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Contact: Lauren
Sides
(303) 495-1210
lsides@amr-corp.com
Paramedics Give Everyday Survival Advice
During EMS Week
Greenwood Village, CO,
May 18, 2003 -- Paramedics with American Medical Response
(AMR) ambulance service know what everyone should do to give
victims of heart attack, major injury and other medical emergencies
the best chance of survival with the least disability. As
part of National Emergency Medical Services Week, May 18-24,
AMR paramedics are urging every family to adopt these “Five
Steps to Survive Major Emergencies”:
Step One: Prevent
Emergencies: Any emergency we prevent is one we don’t
have to deal with. To combat the number one killer -- heart
attack -- everyone should exercise to stay in good physical
condition, eat right and manage stress. Taking care of one’s
heart should start as a child, AMR paramedics say.
Injury is the leading killer in the first 40
years of life. Precautions such as safety belts, child safety
seats and helmets for bicyclists and scooter riders save lives.
Learn to play safely in and on the water.
Reduce the risk of poisoning, gunshot, fire,
drowning and falls in our homes and workplaces.
Step Two: Post
Vital Information: Every family should post for instant use
the information they and their rescuers will need when prevention
fails. Be sure your house number or mailbox is well-marked
and easy to see from the road by day and night. Your mailbox
and house number are lifesaving landmarks when emergency help
is on the way. Post a good set of directions to your home
or workplace near every phone.
Remember-- your paramedics can’t help
you if they can’t find you.
People with conditions that might cause unconsciousness,
such as diabetes, should wear medical identification jewelry.
Step Three: Call
for Help Properly: As soon as someone suffers sudden serious
illness or is hurt badly, call 911 first and fast. Too many
people wait too long to call for help from paramedics. Answer
all the dispatcher’s questions and follow the dispatcher’s
instructions. Stay on the line until the dispatcher says you
can hang up.
Step Four: Learn
Lifesaving Skills: At least one adult in every family should
be skilled in cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Take a
first aid course or become a first responder or emergency
medical technician. (Being an EMT is a rewarding career or
volunteer role. There is a shortage of paramedics and EMTs
around the nation.)
Step Five: Support
Your Local Emergency Medical Service: Be a good EMS citizen
by pulling to the right to let emergency vehicles pass.
Take part in organizations fighting medical
emergencies, such as the American Heart Association, American
Red Cross and the National Safe Kids campaign. Stay informed
about EMS issues and let elected officials know you want your
EMS system to have the equipment and training it needs.
Donating blood helps injury victims. Sign up
to be an organ donor.
American Medical Response, Inc.
(www.amr-inc.com) is locally operated in 34 states. More
18,000 AMR paramedics, EMTs and other professionals transport
over four million patients each year in emergency, critical
and non-emergency situations. AMR, a wholly owned subsidiary
of Laidlaw, Inc., is headquartered in Greenwood Village, CO. |
