Local EMS Providers Receive Regional Honors

In order to capture the second annual 2012 Rockland County EMS Youth Competition title, the Haverstraw Ambulance Youth Corps had to treat two victims, one of an overdoes and the other who was in a plane crash.

They were only drills, but the Haverstraw Ambulance Youth Corps, named the TraumaHawks, displayed the proper procedure in rescuing the two victims and were scored better than the five other youth corps competing.

On Wednesday, the TraumaHawks were award their first place trophy for winning the competition at a ceremony to give out the Hudson Valley Regional EMS Council Regional Awards, held at Rockland County Executive C. Scott Vanderhoef’s office in New City. The Hudson Valley Regional EMS is made up of six counties: Rockland, Orange, Sullivan, Putnam, Ulster and Dutchess.

“You are our future,” he told the TraumaHawks. “We’re very, very proud of you and keep up the good work.”

Martin Morano, of the Haverstraw Ambulance Youth Corps, was also given the Youth Provider of the Year Award. Morano, 17, is a student at North Rockland High School and said it was exciting to win.

“The youth corps is about preparing members for the senior corps, which are 18 and up,” he said. “We train and compete, as well as get to ride in ambulances.”

While training and competing, the TraumaHawks also all wear red bandanas tied around their arms in honor of Welles Crowther, a Nyack High School graduate and former firefighter with Empire Hook & Ladder Co., No. 1 in Upper Nyack. Crowther died in the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11.

Crowther, who always carried a red handkerchief his father gave him, reportedly ran back into the World Trade Center multiple times to try and rescue others after the attack with the red bandana tied over his mouth.

The Haverstraw Ambulance Youth Corps will compete in a regional competition Oct. 12 at the Crowne Plaza in Suffern in a competition with 15 teams. They are also preparing to observe an open heart surgery.

The other two awards were given to Chief Steve Kaye, of Spring Hill Community Ambulance Corps, who received the Commissioners' Award, and John Scanlon, of Rockland County EMS and the Rockland County Sheriff’s Department, who was presented with the Educator of the Year Award. Scanlon also trained the TraumaHawks and other youth corps.

“He’s a member of our department for quite a few years now, but he came from the EMS family as a paramedic prior to coming to the sheriff’s office,” Rockland County Sheriff Lou Falco said of Scanlon. “He took his prior trade to work with us and he’s been nothing but a stellar officer. He’s trained not only our officer, but every police officer in Rockland County thereafter in police academy.”