The District is being recognized for “change and innovation.”
On behalf of the District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services (DC F&EMS) Department, Assistant Fire Chief (AFC) Rafael Sa'adah was presented with the coveted James O. Page/ JEMS (Journal of Emergency Medical Services) Leadership Award on Saturday, March 5, 2011 during the closing ceremony of the 2011 EMS Today – JEMS Conference and Exposition in Baltimore, Maryland.
The award recognizes the DC F&EMS Department for “Implementing change and innovation in the Emergency Medical Services.” Specifically, according to JEMS officials, Assistant Fire Chief Sa'adah “Exhibited the drive, effort and leadership to help resolve important EMS issues in Washington, D.C., collectively within the department, medical community and community at-large. In doing so, the department brought about positive change in an EMS system that improved service delivery to the nation’s capital.”
Assistant Chief Sa'adah was presented the James O. Page/ JEMS Leadership Award not only for his own individual achievement, but rather in recognition of the collective DC F&EMS team for their efforts to achieve recommendations set forward by a regional task force on emergency medical services.
DC Fire Chief Kenneth Ellerbe says “I am proud of the daily achievements of the DC F&EMS Department and the many people who make it work. AFC Sa’adah’s work ethic is hard to match and he is a shining example for demonstrating what can be accomplished when you are focused and dedicated to accomplishing a mission. The District is a more enjoyable and safer community because of dedicated people like Rafael Sa’adah.”
According to JEMS, the District of Columbia was specifically recognized for taking action that resulted in an EMS system design or operational change that significantly improved the delivery of patient care in a defined geographic area and, in some cases, replaced a poor-performing ambulance or paramedic system with a system that now delivers significantly improved care, such as through reduced response times, higher level of training, community education programs and tighter medical control.
AFC Rafael Sa’adah was appointed as a firefighter to the District of Columbia Fire & EMS Department in January 1991 and has served in a wide variety of operational and administrative assignments. He is the first paramedic in the history of the Department to rise through the competitive fire officer promotional process and reach the rank of chief officer. He has over two decades of experience in emergency medical services and has been a nationally registered EMT-Paramedic (NREMT-P) since 1991. He also has served as a paramedic, paramedic preceptor, EMS quality assurance officer, and paramedic instructor.
AFC Sa’adah has a particular interest in the nexus between public health and emergency medical services, and in improving the efficiency and effectiveness with which the EMS system addresses community health needs. He states, “My sole professional ambition is to faithfully serve the citizens of the District of Columbia and the District’s Fire & EMS Department. My goal as a leader is to continue the progress we have made towards achieving the city’s vision for a world-class emergency medical services system in the nation’s capital.”
AFC Sa’adah has donated the $1,000 honorarium, which is presented to the recipient of James O. Page/ Jems Leadership Award, to the Children’s National Medical Center Foundation in order to support Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) training for DC Fire & EMS Department employees.
The District of Columbia’s Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department is a full spectrum, all-hazards agency comprised of over 2,200 members that primarily operate from 33 neighborhood firehouses that serve the residents and visitors in Washington, DC. With a operating budget of almost $200 million the Department responds to about 160,000 calls for service annually, of which about 80 percent are medical related. It is the responsibility of the Office of the Fire and Emergency Medical Services Chief to combine a commitment to emergency response, an aggressive fire prevention strategy, community outreach and education into a customer centered mission driven organization.
Media Contacts
- (202) 673-3331