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NAEMT President Pushes Government for Equal Recognition of EMS
SUSAN NICOL KYLE
EMSResponder.Com News
The president of the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT) will be the first one to admit that he's on a mission. And, he won't stop until it's completed.
What Ken Bouvier is demanding is respect and an equal playing field for EMS providers.
"We should be recognized on the same level as police and firefighters," he said, adding that he told President Bush just that as he showed him around his hurricane-ravaged hometown in New Orleans.
Bouvier said equal recognition for EMS is long overdue, and it's imperative that prehospital care providers not only have a say in policies and procedures but also get their fair share of grant money.
"EMTs should be eligible for public safety officer death benefits if they are killed in the line of duty. We should have safe work environments."
After watching the sacrifices of crews who worked for weeks without a break to assist victims in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Bouvier said the world should realize that EMS personnel are the true first responders.
Bouvier, the EMS special events coordinator in New Orleans, said it was an honor for him to be involved in the "national mutual aid" effort that took place last fall. "Our greatest gift was the men and women who came to help us. That response was just overwhelming."
Rest Here http://www.emsresponder.com/article/article.jsp?siteSection=1&id=3161
SUSAN NICOL KYLE
EMSResponder.Com News
The president of the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT) will be the first one to admit that he's on a mission. And, he won't stop until it's completed.
What Ken Bouvier is demanding is respect and an equal playing field for EMS providers.
"We should be recognized on the same level as police and firefighters," he said, adding that he told President Bush just that as he showed him around his hurricane-ravaged hometown in New Orleans.
Bouvier said equal recognition for EMS is long overdue, and it's imperative that prehospital care providers not only have a say in policies and procedures but also get their fair share of grant money.
"EMTs should be eligible for public safety officer death benefits if they are killed in the line of duty. We should have safe work environments."
After watching the sacrifices of crews who worked for weeks without a break to assist victims in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Bouvier said the world should realize that EMS personnel are the true first responders.
Bouvier, the EMS special events coordinator in New Orleans, said it was an honor for him to be involved in the "national mutual aid" effort that took place last fall. "Our greatest gift was the men and women who came to help us. That response was just overwhelming."
Rest Here http://www.emsresponder.com/article/article.jsp?siteSection=1&id=3161
