Story contact:

Captain Ryan McGiboney, Public Information Officer

 O: 678.518.4862 | C: 470.342.8005 │ F: 678.518.4809

FDPIO@GwinnettCounty.com

GWINNETT FIRE AND EMERGENCY SERVICES RECOGNIZED FOR COMMITMENT TO QUALITY CARE FOR HEART ATTACK AND STROKE PATIENTS

(Lawrenceville, Ga., October 10, 2025) – Gwinnett County Fire and Emergency Services has been recognized by the American Heart Association for providing efficient and effective care for stroke and heart attack patients before they arrive at the hospital. Gwinnett Fire and Emergency Services received:

• Mission: Lifeline® EMS Gold achievement award for its commitment to offering rapid and research-based care to people experiencing the most severe form of heart attacks and strokes, ultimately saving lives. This is the ninth year in a row that Gwinnett County has received this honor.

• Lifeline System of Care Target Heart Attack award for its crucial role in the prehospital phase, quickly identifying STEMIs and making appropriate transport decisions to connect patients with the specialized care they need.
• Stroke℠ Honor Roll award for meeting specific criteria that reduces the time between a patient’s arrival at the hospital and treatment with thrombolytic therapy to dissolve blood clots.

The Mission: Lifeline EMS® which is the American Heart Association's national initiative that helps reduce barriers to prompt treatment, starting from when 911 is called, to EMS transport and continuing through hospital treatment and discharge. Optimal care for heart attack and stroke patients starts with coordination with hospital providers and healthcare systems before the patients reach the hospital. Gwinnett County Fire and Emergency Services is one of four agencies in Georgia to meet the criteria in 2024 to achieve award status from Mission: Lifeline.

“Gwinnett County Fire and Emergency Services is honored to be recognized by the American Heart Association for our dedication to providing optimal care for stroke and heart attack patients,” said Fire Chief Fred Cephas. “The Mission: Lifeline program puts proven knowledge and guidelines to work on a daily basis, so patients have the best possible chance of survival. It also takes a

strong commitment from our leadership, medical directors, and frontline providers to ensure the department is held to a high standard when providing care to stroke and heart attack patients.”

“Arguably the most important link in the chains of survival for acute stroke and cardiovascular emergencies is emergency medical services and prehospital professionals,” said Kacey Kronenfeld, M.D., FAEMS, chair of the American Heart Association's Mission: Lifeline EMS Taskforce. “Early condition identification, stabilization and prehospital interventions, and initiation of actions within the regional systems of care provide patients with the best chance for receiving expedient definitive therapies leading to optimal outcomes and maximized quality of life. The American Heart Association Mission: Lifeline EMS awards are an important way to recognize the crucial roles and performances of EMS personnel in stroke and cardiac patients’ care.”

The Mission: Lifeline EMS recognition program launched in 2014 and continues to celebrate the achievement of the prehospital providers and their collaboration with each other and destination hospitals specific to STEMI patient care.

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