Three of the men and women honored at Wednesday's EMS Memorial - Rod Cota, Gregg Williams, and Corey Moore - employees of the RB Lawrence Ambulance Service of Canton, died in a motor vehicle accident while returning home from transporting a patient to a Syracuse hospital.
The other five members honored at Wednesday's ceremony were members of the New York City Fire Department EMS.
"It was a very touching ceremony. I was honored to pay tribute to these heroes, three of whom were from the North Country," Assemblywoman Jenne said.
She noted several family members and associates of the three St. Lawrence County men that died in the July 5, 2017 accident were in Albany as stars honoring their lives were added to the 68 markers on the EMS Memorial Wall prior to this week's event.
"I was impressed by the strength shown by their family members. They were proud to be in Albany to be able to honor their loved one," Assemblywoman Jenne said.
"It was obvious these were three good-hearted North Country men who had made many sacrifices throughout their lives to serve their friends and neighbors in need," she added.
"I was able to offer my personal condolences with family members and staff from RB Lawrence Ambulance Service. I hope the honor we gave their loved ones today will play a small role in easing the sorrow of losing their loved ones," she said.
Assemblywoman Jenne, speaking at the ceremony, noted the eight EMS providers recognized at Wednesday's event were heroes.
"In an era when sometimes the names we hear the most are those who have committed atrocious crimes, let us remember the names of real heroes from the state of New York; men and women who gave so much to help others during their lifetimes," she said before naming the eight EMS providers honored at the memorial service.
"Rod Cota, Gregg Williams, Corey Moore, Mario Bastidas, Rose Scott, Yadira Arroyo, Mark Harris, and Edith Torres."
Other speakers at the EMS Memorial ceremony included Megan Baldwin, assistant secretary for Health for Gov. Andrew Cuomo, New York State Department of Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon, New York State Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Services Commissioner Roger Parrino, New York State Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan, New York State Department of Health Deputy Executive Commissioner Sally Dreslin and New York State EMS Council Chair Patricia Bashaw.
Rev. Arthur S. Garno, victor of St. Paul's Episocopal Church, Waddington, delivered the invocation and benediction at the memorial service.
Assemblywoman Jenne noted the three RB Lawrence Ambulance Service employees recognized at the ceremony were returning back to Canton after transporting a patient to a Syracuse hospital when their vehicle struck a jackknifed tanker truck blocking both lanes of traffic on Route 81 shortly before midnight on July 5.
Mr. Cota, a critical care technician, and Mr. Williams, the driver, were headed home when their ambulance broke down. Mr. Moore, the company's mechanic, drove to the Pulaski area to bring them home. The fatal accident occurred only about five miles into the second half of their journey home.
"It was an accident that hit close to home for so many of our first responders in the North Country. They transport critically ill patients and patients with serious injuries from hospitals in St. Lawrence and Jefferson counties to major medical facilities in Burlington, Vt., and Syracuse - trips that can take three to four hours one way from some of our local hospitals in good weather - on an almost a daily basis," Assemblywoman Jenne said.
"Sadly, Mr. Cota, Mr. Williams and Mr. Moore are not the first responders from the North Country to lose their lives on one of these transports," she added.
And yet their concern had not been for their own personal safety but simply getting their patients to a hospital so they could get the health care they needed.
"Today, we remember the long-time member of the EMS service in St. Lawrence County, father of five and grandfather of 15; the man who spent five years as a member of the U.S. Navy, another 17 years in the Naval reserves, a retiree from the Department of the Corrections and Community Services and a dad who has just walked his daughter down at the aisle at her wedding; and a jack of all trades who was buried at the private airport in the Adirondacks where he had planned to marry his long-time fiancee in another month, weeks away from earning his pilot's license so he could fly his late dad's plane out of the private airport that carried their name and dad to four daughters and a son," she said, noting Mr. Moore's death struck close to home for the daughter of a mechanic.
"It is those lives we remember today as well as four first responders from the New York City Fire Department who died from illnesses related to their work in the World Trade Center rescue and recovery efforts. We also honor a Bronx EMS provider who died after she was run over by a man who had hijacked her ambulance," the assemblywoman noted.
"I bring condolences and love and respect from my colleagues in the state Assembly as well as a North Country community that watched the bravery of these men and women who responded to the scene on 9/11/2001 and in the days afterward and for a emergency medical services provider, a mom of five, who was the victim of a senseless criminal act," Assemblywoman Jenne said.
"I have had a chance to learn a little about the men and women we are honoring today, men and women whose lives ended too soon and again they are tales of courage," she pointed out.
"Every name we are honoring today has a story. You know those stories, and it is important those stories never be forgotten as we honor the brave men and women who risked their own personal safety to assist in the rescue and recovery effort," according to the assemblywoman.
"It also remains critical that we, as a state and nation, take the steps necessary to protect our first responders and their families whose lives were forever changed by their service in those days," Assemblywoman Jenne said.
IN THE PHOTOS:
TOP PHOTO:
Assemblywoman Addie A.E. Jenne greets family and friends of three St. Lawrence County men honored at Wednesday's New York State EMS Memorial Ceremony Wednesday on the Empire State Plaza in Albany. Rod Cota, Gregg Williams and Corey Moore had their names added to the Tree of Life Memorial. They were three of eight EMS providers in the state who died in the line of duty in 2018 and were added to the memorial as part of the ceremony. State Senator Patty Ritchie, shown in the background, was also on hand for the memorial event.
BOTTOM PHOTOS:
Assemblywoman Addie A.E. Jenne visits with R.B. Lawrence of Morristown and members of his staff Wednesday at the state';s EMS Memorial Ceremony on the Empire State Plaza in Albany. Three members of the R.B. Lawrence Ambulance Service died on July 5, 2017 in a motor vehicle accident on Route 81 between Syracuse and Watertown. Two of the employees were returning home from transporting a patient to a Syracuse hospital. The company's mechanic had travelled to the Pulaski area to pick them up and bring them home after the ambulance had mechanical problems on its return trip to Canton.
Assemblywoman Addie A.E. Jenne addresses the crowd at the EMS Memorial Ceremony Wednesday in Albany. The ceremony honored eight EMS providers on New York State who lost their lives in the line of duty in 2017. Ryan Greenberg, director of the state Department of Health's Bureau of EMS, noted the state's 60,000 EMS providers respond to over 3 million requests for services each year.
