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Spike seen in calls for emergency services
Calls for emergency medical services in the Commonwealth have been growing steadily in the last three years.
According to a proclamation signed Monday by Gov. S. Eloy Inos and Lt. Gov. Ralph DLG Torres, the 2012 to 2013 statistics from the Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services showed “a drastic 10-percent increase in EMS calls.”
Last year, a total of 4,925 EMS-related calls were received by the department varying from the common cold and fever to life-threatening illnesses as well as cardiac arrest.
In line with this, May 17 to 23 was proclaimed as Emergency Medical Services Week.
EMSC for children
A special medical services day for children was also proclaimed. It designates May 20 as this year’s Emergency Medical Services for Children.
The proclamation acknowledged “the needs of children are different than the needs of adults in medical emergencies.”
In the last five years, 2,780 calls involving children were responded to by DFEMS.
Both proclamations want to “recognize the value, sacrifice and the accomplishments of emergency medical services.”
Programs
As part of this, DFEMS has lined up a number of activities as a way to disseminate knowledge in emergency response.
One of the programs they will be staging this month is the free cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or CPR, classes, considering that 245 of the calls they received last year were complaints of chest pain associated with heart attack and the likes. Over the past five years, EMS teams have also responded to 215 cardiac arrest emergencies where the responders had to administer lifesaving skills.
There will also be free vital checks at the Thursday Street Market and tie-ups with various agencies such as the Man’amko Center and Salvation Army.
The department will also have a fun day where children and families can enjoy games as well as the firefighters’ cook-off.
