For the first time in four years the Muscatine County Emergency Medical Services (EMS) will welcome people of all ages for a day of fun activities and learning opportunities at the 2024 EMS Child Safety Day. The 30th anniversary of Muscatine County EMS Day event wraps up National EMS Week (May 19-25) and will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Blain’s Farm & Fleet, 330 North Highway 61, Muscatine.
Those attending will have the opportunity for an up-close look at a variety of apparatus including fire trucks, ambulances, and Med Force 1 (depending on availability). Tentatively MedForce1 plans to land in the parking lot at 11 a.m. for those in attendance to have an up-close look at the helicopter.
The West Liberty Fire Department will be bringing their smoke house where children can learn fire/burn prevention tips through a fun, safe simulation. Several other area fire departments will be on hand to assist with a wide variety of activities that are sure to please everyone in attendance including Muscatine Fire, Fruitland Fire/EMS, Blue Grass Fire Department, Montpelier Fire Department, Durant Ambulance, Muscatine Police Department, Medic of Scott County, and Muscatine Search and Rescue.
A history of EMS can be located by clicking on the following link; MuscatineEMS.
National EMS Week May 19-25
The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) and the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT) join with local emergency medical service organizations to celebrate EMS Week May 19-25, to honor the dedication, commitment, and sacrifice of emergency medical service professionals. This year marks the 50th Anniversary of National EMS Week. This year’s theme, “Honoring Our Past. Forging Our Future,” reminds us to acknowledge the foundational work of those who came before us, while also striving to build and lead the EMS system we envision for our future.
“EMS Week celebrates the paramedics, EMTs, and other EMS professionals who work diligently to care for their patients and serve their communities in times of crisis,” says NAEMT President Susan Bailey, MSEM, NRP. “’Honoring Our Past, Forging Our Future’ reminds us of the proud history of our profession and contributions of EMS practitioners over the decades. We also must stay focused on the road ahead: evolving, innovating and ensuring that EMS has the support needed to continue to answer the public’s call for help when it’s most needed.”
“Being in emergency medical services is rewarding,” Ted Hillard, Muscatine Fire Battalion Chief, said. “You get a chance to make a difference in people’s lives. Occasionally, you’re lucky enough to save people. But there are also a lot of emotions involved when you’re in an EMS environment, and your senses are really challenged. So, it’s important that we help our paramedics and EMTs develop techniques they can use to cope with these experiences.”
Honoring Our Past. Forging Our Future.
Half a century ago, a presidential proclamation called on the nation to support efforts to improve emergency medical care across the country. It also established the first national EMS Week, a tradition we proudly continue today. Much has changed since 1974, yet there is still much we can learn from those trailblazing clinicians who helped EMS evolve into the sophisticated branch of medicine it is today. Their dedication, commitment and sacrifice inspire us to take bold steps of our own, to continue to seek out ways to better serve our patients and our communities.
This year, we celebrate EMS Week by honoring our past—by taking a pause to recognize the contributions of each generation, the people who dreamed that we could save more lives and have less suffering, and then found ways to make it happen. EMS Week is never just about the past, however. It’s also about inspiring the EMS clinicians just starting out and the young people who haven’t even discovered EMS yet. It’s about learning from the challenges and building on the successes of the last five decades. It’s about forging our future—a future in which the next generation has the tools they need to deliver compassionate care and alleviate suffering in communities everywhere.
The History of EMS Week
In 1974, President Gerald Ford authorized EMS Week to celebrate EMS practitioners and the important work they do in our nation’s communities. National Emergency Medical Services 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 frontline. EMS Week is presented by the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) in partnership with the National Associations of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT). Together, NAEMT and ACEP lead annual EMS Week activities. These organizations are working to ensure that the important contributions of EMS practitioners in safeguarding the health, safety and well-being of their communities are fully celebrated and recognized.