By Beloved North Lincolnshire paramedic sadly passes away after years of service
East Midlands Ambulance Service has announced with great sadness that long-serving paramedic Chris Long has passed away.
Chris began his career 26 years ago with Humberside Ambulance Service in 1995 as an Ambulance Care Assistant before progressing to a Paramedic in 2009, working in North Lincolnshire at Scunthorpe Ambulance Station, also spending time at the Gainsborough and Market Rasen Stations.
In September 2017, Chris became Clinical Operations Manager, and then Duty Operations Manager before leaving EMAS to join the Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust.
Chris was also the Chair of the hugely popular annual event Rescue Day which raises the profile of the ambulance service whilst also raising funds for the installation of public access defibrillators.
At Rescue Day 2017, Chris was reunited with a family who he had responded to when the husband collapsed and stopped breathing.
Chris was off-duty at home at the time, but as a volunteer medical first responder, he was on scene within minutes to start providing cardiopulmonary resuscitation and defibrillation – an action that saved the patient’s life.
In 2018, Chris and the team were announced winners of a Health Education England (HEE) ‘Clinical Team of the Year’ award, for their dedication to the HEE rotating paramedic pilot.
Chris’ family said: “As a family, we are all deeply saddened at the tragic loss of Chris. He had a big heart and was kind, generous and sensitive to the needs of others and touched the lives and hearts of so many. Those who knew Chris will know how proud he was of all he achieved in his career and how passionate he was about the ambulance service.
“We are hugely grateful for all the messages of support from friends and colleagues.”
Richard Henderson, EMAS Chief Executive said: “Chris and I began our ambulance service career together on the same day in North Lincolnshire. Over the years, I have had the great pleasure of working with Chris on various occasions. The grief experienced by colleagues across the service demonstrates how valued Chris was; he made significant contributions to the care provided to patients and the support given to staff.
“My thoughts and condolences are with Chris’ family and friends, and his colleagues across the service; they will be feeling his loss for the months and years to come, and we will ensure that we support them.”
Our thoughts are with Chris’s family and friends at this tragic time.
