SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU)— The fourth week of May is known as EMS week. It gives a chance to raise awareness about the lifesaving work emergency workers perform every day, and Wednesday was set aside to celebrate emergency service for children.
Not all heroes wear capes. On Wednesday of EMS week, Pennsylvania Ambulance celebrated its 2nd annual Kids’ Day at Nayaug Park in Scranton.
Ambulances, fire trucks, tow trucks, state troopers, and even a helicopter lined a section of the park for kids to “Touch a Truck,” and explore the emergency equipment inside vehicles
“The goal is no parent, no family member, nobody would want to see a child sick injured — or all the above. So with this, the more the community comes out and asks questions, the kids will be like, ‘These are my friends. This is what I am going to do. I am going to go on the stretcher and get my blood pressure checked,’ and parents in the back of their heads are going to see okay this is their normal. We want to make it less traumatic in the event we are ever needed,” said Melissa Gerulski, a Paramedic at Pennsylvania Ambulance.
Kids even had the ability to learn CPR. Adelio Merlino, an emergency medical technician at Pennsylvania Ambulance, demonstrated exactly how simple it could be for even children to perform.
Merlino’s younger sister, Raeann, passed away at just 10 years old in December after being diagnosed with RSV and influenza A.
“Getting them to get just a little knowledge about saving someone’s life is just beneficial in any way shape or form,” said Merlino
If the emergency vehicles were complex for some kids, Melissa wanted children to have another safe and more familiar outlet to turn to.
“You are going to be able to relate to the cartoon characters the superheroes, we have Wonder Woman, Doctor Strange, and Thor and someone is going to know who one of them are” Gerulski
Last year’s inaugural event raised over $2,100 for the Vienna Elizabeth Grotzinger Memorial Scholarship through “Sparkles for Vienna.”
