Learn About Escambia Emergency Medical Services During EMS Week

May 16, 2016

This week, Escambia County is celebrating National EMS Week. The week honors emergency medical service professions for their dedication to public service and raises awareness about the many services, resources and programs available to Escambia County citizens offered by their local EMS staff. This year’s theme is “EMS Strong: Called to Care”. Community activities include a poster contest and open house on Saturday, May 21.

Fourth graders in Escambia County Schools are being asked to join in celebrating EMS week by designing a poster relating to this year’s theme. All submissions will be displayed at Escambia County Public Safety and one winning poster from each commission district will be selected by EMS staff on May 18.  The winning submissions will receive a pizza party for their class delivered by an EMS crew on May 20.

EMS Week will conclude with an EMS open house Saturday from 1-5 p.m. at Escambia County Public Safety located at 6575 North “W” St. Residents are invited to tour the emergency communications and emergency operations center, learn about the county’s disasters assets and capabilities like a mobile command center and mobile hospital exhibits, receive free blood pressure screenings, and meet their local Escambia County EMS Staff.

Escambia EMS Facts:

  • Escambia County EMS, a division of the Escambia County Department of Public Safety, is provider of critical care, advanced life support, basic life support and bariatric transports. ECEMS provides these services to Escambia County’s 300,000-plus residents. EMS has an aggressive Public Education Information Program that provides valuable information for various groups, including students, civic organizations, churches, professionals and the general public. EMS also provides both hands free and hands on CPR training.
  • Escambia EMS responded to over 39,000 emergency calls last year.
  • There are 100 full time employees and 40 relief employees at Escambia County EMS. The staff consists of paramedics, EMTs, stocking clerks, fleet managers, billing staff, and their supervisors.
  • Both EMTs and paramedics have the knowledge and skills to transport patients and provide them with emergency care. The biggest difference between them is the amount of education they receive and what they are allowed to do for patients. Emergency Medical Technicians are entry-level patient care providers. EMTs learn the essential skills to help in life-threatening situations and their education is the foundation for all other levels of provider. EMTs are educated in many skills including CPR, giving patients oxygen, administering glucose for diabetics, and helping others with treatments for asthma attacks or allergic reactions. Paramedics are advanced providers of emergency medical care and are highly educated in topics such as anatomy and physiology, cardiology, medications, and medical procedures. They build on their EMT education and learn more skills such as administering medications, starting intravenous lines, providing advanced airway management for patients, and learning to resuscitate and support patients with significant problems such as heart attacks and traumas.
  • Escambia County EMS was a 2015 STEMI Silver Award winner. The STEMI award is part of the American Heart Association’s The Mission: Lifeline Recognition Program who acknowledges STEMI Systems, or EMS, Referring Centers and Receiving Centers, for their efforts to improve quality of care for STEMI patients. Silver is the highest award an organization can receive in the first application year.
  • Escambia County EMS Services was also recently selected as a 2016 Florida Excellence Awards Best Practices winner for the implementation of a customer satisfaction survey process in which recently transported EMS patients are contacted by telephone asking them for feedback on the quality of the care provided. The information enabled them to measure patient satisfaction, engagement and loyalty.

NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.

Comments

One Response to “Learn About Escambia Emergency Medical Services During EMS Week”

  1. North-end flash on May 16th, 2016 10:10 am

    We have the best EMS Crew on the north-end, Atmore Ambulance is super. Keep up the great work all EMS Crews. You are appreciated, where we tell you or not.

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under FEATURE TOP STORY, Features, News