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EMS Week May 14-20: Celebrate with Paramedics 'Serving on Healthcare's Front Line'.


7/27/2006

Wake County Commissioners invite the public to learn more about the paramedics who serve them every day as the County celebrates Wake County Emergency Medical Services Week 2006, May 14-20.

Paramedics in the Wake County Emergency Medical Service System, or EMS, responded to more than 60,000 calls for help over the last year, transporting more than 45,000 of those to area hospitals: 162 were confirmed heart attack patients, 201 were acute strokes, and 45 involved babies delivered either with EMS or just prior to the arrival of paramedics.

National EMS Week honors and brings recognition to these men and women across the U.S. who devote THEIR lives to saving the lives of OTHERS. Wake County EMS paramedics have planned a "Then and Now" themed week of educational opportunities starting with mall displays at Crabtree Valley Mall May 15-16 and Triangle Town Center May 17-19 that will include old and new heart monitors, radios, uniforms, textbooks and other EMS equipment.

There will also be two open houses for the public to attend. The first will be at Wake EMS Station 10, located at 706 S. Franklin Street in Wake Forest (corner of Franklin and Holding) on May 18, from noon until 7 p.m. This is a great opportunity to see how paramedics spend their (very little) time when they are not on calls. The second and larger Open House and EMS Display will take place Saturday, May 20, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., at the EMS Training Facility, 4011 Carya Drive in Raleigh (off Poole Road at the Beltline). This event will include:

  • 1974 Cadillac Ambulance side by side with 2006 Wheeled Coach Ambulance
  • Free Basic CPR classes
  • Old and new EMS equipment
  • Stormy of the Carolina Hurricanes
  • Concessions
  • Face painting and games for kids
  • Educational materials

Learning CPR and quickly dialing 9-1-1 can mean the difference between life and death. Registration is not required for these FREE one-hour classes that will be held throughout the day on May 20, with start times at at 2 p.m., 2:30 p.m., 3 p.m., 3:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. Students must be 10 or more years old, and if you have a group of 10 or more, please e-mail pio@wakeems in advance.

Come out during EMS week and get to know your paramedics – you might need them when you least expect it – and have fun learning about the EMS System in Wake County. Click here to learn more about Wake County EMS.



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