MCFRS News Release

Serving on Health Care's Frontline

National EMS Week – May 14-20, 2006

Montgomery County fire fighters, paramedics and emergency medical first responders are called to assist on over 100,000 incidents each year. About one million fire and rescue personnel responded on emergency apparatus over 275,000 times during the past year. About 75-80 percent of all responses are medical emergencies or other rescue type incidents.

The Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service (MCFRS) is a full spectrum life safety agency protecting nearly 1 million people who live and work in Maryland’s most populous jurisdiction. The MCFRS is a combination system (career/volunteer), operating with a budget of about $170 million, comprised of over 1100 career uniformed personnel and professional civilian staff and an equal number of volunteers, nearly half of whom actively participate in emergency response.

The theme for the 2006 National EMS Week is, “EMS: Serving on Health Care’s Front Line,” which underscores the commitment and dedication of the nation’s 750,000 emergency medical service (EMS) providers who serve their communities all across the United States, including about 2,000 paramedics and emergency medical technicians who live and work in Montgomery County.

''The dedicated men and women who serve as EMS providers in Montgomery County are often first on the scene of local medical emergencies, motor vehicle crashes, disasters of all shapes and sizes or other event that may place them in a hazardous environment, “ said Chief Tom Carr, Montgomery, Fire Chief, Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service.

“As this year’s theme implies, emergency first responders are the very essence for the beginning of emergency health care in our communities”. Chief Carr adds, ''It’s important that we take the time to recognize these front line emergency medical responders who on a daily basis go above and beyond the call of duty to save lives, often while putting themselves in harm’s way.''

During EMS Week, Montgomery County Fire Chief Tom Carr and all the men and women of the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service will be recognizing the individuals who have been involved in five (5) Public Access Defibrillation saves since a law was enacted in Montgomery County, Maryland on July 1, 2005, requiring automatic external defibrillators (AED) in all health clubs.

These individuals are being recognized for activating what the American Heart Association calls the “Chain of Survival” for Sudden Cardiac Arrest. The “Chain of Survival” involves a bystander (initial recognition of a cardiac arrest), someone who summons help (calls 911), a Emergency Medical Dispatcher (sends fire and rescue medical assistance quickly), persons who perform CPR and utilize an AED (Automated External Defibrillator), the fire and EMS crews who arrive and continue the care, paramedics who initiate Advanced Life Support procedures, and those who transport the patients to the hospital. This is a “Chain of Survival”.

Facts:

First Annual Public Access Defibrillation Seminar
Celebrate our AED saves
Learn about the new CPR and AED Standards that take effect July 1, 2006
Learn about the revised State AED law and regulation

May 19, 2006
9 AM to 12 PM
University of Maryland
Shady Grove Conference Center
9640 Gudelsky Drive
Rockville, MD 20850

The Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service would like to invite you to participate in our 1st Annual Public Access Defibrillation Seminar on May 19th, from 9AM to 12PM at the University of Maryland Shady Grove Conference Center, 9640 Gudelsky Drive, Rockville, MD 20850. The theme is “Celebrating Success” and will coincide with our celebration of Emergency Medical Services Week.

Program Schedule of Events:

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