THE CHATHAMS – Michael Lemons of the Chatham Emergency Squad was honored with an EMT Excellence Award at the 22nd annual Excellence in Emergency Medical Services awards dinner Wednesday, May 23.
Lemons was one of 17 EMS personnel from squads throughout the area recognized at the dinner. The awards are given annually by Overlook Medical Center, an affiliation of the Atlantic Health System, to a certified member of the squad whose professionalism, dedication and efforts go above and beyond the call of duty.
Lemons was selected by his peers of certified Chatham Emergency Squad members.
He served as the squad’s training officer for the past two years. In that role, he was responsible for setting the training agenda and ensuring that all members remained current on EMT practices and procedures.
He also has fostered the continuing education of the squad’s membership base and served as a CPR instructor responsible for training emergency personnel, coaches, teachers and Chatham residents with life-saving skills.
This year, he was named the squad’s first privacy official, ensuring that the squad complies with state regulations on electronic collection of patient data.
“This year, we had a strong pool of candidates from which to select, but Mike truly stood out for his service to the squad and the community,” said Joe Korkuch, captain of the Chatham squad, who presented Lemons with the award. “Mike brings a wealth of knowledge and skills in all that he does. He excels in an emergency and has gained the respect and admiration beyond the squad’s membership base to include Chatham police, fire and more. We are lucky to have him volunteer so much of his time and energy in serving the Chatham community.”
Since joining the squad in 2010, Lemons has served in many leadership roles, including vice president of building and grounds and vice president of finance.
Prior recipients of the Overlook award include Rich Crater in 2017, Tim Brown in 2016 and Jim Martin in 2015.
