December 14, 2011 – Today, the EMS Section of the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) honored U.S. Representative Phil Roe (R-Tenn.) as an honorary paramedic with the EMS Section’s Meritorious Service Award. Section Chair Chief Gary Ludwig presented the award to Rep. Roe for his heroic actions of performing CPR to save the life of a man in an airport.
“Representative Roe is a role model for members of Congress and every other member of the public when it comes to assisting a person in cardiac arrest,” said Ludwig. “It doesn’t matter what you do for a living, how much influence you have or how many people know who you are—when it comes to cardiac arrest, the victim and rescuers are just human beings.”
On September 20, Rep. Roe was traveling through a Charlotte, N.C., airport when he heard a call for a doctor after a man collapsed. Rep. Roe immediately sprung into action and performed CPR until paramedics arrived. When they arrived on scene, the paramedics’ automatic external defibrillator (AED) showed the man had flat-lined and was legally dead before receiving CPR.
“I’m truly honored to receive the EMS Section’s Meritorious Service Award,” said Representative Roe. “After the incident in the Charlotte Airport, I introduced a resolution that would bring awareness to those affected by heart disease. The more we can educate and train individuals about CPR and AEDs, the more opportunities we have in this country to save lives when someone is suffering from an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. I want to thank the EMS Section for their hard work and the tremendous job they do as first responders.”
The EMS Section’s Meritorious Service Award was created in 2009 to acknowledge exceptional work during the year.
Rep. Roe’s resolution is H.Res. 457; the resolution encourages individuals to seek training in the use of CPR and AEDs and encourages bystanders to use hands-only CPR and AEDs for saving the life of someone in cardiac arrest.
About the IAFC Emergency Medical Services Section
The IAFC EMS Section is a forum that addresses EMS issues for the leadership of America’s fire and emergency service, provides guidance and direction to the IAFC board and membership and represents fire-based EMS issues to the federal government and other EMS partners.
About the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC)
The IAFC represents the leadership of firefighters and emergency responders worldwide. IAFC members are the world’s leading experts in firefighting, emergency medical services, terrorism response, hazardous materials spills, natural disasters, search and rescue, and public safety legislation. Since 1873, the IAFC has provided a forum for its members to exchange ideas, develop professionally and uncover the latest products and services available to first responders.
