BOSTON (WHDH) - Mayor Martin J. Walsh on Monday joined Boston EMS to celebrate the graduation of 10 EMT recruits in a socially distanced, outdoor ceremony at LoPresti Park in East Boston.
The 2020 graduating class will be assigned to 911 ambulances across the city, Walsh’s office announced in a news release.
“In our lifetime, we’ve never seen a crisis quite like the COVID-19 pandemic. And through it all, the men and women at Boston EMS have been on the front lines, leading the city’s response with incredible courage and passion,” Walsh said. “I’m proud to be here to congratulate the men and women graduating today as they join the best emergency medical services department in the country. ”
The new graduates have been trained in a variety of life-threatening emergency situations, including active shooter incidents, hazardous materials exposure, transportation accidents, recovery services, human trafficking, and mass casualty incidents, as well as Boston’s COVID-19 pandemic response.
“Their rigorous training academy began when the City only had one confirmed case of COVID-19 and it continued through the surge of the pandemic in Boston. This recruit class has seen firsthand the courage, passion, and heart it takes to do this job,” Boston EMS Chief James Hooley added.
The academy class responded to nearly 1,400 911 calls during their training, including baby deliveries, cardiac arrests, motor vehicle accidents, shootings, stabbings, strokes, and overdoses.
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