NAEMT presented Rep. Joe Heck (R-Nev.) with the inaugural Field
EMS Bill Legislator of the Year Award at the March 26 EMS On The Hill Day. This prestigious award recognizes
a member of Congress who demonstrates extraordinary support of EMS and our
pursuit to pass H.R. 809, the
Field
EMS Quality, Innovation and Cost-Effectiveness Improvement Act
(also known as the "
Field
EMS Bill").
“I am honored to receive
the Legislator of the Year Award from NAEMT for my work on Emergency Medical
Services,” said Heck. “My career in public service began 37 years ago as a
volunteer ambulance attendant/firefighter in rural Pennsylvania and it was EMS
that motivated me to a career in medicine. The presentation was especially
meaningful, coming from former Henderson Fire Department Paramedic and North
Las Vegas EMS Chief Bruce Evans!”
The Legislator of
the Year Award was presented in front of nearly 200 grateful EMS On The Hill
Day participants, who had just completed nearly 250 congressional office
visits. “Rep. Heck has the gratitude of EMS across the nation, and we are fortunate
to have his vision and experience behind EMS on Capitol Hill,” asserted NAEMT
President Don Lundy.
Elected to Congress
in 2010, Rep. Heck has more
than 25 years in public service as a physician, Army Reservist, and
community volunteer. A Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves, he was called to
active duty three times, including a deployment to Iraq in support of Operation
Iraqi Freedom.