Letter to the Editor

EMS -- A Proud Partner in Your Community

Friday, May 22, 2009

Dear Editor,

This week the entire country will be celebrating National Emergency Medical Services Week, May 17-23, 2009. It's a time set aside by the American College of Emergency Physicians to salute the more than 750,000 professionals and volunteers who are "serving on health care's front line." These heroes utilize quick actions and selfless behavior every day.

As we have witnessed during countless events and natural disasters, they are at the forefront of a crisis, providing timely, immediate access to important first-response health care. Sometimes you might see them do their work in the bright lights of an emergency department -- sometimes they are quietly at work in someone's home, on a school playground, or in a muddy road ditch on a dark, rainy night.

I would like to let our community know what an incredible team it can count on when it comes to medical or traumatic emergencies. It's a great feeling to know that our players "in the field" are so well trained and well-versed in emergency medicine. Our paramedics, EMTs, dispatchers, emergency nurses, physician assistants and physicians, as well as all of the police officers, are very hard working. We are fortunate to have such dedicated professionals who work tirelessly to perform everything from the mundane to the miraculous.

The theme of this year's EMS Week, "EMS -- A Proud Partner in Your Community," focuses on the commitment and dedication of the 750,000 EMS providers who provide an essential community service every day. This dedication to their mission provides round-the-clock care to communities across the nation.

Here in Southwest Nebraska, most towns rely strictly on volunteers to provide their fire coverage and emergency medical services. These men and women respond to calls for help at all times of the day and night, often leaving meals half-eaten, warm beds on cold nights, or special family functions. They have acquired, maintained, and utilized the skills that are so vital in times of need and they don't hesitate to provide help when needed. You know most of these people.

They are your spouses, relatives, neighbors, friends and co-workers. So, please thank you to the 750,000+ paramedics, EMTs, first responders and other emergency medical personnel who provide day-to-day life saving services on the medical "front lines." These people provide excellent services every day under all kinds of circumstances.

These EMS providers -- both volunteer and professional -- serve their communities with a service that can sometimes require personal sacrifice and risk.

Locally, the McCook City and Volunteer Fire Department staff is proud of the rapid response time (average of 3 minutes in McCook) with EMT-Paramedic certified staff, the highest level of prehospital care, and a staff of dedicated and professional volunteer EMS personnel who provide emergency care to our area. This includes the following individuals and their years of dedicated service to McCook and the surrounding area:

Bob Allen, 16, James Bondegard, 4, Adam Johnson, 1, Larry Davis, 20, Rodney Gordine, 4, Marc Harpham, 22, Curtis Hensley, 4, Michael Jonasen, 3, Nancy Corey, 2, Nathan Gleason, 1, Lucas Rinehart, 1, Chris Mehringer, 3, Tanya Morgan, 4, Shane Smith, 9, Rick Metcalf, 20, Brian Payton, 21, Mike Schoenemann, 3, Michael Beiber, 3, Tyler Budke, 2, Clay Jordan, 1, Justin Davis, 4, Mark Eiler, 24, Raleigh Haas, 26, Daniel Hartwell, 9, Dan Ewald, 7, Ashley Donovan, 1, Sarah Krause, 1, Michael Kendall, 6, Bob Molcyk, 8, Fred Pinkal, 26, Mark Kool, 8, Joy Molcyk, 7, Steve Renner, 17.

Lastly, I would like to thank the employers of our family of volunteers, I appreciate your understanding, patience and support in allowing these people to serve our community.

This year, we ask that you recognize the contributions of EMS providers, locally and nationwide, and stress the importance of strong public support for the EMS system.

Respectfully,

Marc A. Harpham,

Fire Chief/Paramedic

McCook City and Volunteer Fire Department

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