New Hampshire Kicks Off EMS Week
May 17—BARRINGTON—Emergency Medical Services Week was kicked off with the reading of a proclamation and two special presentations at the Public Safety Complex on Sunday.
Retired Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), Barrington EMS Founder, Director and Educator Joel Sherburne began the brief ceremony by reading a proclamation declaring the week of May 17 thru 23 as Emergency Medical Services Week in Barrington in line with the national designation.
The proclamation cited the many reasons EMS is a vital public service to the town, such as its role in providing access to quality emergency care and injury prevention.
"First responders, emergency medical technicians and paramedics stand ready to provide compassionate, lifesaving care to those in need 24 hours a day, seven days a week," he read.
Fire Chief Rick Walker pointed out that the town owes that all to Sherburne, who introduced the ambulance service to Barrington in 1978.
"I don't know where we'd be without Joel," he said. "We had nothing."
Now, there are approximately 11 volunteer and four on-staff EMTs to provide care when calls for service come in.
"It's nice to be recognized," Barrington 2015 EMT of the Year Craig Deady said of the week. "We all just do our best, it's a real team effort."
Deady, who has been working as an EMT for the past five-and-a-half years, has been named Barrington's EMT of the Year twice now.
"EMS is probably one of the least paid jobs when done as a profession," he said. "But I've always been interested in it and people always came running to me when there was a disaster."
Walker said, "You never have enough" EMTs as each call requires at least two, or as many as four for serious car accidents, traumas or cardiac calls.
"The volunteers are off working, trying to provide a living for their families," he said of the need to have some daily staff members always on hand for emergencies.
In addition to reading the proclamation, Sherburne was pleased to unveil a plaque with the names of the Founder's Award/EMT of the Year recipients from the last decade.
"I've been wanting to do this for about three years now," he said. "By golly, this year it happened. It looks beautiful, terrific here on the wall."
Sherburne said although the EMT of the Year always receives a plaque of their own to take home, there was nothing at the public safety complex to showcase previous recipients.
A plaque was also presented to EMS Chief Tony Maggio for his 20 years of dedicated service.
"I'm very honored," he said. "You should be very proud Joel, you're the one who started it all."
The theme for EMS Week is "EMS Strong," which Sherburne explained comes from the partnership between EMS, Fire, Police and the Highway Department to ensure that "everything goes smooth" when out in the field.
Copyright 2015 - Foster's Daily Democrat, Dover, N.H.
