Dr. José Luis Gilarranz (1954,

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

- 20 February 2009) was a key figure in the development of rapid deployment systems for use in medical emergencies.

Career

His first job was as a

lifeguard A lifeguard is a rescuer who supervises the safety and rescue of swimmers, surfers, and other water sports participants such as in a swimming pool, water park, beach, spa, river and lake. Lifeguards are trained in swimming and Cardiopulmonary ...

at the sporting facilities operated by the City of

. At the same time, he studied nursing and medicine and secured a position as a doctor for those same facilities. In 1990, he founded the ''Servicio de Asistencia Municipal de Urgencia y Rescate'' (The Municipal Emergency and Rescue Service, SAMUR) to create a more efficient solution for assisting with emergency

public health Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the de ...

issues and coordinating the efforts of the agencies involved. He served as its director until 2003. He has won several awards and decorations, including: The ''

Orden de Isabel la Católica The Royal Order of Isabella the Catholic (; Abbr.: OYC) is a knighthood and one of the three preeminent orders of merit bestowed by the Kingdom of Spain, alongside the Order of Charles III (established in 1771) and the Order of Civil Merit (es ...

'', the ''Cruz al Mérito Civil'', the ''Cruz al Mérito Policial'', the ''Cruz al Mérito de Protección Civil'' and the ''Medalla de la Comunidad de Madrid''. He died in 2009 after a long battle with cancer.

References

External links

Belt Ibérica: Obituary
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gilarranz, Jose Luis 2009 deaths 1954 births