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He was among four people recognized Wednesday, May 24, for their contributions to emergency medical services in the region.

Young showed he has developed a sense of humor, which was on display as he accepted his award.

After thunderous applause and a standing ovation, Young opened his comments with witty remarks about being a three-legged paramedic, referencing the crutch supporting him.

“I always joke, and I say, ‘Well, we get on the ambulance and we get there, and they carry me in, then they carry the patient out, then they come and carry me out,’� he said, eliciting laughs from the crowd.

The awards ceremony, hosted at the Oxford Volunteer Fire Company, drew dozens of first responders and friends to honor the four awardees.

“Today we’re really excited, and I’m really excited, because two individuals are going to be recognized right here in Talbot County,� said County Manager Clay Stamp. “It’s a big deal.�

Dr. Ted Delbridge, executive director for the Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems, shared stories and accolades for each of the recipients prior to presenting the awards.

Young, a longtime member and first responder with the Oxford Volunteer Fire Company, was recognized with the Leon W. Hayes Award for Lifetime Excellence in EMS.

“He’s an exceptionally rare 81-year-old octogenarian paramedic,� Delbridge said.

Young joined the Oxford VFC in 1963 and began his EMS career in 1966 when the company purchased its first ambulance. He was initially certified in advanced first aid, then progressed to receive EMT and cardiac rescue technician certifications before becoming a paramedic in 1990.

After receiving the cardiac rescue technician certification, Young began volunteering with the new Talbot County ALS unit, running 117 calls and logging nearly 650 on-call hours.

That same year, Young started full-time work with the Department of Defense Medical Corps, primarily at Fort Meade as a paramedic and instructor. He later earned additional certifications as a wilderness medical technician and surgical and respiratory technician.

Armed with a degree in education from Salisbury University, Young continues to teach EMS preparedness to this day.

Throughout his career, Young has traveled across the state teaching, testing, monitoring and mentoring students and instructors.

He was the first Mid-Shore advanced first aid and CPR instructor, logged 4,100 hours of instruction for the Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute and continues to serve as an instructor for the American Heart Association.

Speaking on his career, Young said it is still fun, and he still loves it.

“I love to see the faces of people that I taught out there and people that I taught with,� Young continued. “Some of my students, many of them, became nurses, physicians and other people that have served the community, so whatever I’ve done has been extended so many times.�

Jennifer Andrews

Another Talbot County paramedic shone at the EMS awards ceremony — Talbot County Emergency Services paramedic Capt. Jennifer Andrews was recognized as the Maryland EMS Clinician of the Year.

Commitment to serving the community runs in Andrews’ blood — her father is a retired Caroline County paramedic and her mother is a retired special education teacher. She began riding along on calls with her father at 14 and took EMT classes at 16, learning a lot along the way, she said.

Andrews began her career as a volunteer firefighter with the Preston Volunteer Fire Company. Now, she serves as Talbot County Department of Emergency Services’ youngest captain paramedic.

Andrews’ duties include serving as a medical logistics coordinator, county ride-along liaison and member of a training committee supporting education and career development, Delbridge said. She also assists with equipment upgrades and keeping fellow clinicians up-to-date with EMS protocols.

In addition to her job with the county, Andrews works as a part-time adjunct lab clinical instructor at Chesapeake College and as an American Heart Association instructor teaching CPR, pediatric advanced life support and advanced cardiovascular life support.

Since 2018, Andrews has served as Talbot County’s Pediatric EMS Champion, working with the state’s emergency medical services for children program.

Andrews further advanced her career in 2020 when she enrolled in Chesapeake College’s paramedic to registered nurse program. Following her graduation, she began a secondary career with Talbot Hospice assisting families through end-of-life care.

“This is amazing,� she said of receiving the award. “I never thought that I would get nominated for something like this.�

“I’m very proud of what I do, I’m proud of the department I work for, I’m proud of my shift,� Andrews added. “I put a lot of time and effort in bettering and trying to better the department any way we can, whether that’s bringing new innovations, new education, new training — I try to do as much as I can.�

Citizen Award

Rounding out the presentation were the winners of the Maryland EMS Citizen Award: Gene Dyson and Linnie Vann, who received the award for their quick response to a coworker suffering a cardiac arrest.

Working in the boiler room of Wor-Wic Community College, Dyson witnessed coworker Ronald Carey collapse. Finding Carey with no pulse, Dyson called for help and began chest compressions. Vann arrived with an AED.

Carey was taken to TidalHealth Peninsula Regional Medical Center and was later discharged, fully recovered. He was able to return to work in January.

Paramedic Daniel Webster nominated the two men for the award, noting that the AED was applied and a shock was delivered within 90 seconds of turning the device on, Delbridge said.

An addition to the ceremony was the recognition of the 35th anniversary of Caroline County Advanced Life Support, the precursor to Caroline County Department of Emergency Services.

Delbridge commended all of the honored EMS personnel, emphasizing the difficulty of the business.

“It requires a lot of ingenuity, creativity and hard work to make the system work like it does in Maryland,� he said.