Last week was National Emergency Medical Services week. During EMS week, those who work in the field of emergency medicine were recognized.

In Franklin County, we have several different places where these medical professionals can be found. The Phil Campbell Rescue Squad provides ambulance services for Phil Campbell and the surrounding areas. NorthStar Paramedic Services provide EMS services for Red Bay. Pleasant Bay Ambulance Service and NorthStar split EMS duty in Russellville.

However, many people don’t think of the local fire department as housing an EMS service but they do.

The Russellville Fire Department runs as many medical calls as any ambulance service in the county. They have everything an ambulance has except for the means to transport.

The fire department is staffed with EMT basics, intermediates and paramedics ready to help when the need arises.

In fact, the fire department has more medical calls than fire calls.

They are a valuable asset to our community, and not just Russellville’s department.

In the county, usually the first person on the scene of an accident is a firefighter, who is equipped with first responder training so they know what to do until medical personnel arrives.

That might not sound like a lot but if you are injured, you would be thanking God a firefighter has this kind of training.

When people think of firefighters, they don’t think about someone who treats medical problems. They think about someone who comes in to put out a fire.

That’s not the case anymore. In fact, many of the firefighters also on an ambulance.

As you all know, I have done ride-a-longs with NorthStar, Pleasant Bay and RFD.

So, I have seen their work first-hand. It’s not easy work. It’s not glorious work. It’s work that nobody sees unless they happen to need medical treatment. It’s work that goes unrecognized. Its work that is a matter of life and death.

So I say thanks to all the men and women who take 24 hours away from their families every third day to be there should we ever need them.