National EMS Memorial Service Closes Out 2018 Weekend of Honor

Oxon Hills, MD - On Saturday the families, friends, and colleagues of the 36 EMS and air medical professionals who lost their lives in the line of duty in service to others will gather for the National EMS Memorial Service, closing out the 2018 Weekend of Honor. Honor guards along with bagpipe and drum corps travel from around the United States to volunteer their time and services in honor of the fallen. This year’s keynote speaker will be Joseph W. Schmider, Emergency Medical Service Director for the Texas Department of Health Services. There will also be a team from HOPE Animal-assisted Crisis Response (http://hopeaacr.org) at the service to provide comfort and support to the families, colleagues and volunteers. According to Jana Williams, president of the National EMS Memorial Service, “The purpose of the service is twofold – to honor the lives of our fallen colleagues and to provide hope, along with our unwavering support, to their families. We feel it is the responsibility of the EMS community to stand by the families during this time of tremendous loss and sometimes overwhelming grief. The annual memorial service offers an opportunity for the family, friends and associates of fallen EMS providers to meet and connect with others who understand what they’re going through.” During the service each honoree’s family is presented with the following three items: • A U.S. flag that has flown over the Nation’s Capital – denoting the honoree’s service to count...
Source: JEMS: Journal of Emergency Medical Services News - Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Tags: News Administration and Leadership Source Type: news