As part of Emergency Medical Services Week, the Grand Rapids Fire Department and it Emergency Medical Services was honored Thursday at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum with a copy of President Gerald R. Ford’s 1974 proclamation.
“President Ford was always a champion for those who served to protect our communities; the fire, the police, EMS providers and first responders.”
In 1974 President Gerald R. Ford signed a proclamation Emergency Medical Services Week. It reinforced the need at the time to improve emergency medical care.
“Today we want to honor the first responders here in Grand Rapids and thank the members of the Grand Rapids Fire Department for their service and their frontline protection of our citizens of Grand Rapids.”
Joe Calvaruso is executive director of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum.
“With that I would like to present to the firefighters, the EMS personnel present today, a copy of the original 1974 document that declared EMS Services Week.”
Steven MacBride is Captain of GRFD’s Emergency Medical Services.
“Every day our members provide EMS support to the callers, most of them Grand Rapids residents, people passing through, and it’s an honor to be recognized for that.” Next year will mark Emergency Medical Services Week’s 45th anniversary.
Calvaruso says the Ford Museum will begin a new tradition by honoring an American city’s EMS department worthy of President Ford’s proclamation.
Patrick Center, WGVU News.