OCEAN CITY — Ocean City this week is celebrating Emergency Medical Services Week, representing an opportunity to recognize and honor all members of the Ocean City Fire Department EMS team.
EMS Week recognizes Ocean City firefighters, EMTs and paramedics who stand ready to provide lifesaving care to the town’s residents and visitors 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The national theme this year is “This is EMS: Caring for Our Communities,” and that’s what Ocean City’s EMS team does day in and day out, often under challenging conditions.
Mayor Rick Meehan announced EMS Week on Monday and read a proclamation honoring Ocean City’s EMS team. After reading the proclamation, Meehan praised the team for all they do to protect the health of the resort community. The pandemic created unique challenges for the Ocean City Fire Department’s EMS team in the last year or so with altered ways of handling patients potentially with COVID, while protecting themselves from infection.
“Thanks for all you do, always, but especially the last year,” he said. “You’ve been important players in our fight against COVID.”
Ocean City Fire Chief Richie Bowers praised his charges for what they do all year-round.
“OCFD EMS personnel serve our community on the front lines, often with many personal sacrifices of being away from their own families on nights, weekends, holidays, and provide quality treatment, care and transports of patients during all types he said. “Our providers engage in thousands of hours of specialized training and continuing education to enhance their lifesaving skills.”
On Monday, as the EMS Week proclamation was read into the record, Bowers reflected on the last year and how his department handled the challenges of the pandemic.
“It’s a fitting day,” he said. “The pandemic put us in a little different situation, but our crews did a phenomenal job. They never wavered one time.”
Bowers said challenges often alter the way first-responders do things and that was certainly the case with the pandemic.
“The pandemic has changed the way we operate,” he said. “The pandemic will blaze a new way for how we protect ourselves and how we protect our patients.”
Bowers outlined some of the changes in how OCFD EMS conducted their day-to-day, case-to-case operations. COVID altered how they respond to countless calls for service, from the personal protective equipment (PPE) they wear daily to the constant decontamination of the equipment, apparatus and facilities.
Meehan also praised Ocean City EMS for their support in getting the COVID vaccinations distributed in the community. Ocean City EMS worked early on with the Worcester County Health Department in setting up vaccination centers for the first waves of recipients. Bowers said it was truly a team effort to get through the pandemic and handle the myriad of other responsibilities the department has.
“Over the past year, the COVID-19 pandemic created unprecedented health and safety challenges for EMS and resulted in monumental changes in everyday procedures,” he said. “Throughout this public health crisis, OCFD EMS continues to respond to those in need and maintains the highest standard of medical care.”
Bowers thanked the town and the community for its unwavering support always, but particularly in the challenging last year.
“Ocean City’s EMS personnel appreciate the support throughout the year from our community,” he said. “As we celebrate our great providers, we also wish our residents, visitors and business operators the best of health moving forward through the pandemic and the days yet to come.”
