SALT LAKE CITY — In honor of national Emergency Medical Services Week, FOX13 News is looking at the important work done by first responders and emergency medical services personnel.
Recent advancements in technology have improved quality of care from the moment a paramedic arrives on the scene of a medical incident.
“In 1968 it was load and go. Now, we are going to treat you on the scene, put you on a stretcher and go to the hospital,” said Chris Delamar, a paramedic with Gold Cross Ambulance since 1992.
Delamar gave a tour of a fully-equipped ambulance with oxygen, suction supplies and the capability to run vents. Before a patient arrives at a hospital emergency room, paramedics are in communication with hospital staff to allow them to prepare for the patient’s arrival.
“If you are having a heart attack, they can send in an EKG and we can activate that heart attack and make sure the cath lab is ready before the patient gets here,” said Carli Cervantes, the trauma program director at St. Mark’s Hospital. “That critical info allows teams to prepare. EMS workers save patients' lives.”
When seconds and minutes can be the difference between life and death, every moment matters.
The reward of helping others is what called these first responders to the field and it's the reason why they have no plans to change their career path.
“That's the rewarding part to make them more comfortable when they need it,” said Mike Ishida, battalion chief for the South Salt Lake Fire Department.
“For me it was what I wanted to do since I was old enough to read and write,” said Aaron Lance with Unified Fire Department.
