EVERETT — Medical emergencies can be scary for anyone, particularly for youngsters who have never experienced one.
Firefighters at Silver Firs Fire Station on Saturday acquainted children with equipment and emergency services they might one day encounter.
The department hosted a teddy bear clinic, where medics treated cuddly stuffed animals for various make-believe ailments. They also gave tours of fire engines and showed kids their pulse on a heart monitor.
“If they ever respond to an aid call, the children won’t be so scared,” said Leslie Hynes, spokeswoman for Snohomish County Fire District 1.
Nearly eight in 10 calls for service to Fire District 1 are medically related, Hynes said. For that reason, all firefighters are emergency medical technicians or paramedics.
The clinic arrives just ahead of National Emergency Medical Services Week, which begins Sunday.
The week brings together communities and medical personnel to draw attention to issues of safety and to the people on medicine’s front line.
Accidents are, by far, the leading cause of death among children and adolescents, according to the National Institutes of Health.
Car crashes account for the largest number of these accidental deaths. Safety experts say you can lower the chance that an accident will be fatal by making sure all infants and children use the proper child car seats, booster seats and seat belts.
Other top causes of accidental death are drowning, fire, falls and poisoning.
David Chircop: 425-339-3429, dchircop@heraldnet.com.
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