This week, cities all around the country, including Prattville, are celebrating EMS Week and focusing on the important work that Fire Medics, Paramedics and others that assist in providing emergency medical care for those in need, do day-in and day-out.
The day of recognition began almost 50 years ago, said Deputy Fire Chief for the Prattville Fire Department Josh Bingham. “In 1974, President Gerald Ford authorized EMS Week to celebrate EMS practitioners and the important work they do in our nation’s communities,” explained the chief. “Emergency Medical Services or EMS is a prehospital system that provides immediate, life-saving care to those who are suffering a medical emergency or a traumatic injury.”
Bingham went on to say that Emergency Medical Services can be privately or publicly owned and can be made up of Basic Life Support providers, Advanced Life Support providers, or a combination of the two.