Observances honor critical responders
Thank you to our Yuma County EmS personnel, police officers
This week, May 15-21, is both National EMS Week and National Police Week.
EMS Week honors the sacrifice and dedication of EMS workers. The observance dates back to 1974, when President Gerald Ford authorized EMS week to celebration emergency medical service personnel and the work they do in our communities, according to EMSWeek.org.
Our EMS workers provide a wide array of lifesaving skills, making split-second decisions in emergency situations to help ensure the best outcome for their patients. That might mean on the spot care bandaging an injury, or it might mean helping someone stay alive with CPR, or it could mean stabilizing a patient so they can be moved from an accident scene to Yuma Regional Medical Center.
Any of these scenarios and many more are simply a day’s work for an EMS worker.
National Police Week was established by President John F. Kennedy in 1962. He proclaimed May 15 as National Peace Officers Memorial Day, and the calendar week in which May 15 falls as National Police Week, according to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF).
The goal is to pay special recognition to those who have lost their lives in the line of duty for the safety and protection of others, while honoring America’s law enforcement community, NLEOMF.org notes.
On May 15, Yuma Mayor Douglas Nicholls shared on Facebook that there have been 37 fallen law enforcement officials from the Yuma region, dating back to 1865.
In Yuma County, it’s not unusual to see both the police and EMS teams arrive on scene within seconds of one another.
Their jobs are intricately linked, and both are worthy of our thanks and our respect.
To those who are called to serve, whether it’s in emergency medical services or law enforcement, thank you for your time, dedication and devotion, for keeping our communities safe, for stepping forward as first responders out on our streets.
We appreciate your service!