Florence firefighters and EMS/EMT paramedics were a focus at the city council’s April 22 meeting.
First, two members of the Florence Fire/EMS were honored for their quick “door-to-needle” response time during a recent stroke emergency. This is the second time this year that Florence first responders have received recognition.
Firefighter/EMT Josh Abdon and Firefighter/EMS Paramedic Sami Corbin received certificates and a brain pin from St. Elizabeth Healthcare in honor of their service. “Door-to-needle” refers to the critical importance of getting eligible stroke victims from the scene to a hospital for an injection of a clot-busting drug known as a thrombolytic.
Recognition for quick response
“St. Elizabeth is always excited to recognize the collaboration between our providers and your providers that directly impact stroke outcomes,” said Betty McGee, emergency department educator for St. Elizabeth. “Target Stroke is a national quality improvement initiative that was launched by the American Heart Association back in 2010. This initiative focused on improving acute ischemic stroke care by reducing the time that stroke patients receive appropriate treatment once they arrive at our hospital.”
As the program has developed, she said, it continues to focus on aligning efforts across the continuum of care, including EMS. Best practices are timely response, rapid identification and treatment, transport, pre-hospital notification and effective handoff communication from the field to the hospital—key links in the chain of survival.
“Florence EMS personnel were involved in the transport of a stroke patient, leading to the fastest door-to-needle delivery of tenecteplase in the month of February 2025. On behalf of St Elizabeth Healthcare and the AHA, we would like to recognize them for the exceptional care of this patient that led to the delivery of the drug within 38 minutes of arrival to the Florence facility,” McGee said.
Appreciation for the entire department
After the presentation honoring the two fire/EMS staff, Mayor Julie Aubuchon read a proclamation honoring the Florence Fire/EMS Department and declaring International Firefighters Day as May 4 and National Emergency Medical Services Week as May 18 to May 24 in the city of Florence.
Her proclamation read in part:
“The dedicated members of the Florence Fire/EMS department who serve as both firefighters and emergency medical providers, exemplify courage, compassion and professionalism, responding to emergencies with skill and selflessness are vital to our community, to our community’s public safety system, and their commitment to excellence reflects the highest standards of service and whereas the city of Florence expresses deep gratitude for the men and women who stand ready every day to protect and serve with courage, strength and dedication.”
The mayor then invited the entire department and council to join her for a group photo commemorating the day.
