October, 2007

BOSTON - On Saturday, the National Association of EMTs (NAEMT) honored Boston Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Chief Richard Serino for his outstanding contributions to the EMT community. Chief Serino accepted the EMS Chief of the Year Award at the 2007 NAEMT Annual Meeting in Orlando, Florida. 

"Chief Serino has been a leader with Boston EMS throughout his tenure and this award recognizes his hard work and dedication to not only his department, but to the entire EMS community. I am proud and honored to have him lead Boston's emergency medical responders," Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino said.

Chief Serino, who began his Boston EMS career in 1973 as an EMT, has been promoted through the ranks during his 30-year tenure, assuming Boston EMS’ highest-ranking position, Chief of Department, in April 2000. 

“On behalf of the City of Boston and Boston EMS, I am honored to receive this award,” Chief Serino said. “The recognition given to Boston EMS is a testament to the EMTs and paramedics working in the field every day to save lives.” 

As New England’s largest EMS agency, Boston EMS has become a model nationwide; EMTs and paramedics respond to more than 100,000 incidents in the neighborhoods of Boston every year. Under the leadership of Chief Serino, EMS has broadened its mission from a response agency to one at the forefront of emergency preparedness. In conjunction with the US Public Health Service, Office of Emergency Preparedness, Chief Serino played a major role in defining the design, implementation, and operations of national standards for disaster and crisis response systems across the nation. In Boston, Chief Serino was instrumental in the development of the DelValle Institute of Emergency Preparedness, which provides trainings on pandemic flu, anthrax, terrorism, smallpox, and natural disasters. 

Boston EMS, a Department of the Boston Public Health Commission, also is one of the nation's oldest providers of pre-hospital care. It traces its beginnings back more than 100 years, when the Department was known as the City Hospital Ambulance Service. 

“Whether a domestic violence case, cardiac arrest, or asthma attack, Boston EMS has a unique opportunity to help victims through their crises and connect them to valuable services,” said Dr. Barbara Ferrer, executive director of the Boston Public Health Commission. “Chief Serino recognizes the critical role that Boston EMS plays in public health, instituting training and medical standards for EMTs and paramedics, helping to establish programs like File of Life, and teaching CPR to at-risk youth.” 

NAEMT is a national association of EMTs and paramedics that represents paid and volunteer EMS workers worldwide. NAEMT’s goal is to serve its members through educational programs, information services, membership benefits, effective representation, and recognition of the professionalism and dedication of the men and women who provide prehospital medical care. 

-BPHC-

FURTHER INFORMATION:
Susan Carpenter
617-534-2606