Mesa Fire Department highlights EMS workers this week

PHOENIX — It’s EMS Week in Mesa, and the city’s fire department is looking to let people know they do a lot more than just put out fires.

“When someone calls 911 for a medical emergency you get a fire truck, and you get four people on a fire truck, two paramedics and two EMTs,” said Mesa Fire Department spokeswoman Larissa Dvorak. “With us we bring a lot of specialized equipment to take care of just about any type of medical emergency.”

Dvorak said as part of EMS Week, which ends Friday, many fire stations are opening up their doors to show off some of the medical services they provide.

“A lot of people don’t realize that the fire departments do perform blood pressure tests to citizens in the community,” Dvorak said.

They’re also highlighting some of the life-saving tools EMS crews use nearly every day.

“When someone’s in the hospital and they’re not breathing on their own, (doctors) stick a tube down their throat and there’s a machine that basically breathes for them,” Dvorak said. “What we have is a portable version of that.”