Maitland City Talk

Emergency Medical Services Week

Emergency Medical Services (EMS) 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 2,700 medical or trauma related calls annually and transports more than 1,000 patients to local hospital emergency rooms. 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. The members of the Fire/Rescue team engage in thousands of hours of specialized training to enhance their lifesaving skills to become the best care providers possible. In conjunction with EMS week, the city and members of the Fire Department will also be recognizing a special milestone with our EMS director. 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: One Mission One Team” reflects the idea that EMS practitioners (EMTs and paramedics) don’t choose this field for big salaries, comfortable working conditions, or 9-to-5 hours; they have a true calling to help and care for others in their hour of need. 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 19 through May 25, 2013, 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!

- Fire Chief Kim Neisler, Maitland Fire/Rescue Department

National Police Week

This year National Police Week is Sunday, May 12, through Saturday, May 18, 2013. This is a week we remember and honor the sacrifices that law enforcement officers throughout the United States make as they protect us each day. As part of this week, Wednesday, May 15, is designated as Peace Officers Memorial Day. On this day, as authorized by federal law, all flags will be flown at half mast to honor those who have sacrificed their lives so that we may live in a safe community. Each year there are more than 60,000 police officers assaulted resulting in more than 16,000 injuries. Since the first recorded American police officer death in 1791, almost 20,000 law enforcement officers in the United States have made the ultimate sacrifice and been killed in the line of duty. On average one law enforcement officer is killed in the line of duty somewhere in the United States every 57 hours. Unfortunately, the state of Florida and the Southeast has a history of being a very dangerous place to be a law enforcement officer. The city of Maitland is not immune to this trend, as each year several of our own officers are assaulted. Maitland officers answered more than 26,000 calls for service last year and have a response time that is much faster than the national average. The police are there for us 24 hours each and every day, to include every holiday during the year. Our police officers are dedicated to protecting our community and ensuring that Maitland remains a safe community to live, work and raise a family. The city of Maitland is doing its part to honor those officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice by proclaiming the week of May 12 through May 18, 2013, as “National Police Week” in the city of Maitland.

- Sgt. Louis Grindle, Maitland Police Department

National Public Works Week

The services that Public Works departments provide are an integral part of our citizens’ everyday lives. Maitland’s Public Works Department includes divisions responsible for arbor services, water production and distribution, wastewater collection, stormwater and lakes management, traffic engineering, streets and facilities maintenance, grounds maintenance and fleet maintenance.

Many of the amenities that contribute to the high quality of life for Maitland’s citizens are due to the activities of the Public Works Department. We often “take it for granted” that we have clean water to drink, or nice parks to play in, or streets that are free from litter. It is important that our community understands that these things, like many others, are only possible through the hard work performed by our Public Works personnel. This year’s theme, “Because of Public Works,” speaks to the never-ending effort of public works professionals to use sustainable solutions to bring their communities the highest possible quality of life within a framework of environmental, social, and economic responsibility. The city of Maitland acknowledges all the ‘behind the scenes’ work performed by the Public Works Department by proclaiming the week of May 19 through May 25, 2013 as “National Public Works Week” in the city of Maitland.

Rick Lemke, Director, Public Works Department