Boston EMS took home 7 awards last Friday as part of the 9th Annual MBEMSC (Metro Boston EMS Council) Region IV Awards. The awards are aimed at recognizing individuals and agencies who strive to improve the delivery of pre-hospital care.
«This is a great honor for the dedicated men and women of Boston EMS,» Acting Chief James Hooley said. «More importantly it motivates staff to continue to be proactive and go above and beyond. Congratulations to everyone honored.»
Boston EMS staff receiving awards:
* ALS Provider of the Year – Paramedic Dan Hickey;
* BLS Provider of the Year – EMTs Ben Parham and Roger Furtado;
* EMS Research Group Award: Boston EMS Cardiac Arrest Review – Medical Director Dr. Sophia Dyer, Deputy Superintendent Claire McNeil, data analyst Alex Fiorentino;
* Innovation Award: Boston «AED Alert» – Dep. Sup. Joe O’Hare, Dep. Sup. Claire McNeil, data analyst Alex Fiorentino;
* Outstanding Team Response Award- EMT Jamie Orsino, Tufts Security Officer Rommel Clarke, BPD Officer Brian Mahoney;
* Telecommunicator Award – Lt. Rich McCready;
* Lifetime Achievement Award – Rich Serino
Also honored for the Citizen/ Bystander of the Year Award are teachers Kathleen Carabine and Robert Casaletto from the East Boston Central Catholic School that performed CPR on 6-year-old Olivia Quigley while in cardiac arrest last February.
Richard Serino was recently confirmed as Deputy Administrator of FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Serino had been with Boston EMS since 1973 and Chief since April 2000. During his tenure as Chief, he saw the agency expand and improve to become nationally recognized for the first-rate services provided by the agency’s EMTs and Paramedics.
Telecommunicator Award:
Lt. Rich McCready is being honored for going above and beyond on a call that came in on March 31st when he tracked down a suicidal female with only her cell phone number. Boston EMS telecommunicators answer more than 100,000 requests for help each year. Boston EMS’ Dispatch staff is the critical link between the public and the responding crews on the street by helping to reassure the public in emergencies and coordinate efforts of responding agencies and local hospitals.
Outstanding Team Response:
On May 22nd, EMT Jamie Orsino and his partner were called to a scene by Tufts Medical Center where a patient was threatening suicide, i.e. jumping from the 8th floor of a parking garage. When he and his partner arrived on scene, EMT Orsino sprinted up the 8 flights of stairs to assist two officers. The patient attempted to jump as Tufts Medical Ctr. security guard Officer Rommel Clarke, Boston Police Officer Brian Mahoney and EMT Orsino struggled with and eventually pulled the patient to safety – at one point only having hold of the patient’s wrists and arms. The patient was resisting help the entire time and was restrained by the officers and EMT Orsino and eventually transported to TMC.
It is clear that the actions of all 3 men that evening saved this patient from a most certain death. TMC Officer Clarke, BPD Officer Mahoney and EMT Orsino went above and beyond and risked their own lives to help this patient.
Innovation Award:
