For More Information Contact:
Colleen Pillus
845-486-2000
E-mail: cpillus@dutchessny.gov
The Dutchess County Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Council presented special recognitions for EMS providers, EMS agencies and local hospital staff on Wednesday night at the Union Vale Fire Department and Rescue Squad Station No. 1 in Verbank. The annual awards highlight the important role of first responders and the invaluable and critical services these men and women provide to the community. Dutchess County Public Safety Dispatcher Randi Port was named as the EMS Communications Specialist of the Year.
Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro said, “Congratulations to all of this year’s award recipients, especially our own, Randi Port. The invaluable services Ms. Port and her colleagues provide cannot be recognized often enough. We are grateful for the dedication these men and women show on a daily basis to their community and Dutchess County.”
Ms. Port was selected as EMS Communications Specialist of the Year for her handling of an incident involving a call concerning a 53-year-old who was unresponsive and not breathing. By using the training she received as an emergency medical dispatcher, she instructed a bystander over the phone on how to assess the patient and successfully provide CPR, resulting in the patient arriving at the hospital with a pulse and breathing.
Dutchess County Commissioner of Emergency Response Dana Smith said, “We are proud to celebrate the achievements of our EMS providers, agencies and hospital staff. Ms. Port joined our team in 2015 as a Public Safety Dispatcher Trainee and was promoted to Public Safety Dispatcher I in 2016. In her time with us, she has repeatedly shown a deep commitment to helping this community. It’s the dedication of individuals like Ms. Port who help us in our ongoing efforts to work alongside local agencies to deliver the best and most efficient services to Dutchess County residents in their time of need.”
This year’s recipients of the Dutchess County EMS Council Awards include:
Basic Life Support Provider of the Year - Posthumously
Michael Murphy, EMTB, Union Vale Rescue Squad
Basic Life Support Provider of the Year
Jason Ryan, EMTB, LaGrange Fire District
Advanced Life Support Provider of the Year
Nate Plambeck, EMTP, LaGrange Fire District
EMS Agency of the Year
Roosevelt Fire District – Rescue Squad
EMS Educator of Excellence
NYS Trooper Stephanie Higgins, NYS Police
EMS Communications Specialist of the Year
Randi Port, EMTP, Dutchess County Dept. of Emergency Response
Excellence in EMS Quality and Safety
Air Methods – Life Net Air 2
Registered Professional Nurse of Excellence
Lisa Walz, RN, MidHudson Regional Hospital
Physician of Excellence
Alexis Johnson, MD, MidHudson Regional Hospital
Hudson Valley Regional Emergency Medical Services Council also awarded Randi Port the EMS Communications Specialist of the Year and has forwarded her nomination to the State of New York Department of Health Bureau of Emergency Medical Services for consideration of this award on the State level.
