[Archived] Alexandria Fire Department Recognizes 45th Annual EMS Week

For Immediate Release: May 15, 2019

In honor of the 45th annual EMS Week, May 19-25, the Alexandria Fire Department will provide hands-only CPR training and information about how to recognize the symptoms of a stroke from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Dulany Park (300 Dulany St.) on May 20, 22 and 24. Training will also be provided on May 21 and May 23 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Market Square (301 King St.). The Fire Department has also partnered with Inova Alexandria Hospital to provide the community with the opportunity to donate blood from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday, May 22, at the George Washington Masonic Memorial, 101 Callahan Drive.

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.”

“Our EMS personnel at the Alexandria Fire Department gives their all every single day to help others, provide the best service to the community, and save lives,” said Acting Deputy Chief of EMS Brian Hricik. “This week gives us the opportunity to recognize their many achievements, not only in treating patients, but also with public outreach initiatives, such as our practice with mobile integrated healthcare and the entire system that makes EMS. They’re dedicated to the EMS profession, and we want to celebrate them.”

The 2019 EMS Week theme is "EMS Strong: Beyond the Call." On any given day, EMS practitioners help save lives by responding to medical emergencies, including heart attack, difficulty breathing, a fall or accidents, drowning, cardiac arrest, stroke, drug overdoses, or acute illness. EMS may provide both basic and advanced medical care at the scene of any emergency and en route to a hospital. EMS practitioners care for their patients’ medical needs and show compassion in their most difficult moments.

In 1974, President Gerald Ford authorized EMS Week to celebrate EMS practitioners and the important work they do in our nation's communities. Back then, EMS was a new profession, and EMS practitioners had only just started to be recognized as a critical component of emergency medicine and the public health safety net. Since then, EMS is now firmly established as an essential public function and a vital part of the medical care continuum.

For more information or media inquiries, visit alexandriava.gov/Fire or contact Senior Public Information Officer Raytevia Evans, at raytevia.evans@alexandriva.gov or 703.746.5190.