To the firefighters and emergency medical services, thank you

Firefighters protect and save the lives of people (and animals) from potentially deadly fires every day. They also save millions of dollars in property damage by preventing the fires from growing any larger.

There are many dangers that come along with firefighting. Every firefighter going into a fire risks structures collapsing, breathing in smoke,  severe burns, and potentially poisonous atmospheres. Every firefighter carries self-contained breathing equipment to combat some of these hazards.

The National Fire Protection Association estimates, “of the total number of firefighters 30% were career firefighters and 814,850 (70%) were volunteer firefighters.”

My aunt, Sarah Hollway, is a professional career firefighter and certified paramedic in Maryland. Seeing the Oklahoma City bombing on TV when Hollway was younger inspired her to become a paramedic. She said, “The first responders were so amazing and I wanted to be the person helping in a situation like that.”

As a firefighter, Hollway says that people thank them but “not as often as you think.”

Of course, children are mesmerized by the fire engines and the fire department, so they are often thanked by children. However, Hollway said she feels people more often consider firefighters as an ‘annoyance’ than anything else; “We block in their cars in parking lots. We shut down roads and mess up their morning commutes.”

On the anniversary of 9/11 Hollway says people will thank her and her colleagues more than usual and leave food at the station. Over 300 firefighters died in the 9/11 attacks, while attempting to save others. While firefighters did stand out that day and deserve to be thanked for it, they also deserve to be thanked for every other day and the hard work they put in for our communities.

The job is very unpredictable: fire personnel never know what time of the day that they will receive a call with an emergency that needs their assistance.

The same suspense goes for the people that are members of EMS (Emergency Medical Services.) Accidents, fires, and attacks occur all of the time. These heroes are among first to be called.

Emergency Medical Services may not always be ‘running towards danger’ every day, but they do run towards things that majority of people would stay far away from: a terrible car accident, an attempted murder, a person having a stroke.

EMS in recent years have had to deal with the overwhelming opioid crisis that is occurring throughout America. Approximately 90 Americans die every day due to overdosing on opioids. While the number of people overdosing and dying every day is large, there are also many lives saved because of our emergency responders.

Hollway says that as a paramedic, she and her coworkers deal with at least one overdose per shift. There is a reversal agent for opioids called narcan; “I have given more narcan in the last four years than I did in the first ten years of my career,” said Hollway.

With years of education and training, EMS personnel are capable of saving lives with medicine. Whether the person needs to be resuscitated, have a limb saved or be stopped from bleeding out, there is always someone to come to their aid.

Being a paramedic and career firefighter has changed Hollway’s life in multiple ways. With 14 years of service so far, she has touched the lives of many. The most memorable calls to her are not always emergencies: from sitting and talking with a boy who attempted suicide to explaining what affect a specific medication has, to an elderly woman.

When a medical emergency is reported during a 911 call, the ambulances that carry these important personnel are immediately sent to the location. These first responders are gifted individuals that deserve to be thanked and appreciated every day.

Thank you Sarah Hollway, firefighters throughout America and all Emergency Medical Service personnel for everything you do  and have done for our country and the people within it. We appreciate you. May all the fallen heroes rest in peace.