For Those Who Gave Everything

The 2009 inductees to the EMS Memorial were announced www.emsnetwork.org/artman2/publish/article_36100.shtml. There are 91 inductees this year. Fifty one of the honorees were involved with Medevac accidents. The Office of EMS and the State Medevac Committee are working on Medevac safety concerns and other core items to help keep the Medevac providers and patients safe.

However, others honorees were struck by cars, had heart attacks or were involved in ambulance crashes. As a community, we need to remember what we learned in EMT class – your safety comes first. We need providers to remember to be safe on the scene. Which includes:

• Wearing safety vests or reflective gear while working on or near the road
• Parking the ambulance or fire truck so that it helps to block you from oncoming traffic
• Take care of yourself – eat right, exercise and get regular physicals
•  Never enter a scene unless you know it is safe or police have secured the scene
• Always wear your seat belt on the ambulance and make sure all items in the ambulance are secure
• Don’t drive ‘lights and sirens’, unless it is absolutely necessary

As a way to honor those who gave everything to save others, we ask that you please do everything you can to stay healthy and safe in the field.