapius Or, the end of each limb ensigned by a coronet erablé Gules, the whole within an annulus Azure inscribed TORONTO and EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES in letters Or, encircled by a wreath of maple leaves Or issuant from a trillium flower proper and ensigned by a mural crown Azure charged with a rose Argent between two trillium flowers proper;

Symbolism

The badge follows the pattern of those that have been granted to law enforcement agencies, with appropriate alterations. At the centre is a blue “star of life,” a familiar symbol of paramedical services, on which is the rod of Aesculapius, the symbol of medicine. The maple leaf coronets represent the six municipalities within the former Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto (the Cities of Toronto, North York, Scarborough, Etobicoke, and York, and the Borough of East York). These municipalities were amalgamated in 1998 to form the present City of Toronto. The wreath of maple leaves emphasizes the Canadian identity of the Services, the trillium flowers are symbolic of Ontario, and the white rose is a symbol of York, the original name of Toronto. The mural crown at the top indicates that Emergency Medical Services are municipal services, and its blue colour is associated with Toronto.