Annual North Country REMSCO’s Regional EMS Awards

WATERTOWN, N.Y. (WWTI) – The Annual North Country REMSCO’s Spring Fling Conference was held April 11-12 at the Edgewood Resort in Alexandra Bay, over 140 EMS providers from across New York attended the event and participated in lectures on a range of topics, from EMS Operations, Trauma Management and OB Emergencies to mental health services offered in the Tri-County area.

“ Prehospital emergency medicine is a dynamic and ever-evolving field ,” said Jonathan Cole, EMS Program Agency Director at Fort Drum Regional Health Planning Organization (FDRHPO). “ Through training events like Spring Fling, we can provide not only the basic core elements that First Responders need to keep their certifications, but we can also dive deeper into new developments in the field .”

The North Country REMSCO and Fort Drum Regional Health Planning Organization handed out awards to regional EMS providers who were nominated by their peers. Regional EMS Awards were also presented in the following categories:

• ALS Provider of the Year – Nathan Peters, Thousand Islands Emergency Rescue Services

• BLS Provider of the Year – Mark Leroux, Cranberry Lake Volunteer Fire Department
• Youth Provider of the Year – Michael Gately, Indian River EMS Club and Indian River Ambulance Service
• Agency of the Year – Cranberry Lake Volunteer Fire Department and Star Lake Volunteer Fire Department
• Educator of the Year – Matthew Yelton, MERCY Flight Central and Constableville Ambulance
• Physician of the Year – Dr. Sarah Delaney-Rowland, REMAC Medical Director
• Leadership Award – Christopher Singleton, Jefferson County EMS and South Jefferson Rescue Squad
• Richard Beebe Award – Jefferson County EMS

“ The North Country Region is so fortunate to have such an amazing group of providers ,” said Debbie Singleton, Chair, North Country REMSCO. “ The time, dedication, compassion, and professionalism are evident with the award winners. Keep up the amazing work !”

Dan Ward, a Thousand Island Emergency Rescue Services volunteer who passed away in December 2023, was awarded an honorary EMT Certification that was presented to his family at the event. Ward had enrolled in an Advanced EMT class in the spring of 2023; however, he was unable to complete the course due to health issues. On Friday, April 11, members of the NYS Department of Health Bureau of EMS and Traumas Systems presented Ward’s wife Wendi, and daughters Claire and Andie Rae with the EMT Certification.

During the EMS Awards Dinner the featured keynote speaker, Ronald Churchill talked about his career when he joined Town of Watertown Fire/Ambulance in 1975, became an EMT in 1976, a Critical Care Technician in 1981 and a Paramedic in 1990. He was a Regional Faculty and taught several EMT classes, worked/volunteered for the Town of Watertown Fire/Ambulance, South Jefferson Rescue Squad, Inc., Guilfoyle Ambulance, Rural Metro/AMR and ended his career with Thousand Islands Emergency Rescue Squad in 2018 after 17 years.

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