Area fire and emergency medical service workers were honored Thursday evening by Mercy Health-St. Rita's Medical Center as part of National EMS Week.
In 1974, President Gerald Ford authorized the week to celebrate those in the community who respond when others need; sometimes urgent medical care. Multiple awards were handed out to individuals and crews from 13 different departments in categories including stroke care, cardiac care, and trauma care.
A special honor, the Greg King Award, was presented to a long-time member of the Bath Township Fire Department Bill Stippich, who only recently retired, but still plans on volunteering at the department. He said it's the positive outcomes that make it all worthwhile. Bath Township Fire Chief Joe Kitchen presented the award to Stippich.
"Receiving this award is probably an achievement of mine I never thought I would get," stated Bill Stippich, paramedic/firefighter with Bath Township. "Just knowing that you're helping people and it makes someone's life better, hopefully they would have a better life afterward, you know, have a heart attack and they get to return to their family."
Brian Anderson, EMS Coordinator for Mercy Health St. Rita's credits first responders, for having a big part in the patients who end up recovering.
"Sometimes we respond to accidents or traumatic events that sometimes the patients don't make it but you know sometimes they do and sometimes they only reason they make it is because of that first responder's care that they provide," said Brian Anderson, EMS coordinator at Mercy Health-St. Rita's Medical Center. "And so, you know, we like to highlight the excellent care they provide because they absolutely make a difference in the patients' lives and there are patients in our communities that are walking around today because fire and EMS responded and did what was needed at the scene."
