Chief Executive of Welsh Ambulance Service pays tribute to ambulance personnel and blue light partners across UK on Emergency Services Day

THE Chief Executive of the Welsh Ambulance Service has paid tribute to ambulance personnel and blue light partners across the UK as part of national Emergency Services Day.

In this video posted on social media this morning, Jason Killens praises the “fantastic people” across the organisation, as well as colleagues from the military who have supported the Trust through the Covid-19 pandemic

He said: “I’m Jason Killens, Chief Executive here at the Welsh Ambulance Service NHS Trust and as we celebrate Emergency Services day across the UK today I want to take this opportunity to say thank you to our fantastic people right across the ambulance service here in Wales and of course across the UK too.

“It is also right that I pay tribute to and thank our emergency service colleagues in the military who have been with us and helped us so much through our response to the pandemic this year and of course it continues today.

“So as we celebrate National Emergency Services Day across the UK I want to finish again by paying tribute to my fantastic team here and right across Team WAST here at the Welsh Ambulance Service.”

The event, also known as 999 Day, starts at 09.00 on the ninth day of the ninth month with a national two-minute silence to mark the 7,000 plus UK emergency workers who to date have lost their lives in the line of duty.

Emergency service workers and the wider public are encouraged to mark it.

The inaugural event took place in 2018 and was founded by serving police officer Tom Scholes-Fogg and backed by then Prime Minister, Theresa May.

The event was established to promote the work of the emergency services, to promote volunteering opportunities and any campaigns currently being run by emergency services.

This year, instead of a physical event, the organisers are encouraging a fully digital celebration and are asking emergency services to use their social media channels to celebrate and promote their work and activities using the below methods:

· Hashtag: #999Day

· Twitter: @999Day

· Facebook: @Official999Day

· Instagram: @Official999Day

· Website: www.999Day.org.uk