Postponed Maine EMS awards celebrate lifesavers, honor fallen heroes

Augusta, Maine (WABI) - The Maine Emergency Medical Services (EMS) community gathered in Augusta on Thursday for its annual awards ceremony—an event marked by a poignant blend of grief, gratitude, and hope for the future.

The ceremony was originally scheduled for May but was postponed following a series of devastating losses within the state’s first responder community.

To open the somber yet reverent event, the Maine EMS Honor Guard posted the colors, followed by a moment of remembrance for three fallen heroes: Searsmont firefighters Wayne Woodbury and Andrew Cross, who died in a silo explosion, and Warden Joshua Tibbetts, who died in a plane crash in May.

Carl French and Ron Morin, retired paramedics and founders of the Maine EMS Honor Guard, noted that rescheduling the ceremony was difficult due to the busyness of the EMS profession, but a necessary decision.

“The people in EMS are working multiple jobs to make a living. They’re underpaid,” Morin said. “They don’t have the ability to work one job and go home and expect to pay their expenses, so they work multiple jobs. When you ask them to interrupt their schedules to come and do an event like this, it is sometimes very difficult.”

Among those honored on Thursday was Rory Putnam, who was recognized for more than three decades of dedicated service to Maine EMS. His wife, Olida Arnoe, accepted the Lifetime Achievement Award posthumously on his behalf.

“I’m surrounded by love. EMS is one big community and everyone rallies together, especially to honor fellow first responders as well as support the families. It means the world to me,” Arnoe said.

Despite recent tragedies and the ongoing workforce and economic challenges facing the profession, both French and Morin expressed optimism after hearing from the newer generation of first responders.

“They gave speeches that were very motivational,” Morin said. “It’s very encouraging to see that we have a replacement.”

Full List of Maine EMS Award Recipients:

Maine EMS Joanne Lebrun Golden Eagle Award: Sylvia Hall

EMS Excellence Award: Brad Chicoine, Dennis Russell, John Cordts, Maine Medical Center EMS Division, Walter T. Reed, Danial Mayotte, Derek Booker, Joshua Stewart, Stacy Blaquire, Matthew Beil Sr.

Lifetime Achievement Award: Clifton Whitten, Debra Heath, Denise Harriman, Glen Targonski, James Tundy, Philip Ritchie, Robert Bernard, Rory Putnam (Posthumous), Susan Yurek, Milton Cone

EMS Merit Award: Andrew Thibeault, David Barton, Korey DeBoth, Nate Shore, Tanner Hoffman, Seth Hodgkins (Posthumous), Christopher Grindle, Derek Easler, Mackenzie Teed, Salina-Marie Powers, Taylor Church

Medical Director of the Year Award: Dr. Kelly Meehan-Coussee

EMS Service of the Year Award: Central Maine Highlands Fire and EMS District #1, University Volunteer Ambulance Corps.

EMS Community Partner Award: Michelle Skehan, Partnerships for Health