Maitland City Talk

Emergency Medical Services Week

Emergency Medical Services is an essential component of the services provided by our Fire/Rescue Department that makes our community stronger and more resilient. Each year, Maitland’s Fire/Rescue Department responds to 2,900 medical or trauma related calls annually and transports more than 1,000 patients to local hospital emergency rooms. The members of the Fire/Rescue team engage in thousands of hours of specialized training to enhance their lifesaving skills and become the best care providers possible. Each and every hour of every day, Maitland’s citizens and business owners benefit from the work our firefighters, emergency medical technicians, paramedics, and our EMS Director Dr. Todd Husty, perform for our community. Dr. Husty has been providing exceptional and innovative medical direction for the Maitland Fire Department for the past 25 years. His dynamic leadership has enabled Maitland paramedics to provide superior quality emergency medical customer service to the residents, businesses, and visitors of the city of Maitland.

This year's theme: "EMS: Dedicated. For Life” reflects the idea that EMS practitioners (EMTs and paramedics) have made a lifelong commitment to uphold and provide the highest standards of EMS service to others. So, to honor the dedication of those who provide the day-to-day lifesaving services as medicine's front line to the citizens and visitors of the city of Maitland, the city has proclaimed the week of May 18 through May 24 as “Emergency Medical Services Week” and invites all residents to stop by Fire Station No. 45 on Independence Lane or Fire Station No. 47 on Fennell Street, to meet your emergency medical providers and to tour the facilities. While you are at it, have your blood pressure checked for free!

— By Fire Chief Kim Neisler, Maitland Fire/Rescue Department

National Police Week

Each year the nation honors those police officers whose sacrifices help keep us safe. This year, National Police Week will be held May 12 to 16. As part of this important week, Tuesday, May 13, will be the 25th annual candlelight vigil that will be held at the site of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C. Local events are also planned in Orange County.

Each year more than 60,000 police officers are assaulted, resulting in more than 16,000 injuries. Our own officers in Maitland are not immune to this violence as several of our officers are assaulted each year. So far this year 32 police officers have paid the ultimate price for protecting us. Unfortunately, Florida is once again one of the states with the most deaths, and Central Florida has proven to be the most dangerous place to police in Florida. Orange County is leading the state in officers killed in the line of duty.

Our own police officers answer more than 26,000 calls for service each year and are on duty 24 hours a day 365 days a year to keep us safe. The city of Maitland is doing its part by proclaiming the week of May 12 through May 16 as “National Police Week” in the city of Maitland.

— By Deputy Chief of Police Bill McEachnie, Maitland Police Department