Category: Press Releases

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2017 Honoree Clarence W. Barrow | The Roosevelt Hospital

Clarence W. Barrow, 27, of Orange, New Jersey, an Ambulance Surgeon at Roosevelt Hospital in Manhattan, New York, was killed while on duty November 27, 1905, when his ambulance was struck by a car at 6th Street and 5th Avenue, and he was thrown from the ambulance, striking his head, according to the New York Times.

“A ponderous sightseeing automobile struck the ambulance, which contained a woman patient, the driver, and a doctor,” the New York Times article reads in part. “The surgeon was thrown to the pavement and his skull fractured. He died within 10 minutes.” The New York Times released further articles the day of Barrow’s accident and death that told more of his life and his relationship

“A ponderous sightseeing automobile struck the ambulance, which contained a woman patient, the driver, and a doctor,” the New York Times article reads in part. “The surgeon was thrown to the pavement and his skull fractured. He died within 10 minutes.”

The New York Times released further articles the day of Barrow’s accident and death that told more of his life and his relationship with his community. “At Roosevelt Hospital it was said that Dr. Barrow was one of the most popular among the young physicians connected with the institution.”

Barrow was a 1901 graduate of Columbia University, and a 1905 graduate of the College of Physicians and Surgeons.

He started working with The Roosevelt Hospital July 1, 1905, and was scheduled to serve another year and eight months in their medical division.

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2017 Honoree Samantha Agins | New Jersey Camp – Jaycees

EMT Samantha “Sam” Agins, 22, of New Jersey Camp Jaycee died August 11, 2015.

Agins was a nationally registered EMT working at New Jersey Camp Jaycee, a camp for people with special needs. She was enrolled to start at East Stroudsburg University in the pre-med program.

On August 8, 2015, the last day of camp, a camper collapsed from cardiac arrest. Agins ran to render aid with the assistance of an AED. The AED indicated no shock advised. She continued CPR until EMS arrived approximately 43 minutes later.

Despite the efforts of both Agins and other EMS to resuscitate the patient, the patient did not survive. She developed a headache after administering CPR.

Camp officials called her parents, and her mother picked her up from the camp and took her home to rest, thinking she was suffering from exhaustion. After a few hours of lying down to rest, Agins could not walk, talk, or see correctly. Her family called EMS, but when they arrived, she was no longer responsive.

She was taken to Pocono Medical Center where she was found to have a ruptured artery which resulted in several massive strokes. She was sent to Thomas Jefferson Hospital in Philadelphia where she died August 11, 2015.

Agin’s actions were described as “heroic and valiant.” Her dad said she was always a giver and she was known for constantly wearing a beautiful smile. He said she was also an organ donor and her tissue was donated to save even more lives. She is a hero because she tried. Her dad said her legacy is: “If you can help someone, you always have to try.”

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2017 Honoree Jason Adams | Sherwood Fire Department

Lieutenant R. Jason Adams, 29, died in the line of duty January 22, 2016, in Sherwood, Arkansas, while responding to a medical call as a volunteer with the East Pulaski County Fire Department in Arkansas. Adams’ interest in the fire service was sparked when he was assisted by a volunteer firefighter who responded to a call to his home when Adams was undergoing chemotherapy treatment for his second battle with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Adams was hired by the Sherwood Fire Department immediately following his graduation from the Arkansas Fire Training Academy, Firefighter Standards in April 2012. He served as a volunteer firefighter with the East Pulaski County Fire Department for 10 years and was a career firefighter with the Sherwood Fire Department for four years.

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National EMS Memorial Service 2016

Photos by Mark Mennie

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The National EMS Weekend of Honor Pays Tribute to Fallen EMS Heroes

Washington, D.C. – The National EMS Memorial Service, the National EMS Memorial Foundation and the National EMS Memorial Bike Ride will pay tribute to our fallen EMS and air medical providers from throughout the United States during the 2017 National EMS Weekend of Honor, scheduled May 19-21 at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City at Reagan National Airport, 2799 Jefferson Davis Highway in Arlington, Va.

There are many activities and events during the three-day Weekend of Honor, including two events that the public and media are invited and encouraged to attend as a show of support for the selfless service and sacrifice of the 2017 honorees:

FRIDAY, MAY 19, 2017

The Arrival & Tribute of the National EMS Memorial Bike Ride (NEMSMBR)

The NEMSMBR celebrates the lives of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice as well as EMS legacy personnel who have died of natural or nonemployment-related causes.

About 100 EMS Memorial Bike Riders, led by a procession of EMS vehicles, will arrive at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City, concluding a trip that began on May 13 in Boston and kicking off the 2017 Weekend of Honor.

Riders are predominantly EMS professionals from across the U.S., and each rider wears dog tags bearing an honoree’s name, agency and date of their loss.

Upon arrival at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City, the Presentation of Dog Tags to the families will occur. The rider will meet the family in front of the honoree’s biography to present one of their two dog tags worn during the ride — an emotionally powerful part of the Honor Weekend. The rider will keep the other dog tag as a lifetime reminder of the honoree’s sacrifice.

The Presentation of the Dog Tags is immediately followed by a short ceremony.

SATURDAY, MAY 20, 2017

National EMS Memorial Service (NEMSMS)  

The National EMS Memorial Service, a formal ceremony to honor fallen EMS professionals who have died in the line of duty, will be held at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City.

The entire memorial service can be viewed via live-streaming.  Hundreds of EMS personnel from across the country will travel to Washington, D.C. to participate in the NEMSMS, along with friends, co-workers of current and past honorees, dignitaries, EMS and business leaders, and government officials.

All participants in the NEMSMS will be in dress uniform, flight suits, or similar appropriate attire.  Honor Guards, along with bagpipe and drum corps will volunteer their time and services throughout the weekend.

An American flag, flown over the nation’s capitol, will be presented to each of the twenty-nine honoree’s family along with the NEMSMS medallion.  During the service, a National Moment of Silence will be called at 6 p.m. (Eastern), so that EMS agencies across the U.S. can pause simultaneously in 30 seconds of radio silence to pay respect and remember the fallen—together.

The year’s honorees are highlighted in a special Tribute Video, followed by an uplifting Candlelight Ceremony that concludes the service.  The National EMS Memorial “Tree of Life” will be on display.

Bronze oak leaves are engraved with the names of fallen honorees for each year since 1993. In August 2015, the three EMS organizations named above agreed to collaborate on a shared vision and strategic plan to honor EMS heroes who have died in the line of duty.

They are continuing to move forward with efforts to establish a permanent National EMS Memorial in the greater Washington, D.C. area, an effort being led by the National EMS Memorial Foundation.

More updates on these efforts will be forthcoming. “This year, the National EMS Weekend of Honor coincides with the beginning of National EMS Week, which is May 21-27,” said Jana Williams, president of the National EMS Memorial Service. “Our nation’s capital area in Northern Virginia is a fitting location for these annual memorial events that commemorate our country’s brave men and women in the field of emergency medical services.”

Register for this year’s memorial service by clicking the button below:

Event Registration

 

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Erik P. Steciak 2016 Honoree

Erik P. SteciakErik P. Steciak

Bel Air Volunteer Fire Company
Bel Air, Maryland

Erik P. Steciak of the Bel Air Volunteer Fire Company in Bel Air, Maryland, died at the age of 29 on January 6, 2015. Erik joined the department in December 2011 and made a huge impact on the department and everyone he met. Fire and EMS service was not just a job it was his passion; helping people in any way possible was his goal.

As a Paramedic he was known to be a mentor and helped new members obtain certification. Numerous times members stated that the only reason they were able to pass was the passion and assistance they received from Erik.

Erik and his partner were dispatched to a motor vehicle crash on January 6, 2015. The hazardous road conditions made it necessary for additional units and, while assisting those units, Erik was struck by another unit and later died at Upper Chesapeake Medical Center.

Honored 2016

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David J. Schneider, Jr. 2016 honoree

David J. Schneider, Jr.David J. Schneider, Jr.

Native Air
Globe, Arizona

David Schneider’s career as a pilot spanned 25 years. He was no stranger to serving, not only his community in EMS, but his country. In the U.S. Army, he was a Warrant Officer and a special operations pilot serving multiple combat tours in the Middle East.

David was a passionate outdoorsman, and before a career in EMS, once worked as a park ranger at Yellowstone National Park — and flew chartered tours in Hawaii.

On the evening of December 15, 2015, Native Air 5, while returning to base in Globe, Arizona, Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, crashed into the Superstitions Mountains.

Honored 2016

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Tyrone Rogers 2016 Honoree

Tyrone RogersTyrone Rogers

FDNY-EMS
New York, New York

Tyrone was an EMT’s EMT. Having started his career in the New York City Emergency Medical Service, he cared for everyone he knew as if they were members of his own family especially the kids in the neighborhood. “Ty” worked on one of the busiest ambulances in the City of New York responding to more calls for help in one month than many ambulances around the country responded to in a year. When other units heard “Charlie of the 3-4” on the air they knew Ty was there to help.

Having worked in some of the meanest streets in the city, Tyrone witnessed on a first-hand basis what could happen to the younger residents of the area. This led him to help organize the first EMS Explorer Post in NYC with a small group of neighborhood kids who routinely spent time hanging out in front of his ambulance garage. The kids would follow ambulances and fire trucks to big jobs on their bicycles. Tyrone drafted other members of the station to help the kids with homework and insisted they stay in school. Many of the kids went on to enter the FDNY High School of Fire and Life Safety, earning jobs in EMS related fields, including FDNY EMS upon graduation.

On the morning of September 11, 2001, Tyrone responded to the attacks on the World Trade Center and spent many hours searching the rubble in the days following. At the time he did not know the dust he was exposed to would eventually prove fatal. As a result of this exposure, he died on March 7, 2013. Tyrone’s legacy lives on in the hundreds of children he helped throughout his life.

Honored 2016