MCFRS News Release
EMS Week: Anytime. Anywhere. We’ll be there.
National EMS Week – May 16-23, 2010
ROCKVILLE, Maryland - - Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Week will be celebrated throughout the nation May 16-23, 2010. Montgomery County, Maryland fire fighters, paramedics and emergency medical first responders are called to assist on over 100,000 incidents each year. The theme for this year’s National EMS Week, “Anytime. Anywhere. We’ll be there,”underscores the commitment and dedication of the nation’s 750,000 emergency medical service (EMS) providers who serve communities all across the United States, including about 2,000 paramedics and emergency medical technicians who live, work and volunteer in Montgomery County.
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 an annual budget of about $190 million and is comprised of over 1200 career uniformed personnel and professional civilian staff and an equal number of volunteers, nearly half of whom actively participate in emergency response.
“As this year’s theme implies, MCFRS is ready every day for every type of emergency with the right combination of well-trained, educated and experienced emergency first responders,” Chief Richie Bowers adds, “Today’s EMS system brings the first, and often critical, hour of specialized emergency care right to the patient’s side. When you have a medical emergency, you need immediate care. Calling 911 during a medical emergency results in a measurably better outcome than driving an injured or seriously ill person to the hospital. Early intervention and medical care in cases such as a heart attack or stroke can ultimately mean the difference between life and death.”
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