Authorized by President Gerald Ford in 1974, May 15–21, 2016 marks 42 years the nation has celebrated National EMS Week — 42 years of taking a moment to recognize the critical role EMS personnel plays every day in every community.

If one has ever spent any time with Beaufort County’s many EMTs and/or paramedics, it quickly becomes apparent that these people are dedicated to their jobs, to one another and to the communities they serve.

It’s not an easy job. EMS personnel must be ready to encounter any circumstance, many of which involve life and death hanging in the balance. EMTs and paramedics are the weight that sends the scales sliding in favor of life.

It’s not an easy job. Those who sign on with one of the county’s many volunteer squads must be prepared to race to a car accident, a house fire or a home where a resident is suffering from a heart attack or stroke, often exchanging a decent night’s sleep for this vital community service, all while holding down a full-time job.

It’s not an easy job. The nature of the work means that many paid EMTs and paramedics end up taking shifts where they can get them, which include counties were they don’t reside. Just ask the Jones County native who works as a paramedic in both Beaufort and Lenoir counties.

It’s not an easy job. Once the victim of an accident, trauma or medical emergency is admitted to the hospital, their jobs are done. EMTs and paramedics rarely hear whether their patients recovered or passed away, much less get a thank you from those whose lives they’ve saved.

It’s not an easy job. EMTs and paramedics see the frailty of human life on a daily basis. Many, they patch up and send on their way. Others, they are the last tenuous link to life.

It’s not an easy job — but it is an honorable one.

With four days left in National EMS Week, it’s not too late to show appreciation for the many EMTs and paramedics who work in Beaufort County, both paid and volunteer. Whether it’s a plate of cookies or a simple spoken “Thank you,” show some appreciation. Residents of Beaufort County, literally, can’t survive without them.