Contact: Colleen Roche (212) 788-2958 or Dwight Williams (212) 788-2972
"I am pleased to have this chance to greet and salute New Yorkers who have received a "second chance" at life," Mayor Giuliani said. "It is reassuring to all New Yorkers to know, and you are living proof, that our City's emergency response team is better than ever. Last March, the merger of the Fire Department and the Emergency Medical Service began a process that is improving response time to medical emergencies. The Certified First Responder-Defibrillation program has also helped us meet our goal of responding to the most severe life-threatening injuries in the shortest amount of time. I want to thank the members of our Fire Department for doing a terrific job."
"I have always been an avid supporter of the Certified First Responder program and the merger of EMS into the Fire Department," Fire Commissioner Von Essen said. "But today I am happy to be able to see the actual living, breathing success stories that have resulted from these two important initiatives. I am extremely proud of all the firefighters, emergency medical technicians and paramedics of the Department who gave their all to save the life of a fellow New Yorker."
This year's "Second Chance Breakfast" was once again held at Tavern on the Green in Central Park and was the first since the implementation of the Certified First Responder-Defibrillation and Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) responder programs. It was also the first event of its kind since the merger of EMS into the Fire Department in March of this year. Both of these facts combined to make this a very special occasion for the participants as well as all New Yorkers.
A 1992 article in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) reported that over 500,000 Americans die as a result of coronary artery disease with a substantial portion of these being sudden death situations. The JAMA went on to say that a large majority of these sudden deaths could be prevented by the prompt provision of CPR and early defibrillation. The Certified First Responder-Defibrillation program and the EMS merger were designed to increase emergency response, by giving our City a seamless, three-tiered EMS system. This system combines early CPR, rapid defibrillation and prompt advanced life support intervention to form a complete chain of survival for the victims of cardiac arrest and other medical emergencies.
This year's "Second Chance Breakfast" was sponsored by a coalition of labor unions which included District Council's 37's EMT's and Paramedics of Local 2507 and the EMS Lieutenants and Captains of Local 3621, the Uniformed Firefighter's Association and the Uniformed Fire Officers Association. It was also made by the generous sponsorship and support of Tavern on the Green.