LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION honoring the Town of Colonie's Emergency Medical
Services System upon the occasion of its designation by the Interna-
tional Association of Fire Chiefs as recipient of the Heart Safe Commu-
nity Award

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body that those who give
outstanding service to the people of the Empire State and whose extraor-
dinary achievements save the lives of their fellow citizens should be
recognized because their efforts so profoundly strengthen our shared
commitment to family and community life; and
WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its long-
standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to honor the
Town of Colonie's Emergency Medical Services (EMS) System upon the occa-
sion of its designation by the International Association of Fire Chiefs
as recipient of the Heart Safe Community Award; and
WHEREAS, This prestigious award was presented to the Town of Colonie's
EMS System at the International Association of Fire Chiefs, EMS Section
Conference held in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Tuesday, May 4, 2010; and
WHEREAS, Located in Albany County, the Town of Colonie is one of only
two communities in the Nation, the other one being Anchorage, Alaska, to
receive the Heart Safe Community Award; and
WHEREAS, With more than 75,000 residents, Colonie has been labeled as
the safest municipality in the country; this tremendous honor recognizes
not only the efforts to improve cardiac outcomes but also the dramatic
results of these efforts; and
WHEREAS, There has been a marked increase in the number of lives saved
after sudden cardiac arrest in the past three to four years within the
Town of Colonie; the rate of lives saved from sudden cardiac arrest was
close to 5 percent according to a study done a few years ago; today,
that percentage is now more than 22 percent; and
WHEREAS, Furthermore, the return of spontaneous circulation has
increased from 23 percent to 41 percent, and there was a decrease in the
time to unblock clogged coronary arteries from 88 minutes to less than
45 minutes; and
WHEREAS, Part of the success of the Town of Colonie's EMS System is
due in large part to its ability to use a wireless modem to transmit
images of victims to hospitals to help make the doctors' jobs easier
when the person arrives; and
WHEREAS, Another technique contributing to the high life-saving rate
is therapeutic hypothermia, which lowers body temperature below 93
degrees after the victim is resuscitated to help reduce damage to the
brain in the 24 hours immediately after the cardiac arrest; and
WHEREAS, Beginning in 2009, the Town of Colonie's EMS implemented a
cooling process in the field before the victims are taken to a hospital;
and
WHEREAS, Under the luminous direction of EMS Chief Jonathan Politis,
the Town of Colonie EMS answers close to 10,000 calls each year, and is
made up of 80 career staff members and 30 volunteers; and
WHEREAS, This Legislative Body cannot express sufficient gratitude to
those devoted individuals who recognize that the preservation of life is
a sacred responsibility and who make that responsibility their own by
serving as professionals or as volunteers; and
WHEREAS, Those individuals, who have given so selflessly of their
skills and dedication, are worthy and due full recognition for their
valued contributions on behalf of their community, upholding the charac-
ter and principled ideals of organizations in service to their fellow
citizens; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
honor the Town of Colonie's Emergency Medical Services System upon the
occasion of its designation by the International Association of Fire
Chiefs as recipient of the Heart Safe Community Award; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to Jonathan Politis, EMS Chief, Town of Colonie's Emergency
Medical Services System.