Dr. James Surrell, Journal columnist

Let us again pay tribute to all our Firefighters emergency medical technicians who do so much for those who are in desperate need of emergency action that can be potentially be life-saving.

We all owe so very much to all of our local Firefighters and EMTs who serve us all so very well in all of our communities and cities throughout the entire USA. Many of them serve as dedicated volunteers, or as part-time, or as full-time employees in both these critical disciplines that are there to serve us all.

Firefighters — The job of a firefighter includes many duties to serve us all. Of course, firefighters are emergently contacted to control and put out fires and respond to emergencies where life, property, or the environment is at risk. When on the scene of fires and other emergencies, such as severe automobile accidents, their work can be very dangerous. When they are not on the scene of an emergency situation, full-time firefighters remain on call at their fire station, where they sleep, eat, and perform other duties during shifts that often last 24 hours. Both full-time and volunteer firefighters also work to keep their vehicles and all their equipment in top shape, so they can quickly and effectively respond to fires and other emergency calls.

Our firefighters are also trained to communicate very effectively when on the scene of a fire or other emergency situation. They are frequently called upon to communicate conditions at an emergency scene to other firefighters and to emergency response crews. Firefighters, like EMTs, paramedics, and other emergency responders often need to also provide emotional support to those people they encounter in various emergency situations. Firefighters are also called upon to make quick and difficult decisions in an emergency. The ability to make good decisions under pressure can potentially save a person’s life. As you would expect, firefighters may have to stay at disaster scenes for long periods of time to rescue and treat victims. Our firefighters go to great lengths to stay in good physical shape because of the many demanding physical requirements of their potentially life-saving job duties.

EMTs — We are indeed fortunate to have very highly qualified emergency medical technicians, referred to as EMTs, throughout the Upper Peninsula. This very demanding job of being a qualified EMT is usually defined as follows. An EMT is an individual who has received special training to become a health care provider of emergency medical services. EMTs are highly trained clinicians whose job is to respond very quickly to situations regarding emergency medical issues, traumatic injuries, and accident scenes.

The primary objective of EMT training programs is to educate and train the EMT to provide the following. The EMT must initially recognize the nature and medical seriousness of the patient’s condition and assess the extent of injuries to determine the requirements for emergency medical care. The next step is to administer appropriate emergency medical care based on their findings and assessment of the patient’s condition. The EMT must also be able to lift, move, position and otherwise handle the patient to minimize discomfort and prevent further injury. Then, after providing this initial emergency care, the EMT prepares the patient for transport to an area hospital, and offers continuing care enroute.

Our firefighters and EMTs are there for us and are always ready to respond in a very short time to the emergency situations they face on a daily basis. Thank you, firefighters and EMTs, for all you do to save lives and protect us all.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Dr. Jim Surrell is the author of “The ABC’s For Success In All We Do” and the “SOS (Stop Only Sugar) Diet” books.Contact Dr. Surrell by email at sosdietdoc@gmail.com.