EMS Week 2010: a Time to Think About Safety

by Guest Blogger on March 20, 2010

in Guest Blogger, News and Events, Operations

This is a guest post by EMS Safety Expert Jim Love. If you want to guest post on this blog, check out the guidelines here.

EMS Week is a time to celebrate. It is also a time to think about safety.

I began my career in EMS before the first EMS week.  I remember the first time I heard of it and remember thinking, WOW someone is actually going to take time out to thank us.  We deserve the recognition.  We often put our lives on the line though few recognize it.  Sometimes we don’t even recognize it ourselves.

EMS Week is about celebration, celebrating the work you do- each and every day-often for long hours, little pay and less thanks.  As I said, you deserve the celebration.  You also deserve to celebrate EMS Week again next year and the year after. You deserve not to have your career or you life cut short- for any reason.

The Fire service side has a long history of an annual stand down day.  For 2010 this is being expanded to a full week.  Your safety IS that important.  Please remember to work the Safety Theme into your EMS week activities.  Leaders need to be vocal.  Keep these tips in mind for EMS Week.

  • Never assume safety
  • Communication is the greatest safety tool
  • If you work in a culture of safety- embrace it- recognize it.  If you don’t step up and help create the culture for you and future generations.

For more tips and ideas please go to EMSafety.net/EMSWeek

More activity tips and ideas for EMS Week:

Jim discussed EMS safety and safety education on episode 48 of the EMSEduCast. Listen to the conversation about safety education, safety role modeling, and safety education best practices.

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Tagged as: EMS Week, Guest, Guest Blogger, Jim Love, Safety, Workplace Safety

  • Terrible post. Most organizations, when they celebrate a "week" or a "day" or a "month", celebrate. You, OTOH, want us to add more work to our already busy work week. To give even more than most of us already do.

    It's bad enough that most hospitals celebrate EMS by giving us more of the bad food that they tell us we shouldn't be eating in the first place. To make it worse, the ones around here only do it for the crews that work from 9-5. Anyone on and off shift gets to look at the empty boxes of donuts and pizza. Some celebration.

    The I'd like to celebrate EMS week is by taking the whole fricking week off. In fact, maybe I will.
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