Ambulance service pays heartfelt tribute to military heroes ahead of VE Day anniversary
West Midlands Ambulance Service has been paying a heartfelt tribute to war heroes.
The service will also observe at two-minute silence at 11am on Friday to mark the 75th anniversary of Victory in Europe.
Where possible ambulance crews, control room staff and others will join the nation in an act of remembrance.
However, the trust is also urging the public to celebrate this important anniversary in ways that do not risk increasing the transmission of the disease and potentially leading to more lives being lost.
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Trust chief executive Anthony Marsh said: “We all owe a huge debt to the brave men and women that helped shape the country we now live in.
“However, we all now face our own challenge in beating coronavirus. Our staff will be celebrating VE75 at work and in their homes, but while we are remembering the heroes of the Second World War, it is vitally important that we all continue to practise social distancing and abide by the guidelines around gatherings.”
Trust medical director Dr Alison Walker said: “There is no question that people following the advice to “Stay Home, Protect the NHS, Save Lives” has done a great job in flattening the curve and getting us over the initial peak of Covid-19 infections.
“But sadly several hundred people are still dying every single day from this dreadful virus. Each time I go to work I see the devastating effect these deaths have on the patient’s friends and family.
“There are thousands of new cases in England each day. We are nowhere near done with this pandemic. We therefore need to keep up the great work even though it’s difficult for such long periods.
“The risk of easing off too soon is that we will see a second wave of cases and sadly more deaths.
“Thank you so much for staying at home, it will save lives and protect our amazing NHS, social care staff and other essential workers across the West Midlands and beyond.”
Mr Marsh added: “As a trust we are proud to have many former and serving military staff working with us. Over three per cent of our workforce belong to the military family with many still playing an active part in the likes of the Reserves.
“We absolutely recognise that our ethos is very similar to that of the armed forces with a similar type of camaraderie. We would welcome anyone who thinks switching to the ambulance service could be the right move for them.”
