[Archived] Alexandria Fire Department Celebrates Annual National EMS Week

For Immediate Release: May 22, 2017

In 1974, President Gerald Ford authorized EMS Week to celebrate EMS practitioners and the important work they do in our nation's communities. In recognition of EMS Week (May 21-27), the Alexandria Fire Department will feature Alexandria Fire Chief Robert Dubé, and the city’s EMS providers in brief videos explaining their roles and the special skills they possess to help make the Alexandria Fire Department’s EMS system one of the best in the region. Topics covered in the videos include an introduction to EMS services, a look into the lives and duties of EMS providers, what happens during an ambulance call, and more. 

Since the founding of EMS Week, the field of emergency medical services has been established as an essential public function and a vital component of the medical care continuum. On any given day, Fire & EMS practitioners help save lives by responding to medical emergencies, including heart attack, difficulty breathing, a fall or accident, drowning, cardiac arrest, stroke, drug overdose or acute illness. Fire & EMS may provide both basic and advanced medical care at the scene of an emergency, and on the way to a hospital. Fire & EMS practitioners care for their patients' medical needs, and show caring and compassion to their patients in their most difficult moments.

EMS Week brings together local communities and medical personnel to honor the dedication of those who provide the day-to-day lifesaving services of medicine's "front line."

New videos will be posted throughout EMS Week. For more information, and to view the videos, visit www.alexandriava.gov/Fire.

For more information or media inquiries, contact Firefighter Rick Muse, Jr., Community Outreach/Public Information Officer, at rick.musejr@alexandriava.gov or 703.746.5217.