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Contact:           Paul Filla, Lee County EMS (239) 335-1606

Lee County EMS Hosts representative from German Red Cross

The Lee County Emergency Medical Services is hosting a visit by Stephan Zimmerman from the German Red Cross in Emmendingen, Germany.

During Zimmerman’s visit, he will observe the daily business of the EMS and its paramedics. EMS has arranged for Zimmerman to ride along on ambulances with the paramedics responding to calls and to tour the Emergency Operations Center. EMS is also coordinating meetings for Zimmerman with representatives with the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, Local Fire Departments, and the Coast Guard so that he might better understand their emergency response operations.

Zimmerman’s arrival to Lee County comes after making a request from his homeland via the Internet late last summer. While working the night shift and surfing the Internet, he sent an e-mail in his native German requesting information on how he could learn more about Lee County EMS. Zimmerman arrived in Lee County Jan. 11 and will depart Jan. 26 after spending nearly two weeks with the EMS.

During his first few days of observations of the Lee County EMS, he said that many of the procedures and patients’ concerns appear similar to what he is accustomed to when working in his homeland. One difference Zimmerman noted is that unlike EMS in his native Germany, Lee County does not dispatch an emergency surgeon to the scene, but depends on the skills and training of the responding paramedics to assess, stabilize, and transport the patient to an area hospital.

 “It’s a great experience knowing that paramedics perform here much like they do in Germany,” said Zimmerman. “The efforts of the entire process are amazing. From the initial call to the emergency room, patients’ needs are responded to.”

 Zimmerman has 15 years experience as a paramedic including eight years with the German Army. The German Red Cross performs EMS functions as well as fire and mountain rescue. Zimmerman added that he intends to take some of his lessons learned back to his homeland providing them a perspective on EMS in America.

 “We are very pleased that Stephan chose our EMS system to observe and learn from,” said Capt. Dave Wheaton, EMS Operations Supervisor.   “We are proud of Lee County EMS and are glad to share our experiences.  We hope that through the observations he might take something back to Germany and enhance their operations.”

 The mission of Lee County EMS is to provide the highest quality out-of-hospital emergency medical care and transportation for the residents and visitors of Lee County, Florida using highly trained professionals and the best technology to meet the needs of those who require assistance.