EMT Recognition Week

(Le Mars) — This is National Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) Recognition week, a week to salute all those people who perform rescues and save lives.  Last evening, Floyd Valley Hospital hosted a banquet as a way to say thank you to those involved with responding to emergencies.  Mary Jo Clark, the trauma ER coordinator talks about the importance of recognizing those people that respond to medical emergencies.

Listen to
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Several smaller towns throughout the state, including Plymouth County, are finding it difficult to maintain an ambulance service due in part to the low number of volunteers available, and the additional required training and regulations.  Clark says communities can always use more volunteers for medical emergencies, and she encourages people to consider volunteering to be an emergency medical technician.

Listen to
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Representatives from the Le Mars Ambulance, Le Mars Fire and Rescue, Hinton Fire and Ambulance, Remsen Ambulance, Oyens Ambulance, Plymouth County Sheriff’s office, Plymouth County Communications, and several members of the Floyd Valley Hospital staff attended the event.  the group had a little fun with playing a medical version of “password” with a team of two men versus two women.  Contestants were asked to guess the word while their teammate offered clues about the medical term.  The Plymouth County E-M-T Association acknowledged the work and efforts of the Plymouth County Communications Department and presented the group with a plaque as a token of appreciation.  Also at last evening’s event, the Hinton Ambulance Association showed their new ambulance that was recently purchased.

Plymouth County Emergency Communications Department

Hinton’s new ambulance