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[EMS Week Proclamation on May 20, 2025. ]
EVERYONE.I'M THE AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL MEMBER FOR DISTRICT EIGHT, WHICH IS SOUTHWEST AUSTIN.
AND ON BEHALF OF THE ENTIRE CITY COUNCIL, I WANT TO WELCOME YOU ALL TO CITY HALL THIS MORNING TO HONOR ALL OF OUR EMS FIRST RESPONDERS.
BUT BEFORE WE DO THAT, I'D LIKE TO RECOGNIZE ONE IN PARTICULAR WHO WE LOST LAST WEEK.
I'D ASK YOU ALL TO JOIN ME IN A MOMENT OF SILENCE.
TO HONOR THE LIFE AND SERVICE OF EMS COMMUNICATIONS, CAPTAIN JAY LITH, JJ BARR, CAPTAIN BARR, DEDICATED 17 YEARS TO AUSTIN, TRAVIS COUNTY EMS, HER VOICE, HER LEADERSHIP, AND HER UNWAVERING COMMITMENT TO THIS COMMUNITY WILL BE DEEPLY MISSED TODAY AS WE PROCLAIM EMERGENCY SER EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES WEEK IN AUSTIN.
WE RECOGNIZE THE CRITICAL ROLE THAT EMS PROFESSIONALS PLAY EVERY HOUR AND EVERY DAY UNDER INCREDIBLY DIFFICULT CIRCUMSTANCES.
YOUR COMMITMENT THROUGH LONG SHIFTS, RISING CALL VOLUMES AND MORE, AND MOUNTING DEMANDS IS A TESTAMENT TO YOUR STRENGTH AND COMPASSION.
YOU SHOW UP AGAIN AND AGAIN FOR PEOPLE IN THEIR MOST VULNERABLE MOMENTS.
I'VE BEEN PROUD TO WORK ALONGSIDE THE EMS ASSOCIATION AND LEADERSHIP AT AUSTIN, TRAVIS COUNTY EMS SINCE MY ELECTION TO CITY COUNCIL IN EARLY 2019.
AND I ALSO WANNA TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TODAY TO NOT ONLY THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU'VE DONE, BUT TO LET YOU KNOW WE'LL HAVE YOUR BACK SO YOU CAN CONTINUE THIS WORK IN THE FUTURE.
AND NOW I WILL READ THE PROCLAMATION, BE IT KNOWN THAT WHEREAS EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES IS A VITAL PUBLIC SERVICE AND PROVIDES LIFESAVING CARE TO THOSE IN NEED 24 HOURS A DAY, SEVEN DAYS A WEEK, 365 DAYS A YEAR.
AND WHEREAS THE EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES SYSTEM CONSISTS OF PARAMEDICS, EMERGENCY MEDICAL TECHNICIANS, EMERGENCY PHYSICIANS, EMERGENCY NURSES, FIRST RESPONDERS, EDUCATORS, ADMINISTRATORS, AND OTHERS WHO HAVE DEDICATED THEIR LIVES TO THE SERVICE OF OTHERS.
AND WHEREAS IT IS APPROPRIATE TO RECOGNIZE THE VALUE AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICE PROVIDERS IN AUSTIN AND TRAVIS COUNTY BY DESIGNATED EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES WEEK.
NOW, THEREFORE, I PAY JEALOUS ON BEHALF OF KIRK WATSON, THE MAYOR OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN, TEXAS, DO HEREBY PROCLAIM MAY 18TH, 20 18TH THROUGH 24TH, 2025 AS EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES WEEK IN AUSTIN, TEXAS.
AND DID YOU WANNA SAY A FEW REMARKS AS WELL? YES, ABSOLUTE.
COUNCIL MEMBERS AND ALL THE COUNCIL MEMBERS WHO'VE JOINED US AND, AND ALL THE SUPPORT THAT WE HAVE FROM OUR CITY MANAGER, OUR ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER, OUR MAYOR, AND OUR COUNCIL.
UM, IT REALLY IS HUMBLING TO BE HERE, UM, AND HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO, TO, TO SPEAK TO YOU VERY BRIEFLY.
UM, THIS WEEK, UH, AS WAS MENTIONED, IS A CHALLENGING WEEK.
AND I THINK THAT IT REALLY DOES, UM, PUT THINGS INTO PERSPECTIVE FOR US AS AN ORGANIZATION, AS WE CONFRONT OUR OWN MORTALITY.
UH, AND WE RECOGNIZE THE HARD WORK THAT EACH AND EVERY ONE OF OUR EMTS AND PARAMEDICS AND DISPATCHERS AND SUPPORT STAFF THAT ARE OUT THERE, UM, EVERY SINGLE DAY, UM, CARING FOR THOSE MOST IN NEED.
THE EMS WEEK THEME THIS YEAR IS WE CARE FOR EVERYONE.
AND I CAN'T THINK OF AN ORGANIZATION MORE THAN AUSTIN, TRAVIS COUNTY, EMS AND THE MEN AND WOMEN OF AUSTIN, TRAVIS COUNTY, EMS, THAT EXEMPLIFY THAT MISSION.
UH, THE, UH, THE SUPPORT THAT WE'RE GIVEN BY OUR COUNCIL, BY OUR CITY LEADERSHIP TO ALLOW US TO INNOVATE, TO THINK DIFFERENTLY ABOUT HOW IT IS THAT WE RESPOND TO EMERGENCIES, AND HOW IT IS THAT WE ADDRESS THE EVER-CHANGING DYNAMIC OF THE REASONS THAT, UH, EMS IS CALLED AND THE THINGS THAT EMS IS WORKING TO ADDRESS.
WE'VE ACKNOWLEDGED OVER THE, THE, UH, THE PAST FEW WEEKS, THE RECOGNITION AND THE DECREASE IN OPIATE OVERDOSES AND OPIATE DEATHS AND THE RECOGNI, AND RECOGNIZED THE HARD WORK THAT EVERYONE HAS DONE ACROSS THE CITY TO ADDRESS HOMELESSNESS AND THE GREAT EFFORTS THAT MANY OF OUR COMMUNITY HEALTH PARAMEDICS HAVE HAD TO CONTRIBUTE TO THAT EFFORT.
WE TRULY, AS AN ORGANIZATION, PRIDE OURSELVES ON THAT MISSION.
WE CARE FOR EVERYONE REGARDLESS OF WHO YOU ARE, WHERE YOU LIVE, WHAT YOUR BACKGROUND IS HERE IN THE AUSTIN AND TRAVIS COUNTY, AUSTIN, TRAVIS COUNTY EMS IS THERE FOR YOU.
AND WE ARE WORKING SO HARD TO THINK DIFFERENTLY.
AS I MENTIONED, AND AS I, I WANNA RECOGNIZE ALL OF THE INDIVIDUALS THAT WORK OUT IN THE COMMUNITY EACH AND EVERY DAY.
ALL OF OUR FRONTLINE STAFF, ALL OF OUR EMTS, PARAMEDICS, DISPATCHERS, THEY ARE DOING THE WORK THAT IS OUT THERE.
THEY'RE MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN THE LIVES OF THE RESIDENTS AND VISITORS TO AUSTIN AND TRAVIS COUNTY.
I, I CAN'T THANK THEM ENOUGH AND PRAISE THEM ENOUGH FOR ALL OF THE HARD WORK THAT THEY, UH, COMMIT TO EACH AND EVERY DAY, REGARDLESS OF, UH, THE WEATHER, REGARDLESS OF THE HEAT, THE TEMPERATURE, THE WORKLOAD, THEY PUT THE PATIENTS FORWARD.
AND THAT IS THE NUMBER ONE THING.
REGARDLESS OF THE INNOVATION, REGARDLESS OF THE COMMUNITY HEALTH PARAMEDICS, REGARDLESS OF ANYONE THAT'S STANDING HERE IN THIS ROOM, WITHOUT THE HARD WORK OF OUR
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FRONTLINE STAFF, WE WOULD BE NOTHING.AND SO THIS WEEK IT'S ABOUT RECOGNIZING THEM, IT'S ABOUT PRAISING THEM, AND RECOGNIZING THAT AS AN ORGANIZATION, WE CONTINUE TO STRIVE TO DO BETTER AND TO MOVE FORWARD AND PROVIDE THE ABSOLUTE BEST SERVICES TO THE RESIDENTS AND VISITORS OF AUSTIN AND TRAVIS COUNTY.
WE'RE SO HONORED TO BE ABLE TO GIVE YOU THIS PROCLAMATION TODAY.
WE CERTAINLY SUPPORT OUR EMS PROFESSIONALS FOR ALL THE HARD WORK THEY'RE DOING EVERY DAY.
AND I'M ALSO JOINED BY MY COLLEAGUES, COUNCIL MEMBERS, KRISTA LANE AND RYAN ALTER.
SO ON BEHALF OF THE ENTIRE CITY COUNCIL, WE JUST WANNA SAY THANKS.