GAINESVILLE — The Hall County Fire Services [HCFS] kicked off Emergency Medical Services [EMS] Week on May 17th.
EMS providers include paramedics, emergency medical technicians, first responders, fire fighters and law enforcement, some paid, some volunteer. Hall County Fire Services along with Air Life Georgia and Northeast Georgia Regional Stemi System are teaming up to say thank you to the EMS community in North Georgia, by helping host a cookout on 3 separate days during National EMS Week.
“As we are in the midst of EMS Week, I would like to stress that these ‘everyday heroes’ deserve special recognition for their willingness to face danger in order to help other people in times of trouble,” said Hall County Fire Chief Jeff Hood.
“We all salute the brave men and women who sometimes put themselves in harm’s way in order to assist the sick and the injured. Their selflessness sets an example for all of us. Emergency Medical Services is a vital part of our everyday operations in Hall County,” says Chief Hood.
“Well over 80% of our call volume is medically related so we depend on our Paramedics and EMT’s on a daily basis and they do a phenomenal job.”
Earlier this year, the department celebrated some of these men and women during its 1st Annual Awards Ceremony. A number of these awards were issued as life-saving and were given to Hall County crews on behalf of resuscitating patients once pronounced dead from cardiac arrest. Calls highlighted at the ceremony ranged from car accidents, drownings and sudden cardiac arrest.
EMS week features events planned all across the nation and is organized around the theme, “EMS STRONG.”
In 1973, President Gerald Ford authorized EMS Week in order to celebrate EMS, its practitioners and the important work they do in responding to medical emergencies. At the time of the week’s creation, EMS was a fledgling profession, and its practitioners were only beginning to be recognized as a critical component of emergency medicine and the public health safety net.
