(UNDATED) – This year will mark 45 years of honoring the men and woman who provide emergency medical services throughout the United States.
IU Health and Bedford Fire Department respond to a school bus accident on Fifth Street in Bedford.
Emergency Medical Services (EMS Week) was initially authorized by President Gerald Ford, November 4, 1974, for the week of November 3-10.
Marion Twp. Volunteer Fire Department responds to an accident at State Road 37 and US 50.
EMS week for 2019 started on May 19 and runs through May 25.
StatFlight prepares to transport patient from St. Vincent Dunn Hospital.
The theme for this year will represent the diverse nature of Emergency Medical Services:
- Monday – EMS education Day
- Tuesday- Safety Tuesday
- Wednesday – EMS for Children Day
- Thursday – Stop the Bleed Day
- Friday- EMS recognition Day
Emergency Medical Service is provided by police officers, firefighters, and Emergency Medical Personnel who trained as Emergency Medical Responders, Emergency Medical Technicians, Advanced Emergency Medical Technicians, Paramedics, and Flight nurses.
AMR ambulance responds to a pedestrian accident at 15th and J Streets in Bedford.
They respond to a variety of medical and trauma-related emergencies.
The first responder program in Lawrence County started in 1988, to include the local volunteer fire service, and now have expanded to include heart defibrillators carried in some police vehicles and fire apparatus.
Police officers and firefighters respond to medical emergencies, and accidents treating the patient before the arrival of ambulance.
Local ambulance providers include American Medical Response, and IU Health Ambulance and Transport service; also, fire departments throughout Lawrence County provide Basic Life Support Services until the arrival of an ambulance.
Josh Davis EMS director for AMR Ambulance Service, stated because they have contracts to provide EMS services for the Indianapolis 500, they have pushed back some of their EMS Week activities and will celebrate at another time.
However, on Monday, they had a cookout for their personnel.
“We appreciate our employees and their dedication to the ambulance service,” he added. “Lately, our employees had to work a lot of overtime, and their contributions to providing professional pre-hospital care have not gone unnoticed. I want to thank the police officers and firefighters of Lawrence County who have helped provide care before the ambulance arrives.”
WBIW reached out to Kelly Mullis, South Region Director for IU Health Ambulance Service, and she did not return our call for this story.
