News
EMS event in Uptown Greenwood promotes safety, health
By CHRIS TRAINOR/ ctrainor@indexjournal.com
Tuesday, May 25, 2010 8:40 AM EDT
On Saturday morning, numerous fire trucks, ambulances, police and state trooper cars and emergency and law enforcement personnel converged on Uptown Greenwood.
However, they weren’t responding to a dire emergency. Instead, those present Saturday administered games, educational activities and more to local residents.
Greenwood County EMS had its Safety and Wellness Fair near the fountain in Uptown, with numerous public and private agencies taking part in the event. The fair was the final event of EMS Week 2010, a national week of recognition for emergency medical workers across the country.
Saturday’s fair featured music, free blood pressure screenings, emergency vehicle and equipment displays, games, food and more. Greenwood County EMS paramedic Kevin Uldrick said the goal was to get as many public safety agencies as possible to participate in the fair to educate the public on what those agencies do.
“We want to promote a public awareness about all of the issues,” Uldrick said. “We’ve even got Self Regional talking about diabetes and asthma. We also have Cardiac Rehab here and Wellness Works is here, promoting good health.”
Among the agencies present Saturday was the Greenwood County GIS Department. That department has recently been conducting a push to get local residents to properly display address numbers on homes and mailboxes, so emergency personnel will be able to properly identify a home if an emergency arises.
“It is so important (for residents to properly display their addresses) so that emergency responders can find them,” Greenwood County GIS’ Sandra Ellenberg said. “If they can’t find them, they can’t save them. We even have utility workers complain that, when they go out at night, they can’t find addresses if they are not (well illuminated and properly displayed).”
Uldrick, who has been with Greenwood County EMS for five years, said raising funds for American Red Cross was the most important goal of the safety and wellness fair.
“The American Red Cross is very important, not just to Greenwood County, but nationwide,” Uldrick said. “Anytime there are disasters, they go out and help. They are the first ones on the scene after we get there. What they do is so important.”
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