Huey Atkins, Director of National EMS Operations for Rockdale and Morgan Counties, was recently presented with the prestigious EMS Special Achievement Award by the Northeast Georgia EMS Council during the annual Region Ten Emergency Medical Services Awards Banquet, held at the Oconee Civic Center.

Atkins, who has been involved in EMS since 1977, was recognized as the longest-serving EMS Director in Region 10 and for being an active member of the Northeast Georgia EMS Council for 25 years, serving on the Zoning Committee, the Executive Committee, and the Trauma Advisory Committee. He is also a member of the Georgia Association of EMS, the EMS Sub-committee of the Georgia Trauma Commission, and the Georgia AVLS Group. In his thirty-six years in EMS, Atkins has worked as an EMT, Paramedic, Shift Captain, Commander, Field Training Officer, and EMS Director.

During the presentation of the Special Achievement Award, Atkins was commended for being the EMS Director in 1993 when National EMS became Georgia’s first Accredited Ambulance Service. National EMS was recently recognized by the Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services (CAAS) as one of only eight EMS Services in the nation to be accredited for twenty consecutive years.

Atkins is involved in his community, where he is on the Morgan County 911 Board and has been an active member of the Morgan County Rotary Club for over two decades, serving as President for two terms. He is also involved with the Kimberly Chance Atkins Foundation, which raises money for education and treatment of Breast Cancer patients.

More than 225 EMS personnel and their guests attended the Annual EMS Awards banquet held at the Oconee Civic Center in Watkinsville on May 1, which honors all EMS Personnel in the 10-county service area and recognizes them for their achievements.