National EMS Week 2013 is May 19-25

Since its inception in 1973, EMS Week is a nationwide celebration that honors the everyday heroes who work in emergency services. These folks work 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to tirelessly serve their local communities. We honor emergency medical service (EMS) professionals for their dedication to public service. People rely on EMS in disasters and other public health emergencies, as well as for personal emergency care.

Disaster response and recovery requires a whole community working together. It’s one mission, one team. EMS is a crucial part of that team, there when every minute counts.

On Tuesday, as part of EMS week, EMS professionals from the Akwesasne Mohawk Ambulance and HAVFD created a mock accident on Rt. 37. They performed a mock extrication, which is how they get accident victims out of a car after a collision.

Fire fighters used tools like the jaws of life, the spreader and a windshield saw to get the “victim,” a dummy named Rescue Randy, out of the smashed up car. EMTs Tom Herne, Stacey Rourke and Sherrill Lazare went in with a board and neck collar, transferred him to a stretcher and to an awaiting ambulance.

The presentation was done to show the community what an extrication entails when somebody gets in an accident. Sherrill Lazare, organizer and EMT, said they pretended his feet were pinned under the dash, which is why the fire fighters had to take the dash apart. First responders joked about the weather as the rain had started when they started their presentation, and then gradually moved to a full-on thunder and lightening storm, as there is never perfect weather with a disaster and made the presentation even more real life.

To all of our EMS professionals: thank you for your prompt response to the emergency needs of your neighbors each and every day. Have you thanked an EMS provider today?