The City of Cleveland congratulates the 16 new Emergency Medical Service (EMS) staff who graduated on Feb. 24, 2017. They will serve as emergency medical technicians and paramedics and are part of Mayor Frank G. Jackson’s effort to enhance the quality of life in Cleveland neighborhoods by reducing emergency response times.
“The people of Cleveland expect and deserve the best trained and equipped emergency medical personnel and this graduating class is reflective of the training they received,” Mayor Jackson said.
Friends, family and city staff gathered to attend the graduation ceremony today at Cleveland City Hall. Along with Mayor Jackson, local officials included Councilman Matt Zone of Ward 15, Safety Director Michael McGrath, Dr. Thomas Collins and EMS Commissioner Nicole Carlton.
Mayor Jackson, who announced his 2017 budget enhancements on February 1, promised Cleveland residents a renewed focus on critical services in area neighborhoods. Services such as police, fire and emergency medical services will all receive significant increases in staff and equipment as a result of Issue 32. Cleveland EMS plans to add 60 new paramedics, eight dispatchers to reduce response times, four new captains to oversee field operations and five new ambulances.
The 16 new cadets are not part of the 2017 budget, but as the City moves forward, the enhanced funding helps meet the needs of local citizens through increased manpower.
“The Cleveland EMS is committed to providing exemplary pre-hospital care in a professional and timely manner to the citizens and visitors of Cleveland, “said Commissioner Carlton. “The addition of our new first responders makes a significant difference in response time, performance and ultimately in saving lives.”
The 16 cadets will continue intensive field training following graduation, before release to full duty. The new cadets will help maintain the number of staffed ambulances available to handle medical emergencies at 18.
The full list of new cadets includes:
| · Vito Bellflower | · Alyssa Belville |
| · Nathan Brazytis | · Justin Brick |
| · Sean Dillon | · Eugenia Frangias |
| · Christopher Fuentes | · Jonathan Gutermuth |
| · Joseph N. Hongosh III | · Ella Hymes |
| · Mario Mileti | · William Moore |
| · Tiffany Mora | · Katherine Porter |
| · Monica Rutledge | · Joshua Waddell |
For more information about the Cleveland Division of Emergency Medical Service, or Mayor Jackson’s 2017 enhanced budget, visit www.city.cleveland.oh.us.
