| Year Honored | |
|---|---|
| 2014 | |
| Honoree | |
| William Martin, Jr. | |
| Title | |
| EMT | |
| Agency | |
| Stillwater Emergency Rescue Squad | |
| Agency City | |
| Stillwater | |
| Agency State | |
| NJ | |
| Last Call | |
| 1/8/13 | |
| Biography | |
| Bill was born in Newton and was a lifelong Sussex County resident. He was a veteran of the US Army, having served in Germany. After his discharge from the Army, Mr. Martin worked for Mack-Wayne Plastics in Newton and was currently employed as the Production Planner for Howmet Alloy in Dover. He was always a gentle soft-spoken man who was dedicated first to his family and then to his EMT/fire department work.<br /> Bill was the President of the Stillwater Emergency Rescue Squad. Prior to reaching that position, he had served as Captain and Lieutenant of the squad. He was also a member of the New Jersey First Aid Council. He was a fan of baseball and enjoyed bowling.<br /> <br /> In the early hours of a cold January morning, the Stillwater Emergency Rescue Squad was activated to a call for a structure fire. As usual, Bill was quickly out the door stopping only to tell his son Andrew, who would have normally responded with him, to stay home as he had to go to work. Bill had driven the ambulance to the scene and during the initial stages of the fire; he was standing near the Medical commander of the incident. As a first patient was found and identified as DOA, a second patient was found in need of care for severe burns. A landing zone was established in a near-by schoolyard, and the patient was loaded into the ambulance for transport.<br /> <br /> As he drove to the school, something happened to Bill and he alerted his crew in back that something was wrong. As the ambulance turned a sharp bend in the road, it veered to the left, climbed a rocky embankment, and struck a utility pole. The crash dislodged the wires atop the pole causing them to fall on the ambulance. The ambulance came to rest at a sharp angle. Bill's son Andrew, hearing the crash, ran to the scene and found his father in the front of the ambulance, unresponsive. Andrew pulled his father from the ambulance and began resuscitative measures. Bill was transported to Newtown Medical Center in cardiac arrest. Despite the best efforts of all involved, Bill was pronounced dead at 6:15am. Bill was accredited with preventing further injury in the last few moments of his life by ensuring the ambulance did not crash into a river on the opposite side of the road.<br /> <br /> Honored 2014 |
The United States Official National EMS Memorial Service
