EMS1 2009 Excellence in EMS Award
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A Proud Partner in Your Community |
EMS1 invited all EMS providers from across the nation to submit a short, original story for the second annual Excellence in EMS Award contest.
A panel of industry judges, including EMS1 columnists Mike McEvoy and Kelly Grayson, chose the best stories and the winner came away with an award and a $200 gift card.
Of the many excellent submissions, 11 stories have been featured to exemplify this year's EMS Week theme, "A Proud Partner in Your Community." These stories show how you've partnered or worked with groups in your community, or how you plan on doing so in the coming year. |
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By Lt. Michael Morse, FF-EMT, Providence, R.I., Fire Department
The neighborhood where I spend much of my life appears at first look to be located in another country. The color of my skin makes it impossible for me to "fit in." My uniform allows me to mix freely with the people here. I am an ambassador, representing not only the Emergency Medical Division of the Providence Fire Department, but generations of immigrants as well.
People here look to us at their darkest hour. We respond, treat them with dignity and respect, and show them what makes America and the fire service great. Regardless of income, race, religious or sexual preference, we respond. Our uniforms are not symbols of oppressive regimes, rather a beacon of hope in a sometimes frightening world.
Years ago I began working in this area. I have seen many changes. At first I felt like an outsider, it was obvious that I didn't belong. I was treated differently from the people who lived in the neighborhood. They seemed to tolerate my presence, but patiently waited for me to go. Full Story
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Pint-sized Peanut Gallery
By Meris Shuwarger, Volunteer Rescue Squad
Isle of Wight, Va.
"So," she says cynically, "you drive an ambulance?"
"Yep, I drive it and I help the patients in the back, too," I reply with a smile.
"You?"
"Uh... yes," I say, raising an eyebrow.
"But you're a girl."
"I sure am, but you know what?"
"What?"
"I know some girls who drive the ambulance better than the boys they work with."
"No way!"
Full Story |
The Two Large Trees on St. Ignatius Drive
By Saruhan Hatipoglu, EMT-B
Waldorf, Md.
Abraham Lincoln once said that character was like a tree and reputation its shadow. The shadow is what we think of it and the tree is the real thing. As I started going to the Waldorf EMS Station 3 in Maryland, more often as a volunteer EMT-B, I began to think more frequently what "character" means in broader concepts. Full Story |
Hey, I'm the Patient, not the Caregiver!
By Jonathan Helf, FF-EMT-B
Vanderwagen, N.M.
It's an icy spring morning. As I drive, the countryside passes by; I daydream. All of a sudden I see a white truck swerve into my lane, then spin the other way, then BAM! I see white, then all fades away. Many minutes later I see a face in mine, asking if I am OK. I don't know, I answer. Full Story |
EMS in the Jesuit Tradition
By Kevin Jordan, Fordham University EMS
New York
When we hear the phrase "Care for the entire person" we might immediately begin to think about a detailed physical assessment, but this phrase means something much different for one University based EMS organization — Fordham University Emergency Medical Services, appropriately nicknamed FUEMS. Full Story |
The People We Serve
By Kenneth L. Westby, EMT-P
Gadsden County, Fla.
Our jobs are often difficult and thankless; we wake up so many times in the middle of the night to deal with non-emergencies. Someone I deeply care about told me very early in my career, "People call you when they are scared and need help. You should be proud to go out to every ache and pain." Full Story |
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Proud to be Partners
By April Saling, EMT-B
NW Ohio
Partners.
To the public, the word conjures up thoughts of spouses and business associates. In EMS we think of our partner as the person who always has your back. That person you work with, day in day out. The one you learn from, and who learns from you. One does not normally think of EMS and hospice as partners, working together in the community.
Full Story |
My Mission? To Be There...
By Tammy Engel
NREMT-B, EMT Instructor
Chatfield, Minn., Ambulance Service
I was first exposed to EMT life at the age of 13, when I helped both of my parents study to be EMTs for our local volunteer ambulance service. Now, here I am, 25 years later, having 14 years on the crew and over six years of teaching under my belt. Full Story |
On the Home Front
By Susie Jechow, Paramedic-EMS Education Coordinator
Val Verde, Texas
I received an e-mail from my 18 year-old son who is going to school in Europe and who (thinks he) knows everything. The e-mail was entitled 'Preparations' and in its text stated procedures I should be taking to protect myself from the swine flu pandemic. I smile, text him back, and replied that I was currently on shift at EMS with frontline exposure possibilities. Full Story |
A Proud Up and Coming
Partner in My Community
By Emma Schneider, Volunteer Fire Company Junior
Reisterstown, Md.
Being a junior with the fire department, I get to learn a lot and see some of the community's best responders in action. I get to see just how hard they work to keep the community safe, in addition to doing a lot of charity work within and outside the department. Full Story |
The Community Calls
By Paul Wolf, Vol. FD Ass't Chief of EMS
Allenton, Wis.
My most memorable call was a PNB in a rural area of our protection area. I don't recall who was on the call with me; but I know that, walking into the house, I sensed a family that knew that their patriarch was nearing the end. They had been out for a Friday night fish fry, and had returned home. How could such an enjoyable night end so badly? Full Story |
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