"As this year’s theme emphasizes, the brave men and women who serve as EMS providers are often first on the scene of a disaster, a motor vehicle crash or other event that may place them in a hazardous environment," said Dr. Frederick Blum, president of ACEP. "It’s important that we take the time to honor these front line medical responders for often going above and beyond the call of duty to save lives, while risking their own." The weeklong series of events will include national and local activities to honor EMS providers (paramedics, emergency medical technicians, first responders, fire fighters, and police) to raise public awareness about health and safety issues, including how to prevent injuries and what to do in a medical emergency.

Monday, May 15    12:00 p.m.  - North Star East School Visit We visited the students at the North Star East school in Kantner, PA. Due to rain the students were not able to tour the ambulance.  The crew met many students and explained what happens when EMS is called and what they should expect to see when we arrive.  Tuesday May 16, 6 p.m. - Volunteer Appreciation Dinner An appreciation dinner was held to honor our Volunteers.  Those present tested their knowledge in a challenging game of EMS Jeopardy.   Members were presented with years of service pins.  The top 5 runners were presented with certificates of appreciation.  They were in order Mike Shumaker Andy Stevanus Paul Bomboy Homer Knipple Jennifer Stevanus   Wednesday May 17, 6:00 p.m.   Hooversville Community Center Kid's night! In observance of this special day to celebrate EMS for Children we had an evening of education and fun for the kids.  Some of the events included Face Painting, Sand Art, Finger Painting, and a Family Feud Style game.     Saturday, May 20    9 a.m. - 5 p.m. -  Camp Harmony Adult CPR/AED and Infant Child CPR Class Once again we planned a course to provide the American Red Cross course listed above to members of our community at no cost to themselves.  Camp Harmony donated the use of a building for the class and we budgeted nearly $1000 to pay for this event  Having our community trained in the use of an AED and CPR would be a huge benefit.  Time is against us!   For every minute that CPR and the AED are delayed we loose close to 10% of our chances.   The public can make the difference!  Unfortunately the attendance consisted of more instructors than students and the course was not conducted.     11:30 a.m. - MedStar Helicopter Appearance            This helicopter provides a vital service to our community. Conemaugh Regional Trauma Resource Center's helicopter  landed in our wet ball field.  The crew was available, they gave tours and answer questions.        Sloppy Joes, Chips, and Drinks were enjoyed by those in attendance. 12:30 p.m. -  Hooversville Ball Field Community Kickball Game  A kickball game was held despite the wet ball field.      6:30 p.m.  Hooversville Community Center Community Skating Party A skating party was held at the community building.

Special Observances

• May 17 — Annual Emergency Medical Services for Children Day. This day focuses on drawing national attention to the essential need for specialized emergency care for children to ensure that every child in the nation receives the highest quality emergency care possible—from primary prevention to acute care and rehabilitation.
   
• May 27 — Annual National Moment of Silence. The National EMS Memorial Service in Roanoke, Va., organizes this national event to honor and remember the nation’s EMS providers who have made the ultimate sacrifice and given their lives in the line of duty. All EMS and communications agencies participating observe 60 seconds of radio silence on this day at 8 p.m. (ET). Visit http://nmos.nemsms.org to download a participation packet or email nmosinfo@naemt.org, and receive an auto-response email containing the participation packet.
   

  National EMS Week will feature hundreds of grassroots activities coast-to-coast that will be planned around this year’s theme, “EMS: Serving on Health Care’s Front Line,” which underscores the commitment and dedication of the 750,000 EMS providers who serve their communities.