2024 -- S 3083

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LC005957

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2024

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S E N A T E   R E S O L U T I O N

COMMEMORATING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF "NATIONAL EMS WEEK" ON MAY

19-25, 2024, IN THE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

     Introduced By: Senators Rogers, F. Lombardi, Felag, E Morgan, Ciccone, Britto, Gu,
Mack, Lauria, and Cano

     Date Introduced: May 21, 2024

     Referred To: Recommended for Immediate Consideration

     WHEREAS, Emergency Medical Services (EMS) encompasses an entire field of

emergency care and medical assistance providers that are activated by an incident that potentially

causes serious illness or injury, and is a vital and essential public service; and

     WHEREAS, At the end of 2022, there were 4,238 licensed EMS practitioners in 83 EMS

agencies in Rhode Island; and

     WHEREAS, The skilled members of these emergency medical services teams are always

ready to provide lifesaving care to those in need 24 hours a day, seven days a week; and

     WHEREAS, Access to quality emergency care dramatically improves the survival and

recovery rate of those who experience sudden illness or injury; and

     WHEREAS, Emergency medical services has grown to fill a gap by providing important,

out-of-hospital care, including preventative medicine, follow-up care, and access to telemedicine;

and

     WHEREAS, The members of emergency medical services teams, whether career or

volunteer, engage in thousands of hours of specialized training and continuing education to

enhance their lifesaving skills; and

     WHEREAS, Rhode Island has five licensed levels of EMS practitioners, Emergency

Medical Responder (EMR), Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), Advanced Emergency

Medical Technician (AEMT), Advanced Emergency Medical Technician-Cardiac (AEMT-C),

and Paramedic; and

     WHEREAS, The emergency medical services system consists of first responders,

emergency medical technicians, paramedics, emergency medical dispatchers, firefighters, police

officers, educators, administrators, pre-hospital nurses, emergency nurses, emergency physicians,

trained members of the public, and other out-of-hospital medical care providers; and

     WHEREAS, This year’s EMS Week’s theme is “Honoring Our Past, Forging Our

Future” and it is appropriate to recognize the value and the accomplishments of our emergency

medical services providers; now, therefore be it

     RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island hereby commemorates

“National EMS Week” and encourages all Rhode Islanders recognize the contributions of EMS

professionals and the essential service they provide to our communities; and be it further

     RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to

transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to Marc R. Pappas, Director of the Rhode Island

Emergency Management Agency.

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LC005957

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