WHEREAS, Each year residents of, and visitors to, California require emergency medical care for traumatic injuries, burns, poisonings, spinal cord injuries, heart attacks, and other critical medical emergencies; and

WHEREAS, Emergency medical care personnel, including, but not limited to, emergency medical dispatchers, first responders, emergency medical technicians, emergency medical technician-defibrillators, paramedics, nurses, physicians, firefighters, educators, and administrators, whether volunteers or paid personnel, give selflessly of themselves for the welfare of others; and

WHEREAS, The citizens of California benefit from the knowledge, skills, and dedication of these emergency medical services (EMS) specialists, as they work together to ensure prompt and appropriate treatment at the scene of the medical emergency, on the way to the hospital, and in the emergency department; and

WHEREAS, California has a wide range of emergency medical providers, including, but not limited to, local first responder units, first aid and rescue squads, ambulance services, mobile intensive care programs, an air EMS response program, specialty burn care, a poison information and education center, designated trauma centers, and other vital services that have the potential to save lives and reduce disabilities for the critically ill or injured in our community; and

WHEREAS, Advances in emergency medical care have increased the number of lives saved every year in California; and

WHEREAS, It is important for the citizens of California to know about our EMS system, including what to do and who to call in a medical emergency, and to benefit from reminders about ways to prevent emergencies from occurring; and

WHEREAS, California desires to continue to improve its EMS system in order to assure all citizens the highest standards of emergency medical care; now, therefore, be it