The Allegany County Board of Legislators on May 28 proclaimed May 18–24, 2025, as Emergency Medical Services Week and recognized several longtime EMS instructors for their work training volunteer and career emergency medical personnel.

Acting director of emergency management and EMS coordinator Bonnie Vanhausen told the board she wanted to “say that I'm very, appreciative for all of our volunteer EMS and commercial EMS” and singled out instructors whose work, she said, “has not only advanced EMS education, but have etched in our hearts and minds the countless individuals that mentored in the community they've served so diligently.”

Chairman W. Brooke Harris read a proclamation declaring the week and thanked the instructors and volunteers. The proclamation text presented to the board noted that access to quality emergency care “dramatically improves the survival and recovery of those who experience sudden injury or illness” and described the county EMS system as including first responders, EMTs, paramedics, dispatchers, firefighters, educators and trained members of the public.

The board recognized three instructors by name and cited their training totals presented at the meeting: Kathleen (Kaye) Bushman, who earned CLI certification in 1992 and was credited with instructing 260 CFR students and 409 original EMT students; Margaret (Maggie) Thompson, CLI-certified in 1997 and described as an EMS educator for more than 28 years; and Susan Campbell, CLI- and CIC-certified with more than two decades of instruction and reported to have taught 491 original students.

Members of the board posed for photographs with the honorees and expressed appreciation for volunteer and career EMS staff. No formal action or funding change was associated with the proclamation; it was delivered as a recognition item on the meeting agenda.

The recognition was presented at the start of the board’s May 28 meeting; board members were offered copies of the proclamation and the public was invited to note the week on calendars posted with meeting materials.