***MEDIA ADVISORY***

FDNY HOSTS FIRST EMS HEALTH FAIR AND EMT-PARAMEDIC COMPETITION AT METROTECH COMMONS

The New York City Fire Department will host the first FDNY EMS Health Fair on Friday, May 21 at the MetroTech Commons in Downtown Brooklyn between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. Sponsored by Philips, the event includes free trainings in bystander CPR and defibrillation as well as the chance to donate blood, tour an ambulance and meet combat stress dogs used by soldiers who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan. The day also includes the 10th Annual EMT/Paramedic Competition, in which 33 FDNY Emergency Medical Technicians and Paramedics from across the City test their life-saving skills against one another in a series of real-life scenarios that include mock patients. Fire Commissioner Salvatore J. Cassano will attend a portion of the competition at noon.

The event is a part of National EMS Week 2010 - which runs from Sunday, May 16 to Saturday, May 22 - that is designed to promote public safety, attract potential EMS recruits and celebrate the work of more than 3,000 members of the FDNY Emergency Medical Service.

Press Contact: Francis X. Gribbon & Steve Ritea, (FDNY) (718) 999-2056

http://www.nyc.gov/fdny