Dedicated volunteers

Dear Editor,

This week, the entire country will be celebrating National Emergency Medical Services Week, May 18-24. 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 ad 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.

This year's theme for EMS Week is EMS: Dedicated for Life." It 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, oftentimes leaving meals half-eaten, warm beds on cold nights or special family functions. They have acquired, maintain and utilize 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 say thank-you to the 750,000-plus 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.

Many of these EMS providers and EMS agencies often go unmentioned during this week of celebration. One such organization that plays a vital role in our community, our area and our nation in providing this care is the Health Occupations Department and the Accelerated Paramedic Program located at McCook Community College. It's no secret that this "gem" has proven to be a huge success, bringing in students from as close as McCook, North Platte and Benkelman, and as far away as California, Washington, Maryland, Massachusetts, even Ireland and England. The successes of this program fall back on those individuals who devote their time and efforts to make it succeed. So, Kathy Dernovich, Bob Molcyk and Cindy Fahnholz, I say thank you for your part in continuously producing quality, caring and devoted EMTs and paramedics that work on our streets and in our homes to bring us professional and compassionate care.

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 17 years; Frank Bonini, 1; Larry Davis 22 years, Cody Bethke 2, Colton Brown 1, Alan Goodenberger 1, Rodney Gordine 7, Raleigh Haas 30, Marc Harpham 25, Dan Hartwell 14, Todd Hovey 4, Adam Johnson 5, Austin Kelley 5 months, Mark Kool 7, Adam Kuehl 1, Austin Lambing 2, Collin Messersmith 6 months, Rick Metcalf 19, Austin Molcyk 2, Bob Molcyk 12, Joy Molcyk 12, Tyler Neff 6 months, Brian Payton 25 years, Leslie Peterson 4, Fred Pinkal, 30, Greg Pollnow 4, Steve Renner 19, Mike Schoenemann 6, James Slaten 4 months, Travis Soundy 1 year, Kimberly Stapp 9 months, Daniel Stoney 3 years, Shelby Woitaszewski 3, Steve Yager 4 months, Tim Zehnder 1 year.

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

This year, we ask that your 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 / EMS Chief / Paramedic

City of McCook Fire Department