Outstanding EMS achievements were recognized last week at Fire-Rescue Med in Las Vegas, Nev.

At the annual conference sponsored by the EMS Section of the International Association of Fire Chiefs, Garry L. Briese was presented the James O. Page Award, the IAFC’s highest EMS honor for individual leadership in EMS. The Heart Safe Community Awards were presented to the Washington (D.C.) Fire & Emergency Medical Services Department and the Bloomfield Township (Mich.) Fire Department for their programs creating and promoting public access defibrillation programs.

The James O. Page Award is presented annually to an individual who has played a key role in creating or promoting non-clinical innovation and achievements in fire service management. Briese, the IAFC’s executive director for 19 years, was the executive director of the Florida College of Emergency Physicians for 15 years. He has more than 30 years of experience in the fire service, 29 years as a volunteer and one year as a paid firefighter.

The Bloomfield Township Fire Department was presented the Heart Safe Community Award in the category of fire departments serving populations of less than 100,000. Bloomfield Township’s PAD program started with placing AEDs in five public buildings and has grown into a widespread community initiative revisited every Valentine’s Day, which has been designated “Save-A-Heart Day” in the township.

The Distict of Columbia Fire & EMS Department was presented the Heart Safe Community Award in the category for departments serving populations greater than 100,000. Its PAD program sought to aggressively improve Washington’s cardiac survival rate, estimated at less than 1% by local newspaper reports. The program partnered D.C. Fire & EMS with the American Red Cross, Medtronic Physio-Control, the D.C. Chapter of the American Heart Association and the D.C. Chamber of Commerce to promote PAD Programs across the city. To date, more than 700 AEDs have been placed across the city and in all police cars and precincts. The result: the city's cardiac survival rate has risen to an estimated at 15%.

Medronic, the leading manufacturer of external defibrillators and other medical devices, sponsored all three EMS awards.

“We believe it is important to recognize those who embrace and act on their dedication to saving lives,” said Robert White, president of Medtronic’s Emergency Response Systems business unit. “We commend these organizations and individuals for making their communities safer places to live.”