It’s National Emergency Medical Services Week this week and it’s a time to highlight the jobs and responsibilities of those who serve the public as paramedics and emergency medical technicians (EMTs).

Greene County EMS Co-Founders Dennis and Marcia Morlan have 80 combined years of EMS and public service and Dennis tells Raccoon Valley Radio that contrary to popular belief, EMS isn’t mostly about blood, guts and gore.

“It’s a business where compassion will get you a long ways. A lot of time people are suffering an emergency and simply holding a hand, giving them some compassion and caring for them is what that patient really needs. We’re in a specialized transportation industry and each one of our units is staffed with important life-saving equipment. We’re able to use that equipment, our knowledge and our compassion to care for the people.”

Included in about 12 employees, full and part time, with Greene County EMS, Dennis says there’s at least 185 years of experience between the most senior of those positions. They run two crews 24-hours per day. There are also two rescue units in the county in Grand Junction and Churdan that are strictly volunteer departments. Grand Junction has four registered EMTs while Churdan has three. Andy Hamilton has two years of EMT experience with the Churdan Rescue Unit and he talks about a favorite aspect of why he continues to be an EMT.

“I enjoy going to the schools and talking to kids and trying to get people interested in it. There’s an age gap and there’s really nobody picking up the slack from the bottom side of it. It goes back to education hours and everything like that and honestly it’s just fun to get out in the community and talk to people and explain what we do and why we do it.”

Below is a list of all of the individuals that serve with the different EMS departments in Greene County. To hear more about National EMS Week with Dennis, Hamilton and Grand Junction Rescue Captain Pierre Kellogg, listen to tomorrow’s Community State Bank in Paton Let’s Talk Greene County program.

Greene County EMS:

Dennis Morlan (40 years)

Marcia Morlan (40 years)

Mark Renslow (30 years)

Dick Moranville (25 years)

Dan Moranville (21 years)

Lacy Brubaker (16 years)

Matt Roberts (13 years)

Grand Junction Rescue:

Pierre Kellogg

Jessica Fester (RN)

Lindsay Jacobs

Mary Tonsfeld

Churdan Rescue:

Joleen Killen

Kathy Rose (RN)

Bill Gerhart