Rescue Squad Celebrates Emergency Medical Services Week, May 16-22

May 6, 2010

The Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad celebrates Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Week May 16-22.  The theme for 2010 is "Anytime.  Anywhere.  We'll be there."  EMS Week celebrates the dedication and compassion of the nation’s 750,000 EMS providers, including more than 150 Paramedics and Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) of the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad.

"National Emergency Medical Services Week brings together local communities and medical personnel to publicize safety and honor the dedication of those who provide the day-to-day lifesaving services of medicine's 'front line,' " states the American College of Emergency Physicians. 

The Rescue Squad, which has evolved from a one-ambulance department into one of the nation’s most advanced and best trained rescue squads, has racked up a long line of EMS “firsts,” including the first Paramedic in the State of Maryland (in 1974), the first medic unit in Maryland (also in 1974), and the first fire/rescue department in Montgomery County to outfit all of its ambulances with automated external defibrillators (AEDs). An AED is a medical device that analyzes the heart rhythm of a patient in cardiac arrest and, if necessary, administers a  shock to restore a normal heartbeat.

AEDs are one component of the “chain of survival,” a sequence of events that, if undertaken in a timely fashion, can save the life of a victim in cardiac arrest. The “chain of survival” includes the summoning of EMS, administration of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) by bystanders, use of an AED, administration of emergency medical care by fire and EMS crews, and quick transport to a hospital.

About the Rescue Squad

Now in its 70th year, the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad is a community-supported non-profit organization that provides, at no charge to the recipient, professional fire, rescue, and emergency medical services to the Bethesda-Chevy Chase, Maryland area, as well as Upper Northwest Washington, D.C.  The spirit, commitment, dedication, and operational skills of its members are the defining characteristics of the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad.   The Squad provides the community with the security and peace of mind that comes with emergency services that are among the best in the United States.

The Rescue Squad does not receive regular budgeted funds from any government.  Instead, the Squad raises almost all of its $2 million operating budget from individual donors, foundations, businesses, and occasional state and federal grants.  The Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad is registered under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, and contributions to the Squad are tax-deductible as allowable by law.

Click here to learn about joining the men and women who are dedicated to serving the community as volunteer Emergency Medical Technicians, Paramedics, and Firefighters.

Click here for more information about the Rescue Squad and its services.

Photo: Rescue Squad crews simulate a rescue during a demonstration at Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda, Maryland. After cutting off the roof of a car and unwrapping crushed metal to gain access to the victims inside, the Squad’s crew carefully extricates the patients, provides medical care, and transfers them to a waiting ambulance for transport to a hospital. All Rescue Squad members are professionally trained to provide emergency medical care at the scene and on the way to the hospital.

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