2026 Honoree Speeches

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Ray’s nearly 50-year career in healthcare, EMS, and public safety has been defined by his dedication to quality care, lifelong learning, and community-focused problem-solving.

Ray earned his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Pittsburgh in 1972. While working at St. Clair Hospital, he was drawn to the emerging field of EMS and became an EMT through the North Hills Fire Academy in 1974. He worked part-time with Wolf Ambulance in Pittsburgh’s South Hills while completing Paramedic training at Columbia Hospital under Dr. Allen Schattner. Certified that same year, he joined Mt. Lebanon Police Medical Rescue Team as one of its first nine Paramedics. By 1977, the team expanded to four suburban communities, becoming Medical/Rescue Team South, where Ray was appointed Senior Paramedic.

In 1978, he was named Executive Director and later Chief Executive Officer following restructuring in 1996, serving through 1998. His leadership produced numerous innovations, including Rescue 2 (an all-volunteer unit), a nationally recognized Police AED program, the Envelope of Life project, the Save-a-Life CPR initiative, and the Junior Paramedic and Explorer programs. He also oversaw creation of a central station and training center, developed specialty transfer and wheelchair services, guided the organization’s transition to a 501(c)(3) Municipal Authority in 1984, achieved financial independence from community tax support, and expanded service to six South Hills communities.

An advocate for professional education, Ray taught as an EMT and Paramedic Instructor at the Community College of Allegheny County, Adjunct Professor at the Center for Emergency Medicine, and Instructor-Trainer for the American Heart Association. He also served on the Boards of EMSI (now EMS West), the SouthWest Ambulance Alliance, and the Allegheny County EMS Council.

In 1998, Ray joined the Center for Emergency Medicine of Western Pennsylvania as Project Team Leader and Operations Manager for an EMS improvement initiative with the Saudi Arabia Red Crescent Society, spending nearly a year in Riyadh. From 2001 until his retirement in 2014, he worked for Medtronic Physio-Control, representing their products, and training first responders in both basic and advanced life support technologies across Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

Education, quality care, and problem-solving remain the hallmarks of his career. Ray and his wife Ruth live in Mercer County, PA, where he remains active with CC4EMS and the Fraternal Order of Grumpy Old Men. His proudest accomplishment is his 49-year marriage to Ruth and raising their two sons, Bob and Russell.

My call to public service began in 1970 when I joined the Butler Township Greenwood Village Volunteer Fire Department. As a young man, I was drawn to the responsibility and purpose of serving my community: a commitment that would shape every chapter of my life.

In 1973, I became Rescue Captain. One New Year’s Eve, a three-alarm fire with reported entrapment tested our resolve. Advancing down a smoke-filled hallway, I nearly fell through a weakened floor before our assistant chief pulled me to safety. That moment left a lasting impression about the risks we take and the narrow line between life and loss.

The experience inspired me to pursue emergency medical service. In 1974, I completed the EMT program at Butler County Community College, beginning part-time work with Butler Ambulance Service and later teaching across multiple disciplines. In 1977, I accepted a full-time position with Zepfel Ambulance in Pittsburgh, where mentor Jack Glass encouraged me to enroll in the EMT II program at Forbes Hospital. I returned to Butler Ambulance in 1978 as a full-time EMT, at a time when Butler County had no Advanced Life Support (ALS) capability.

Appointed part-time EMS Coordinator for the Butler County EMS Council in 1979, I soon transitioned to Butler Hospital as EMS Coordinator and later Administrative Director of Emergency Services. Recognizing the need for ALS, I completed paramedic training in Armstrong County, earning Paramedic II certification. In November 1985, I launched Medic-1, Butler County’s first hospital-based paramedic unit - a model later replicated regionally. I also established a paramedic education program that evolved into a hospital-based ambulance service.

After my position was eliminated in 1996, I became Director of EMS and Police Programs at Butler County Community College, mentoring the next generation of emergency responders. In 2009, I expanded into disaster response nationwide, and in 2011, I presented at the Emergency Management Exercise in Chennai, India, on trauma and disaster life support.

I later served as Clarion County 9-1-1 Coordinator before retiring in 2016. My career has been honored with multiple awards, including the Green Cross Award, the inaugural EMSI Paramedic of the Year (1990), and the 2023 Butler Rotary Hometown Hero Award. From local emergencies to national tragedies such as Flight 427, the Everglades crash, and 9/11 in Shanksville, each experience reaffirmed the privilege and responsibility of public service.

Jeff’s career in EMS spans over 50 years. It began in Monroeville when he joined the local volunteer fire department (Station #5) while in high school. He volunteered there while obtaining an associate’s degree in computer science from the Community College of Allegheny County. He obtained his EMT certification in 1975 and his Paramedic certification in 1976. After working as a computer programmer for the Allegheny County Bureau of Systems and Computer Services and, subsequently, with a pharmaceutical company, he switched careers, being hired as a Paramedic with Penn Hills EMS in 1978. He served there for 12 years attaining the rank of Supervisor.

He worked for various EMS Organizations while teaching EMT and Paramedic classes for CCAC. Throughout his career he also served as EMS Coordinator at Jefferson, Mercy, West Penn, and finally, at Forbes Hospital until his retirement in 2024. He continues to serve as an instructor for the AHN Training Center teaching all the AHA disciplines. Additionally, he has authored and presented numerous EMS education programs approved by the PA DOH.

He is also a long-time member of the Allegheny County EMS Council, was elected to the Board of Directors in 1994 and continues to function in that capacity. He served as the Chairperson of the Paramedic Coordinators Committee for over 20 years. 

He received the CCAC Public Safety Institute Meritorious Award in 1994, the Allegheny County EMS Council Outstanding Service Award in 2002 and the STAR Award from the Simulation, Teaching, and Academic Research Center at AHN in 2015.

Jeff and his wife Rose have been married for over 48 years. They have one son, Zack and 2 grandsons, Christopher and Alex.

For more than 50 years, David Lindell has dedicated his career to delivering exceptional clinical care and educating EMS providers across Pennsylvania and beyond. His work has touched countless patients and shaped thousands of emergency professionals through direct instruction and mentorship.

David began his EMS journey in 1971 as a high school senior volunteering with Plymouth Community Ambulance and became a CPR Instructor in 1975. While attending the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science, he continued running ambulance calls before transferring to the University of Pittsburgh in 1973. There, he met members of Freedom House Ambulance and began EMT training under Glenn Cannon at Monroeville 4, earning his certification in 1974. That same year, he was hired by Mitchell Brown at Freedom House.

David’s ALS career started under the mentorship of pioneers Peter Safar and Nancy Caroline at Freedom House and prepared him to join the inaugural class of Pittsburgh EMS Paramedics in 1975. His time at Pittsburgh EMS included promotions to Crew Chief and River Rescue Master Diver. During this time he also served as a Field Team Leader and later Chairman of the Allegheny Mountain Rescue Group. David became a Flight Medic for STAT MedEvac during its first year of operation and taught as a Clinical Associate at the Center for Emergency Medicine under Ron Stewart, teaching ALS content to paramedic students and healthcare providers.

In 1989, David transitioned to the Medical College of Pennsylvania, evaluating and instructing for Philadelphia Fire Department EMS under Steve Davidson while serving as a part-time medic at Fitzgerald Mercy and Riddle Memorial Hospitals. He later directed EMS training programs at Crozer Chester Medical Center and Albert Einstein Medical Center before becoming EMS Education Specialist at Brandywine Hospital and Trauma Center, where he also flew for SkyFlight and worked with Medic 93.

In 2000, David joined the University of Pittsburgh’s Emergency Medicine Program as Assistant Professor, continuing clinical work with Penn Hills and later Shaler Hampton EMS. He subsequently held leadership roles in education at TransCare PA, Mercy Hospital, and Allegheny General Hospital as EMS Program Coordinator. His academic appointments included Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor at Temple University’s Katz School of Medicine and Adjunct Instructor at Drexel University College of Medicine.

David retired from Allegheny General in 2020, concluding a distinguished career that blended service, teaching, and clinical excellence. His success, he notes, would not have been possible without the love and support of his wife, Kathy, their daughters, Sarah and Kristen, and the many friends, colleagues, and physicians who shared their knowledge along the way.

Ed began his 45+ EMS career, at age 16, as a volunteer with White Oak Rescue Squad in 1978. With the encouragement of his EMS colleagues, he completed Emergency Medical Technician training at CCAC. Following several years of service at White Oak, he joined McKeesport EMS where he went on to serve as Assistant Chief. During this time, he fell in love with Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and made the decision to pursue a career in EMS instead of attending Law School at Duquesne University. Ed attended Paramedic training at the Center for Emergency Medicine after graduation from the University of Pittsburgh.

Ed secured his first paid EMS position with American Ambulance in McKeesport. The partnership between American and the Center for Emergency Medicine, provided Mr. Marasco with the opportunity to be a part of the foundation of the STAT MedEvac Program in 1984. He worked as a part-time Communications Specialist at the STAT MedEvac Communication Center. It was there that Dr. Ron Stewart and Dr. Paul Paris, recognized his interest in EMS and education, provided him with an opportunity to serve as the Coordinator of the Office of Life Support Programs at the Center for Emergency Medicine.

After a brief time at the Center, Ed was tapped to work with Dr. Andy Peitzman as the Administrative Director of the Trauma Center at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC). That transition began a 13-year career at UPMC where he served in a variety of leadership roles including as the Clinical Administrator of Emergency and Trauma Services, and as the representative from UPMC to the STAT MedEvac Board of Directors. During this time, he began his active involvement in the AMS industry by serving on a variety of committees with the Association of Air Medical Services (AAMS). He served on the Board of the Association and spent 20+ years as faculty and a member of the Council of Regents for the Medical Transport Leadership Institute (MTLI). 

In 1998, Ed left UPMC and went to work for CJ Systems Aviation Group as the Senior Vice President of Air Medical Services. During his tenure at CJ, he ran AMS operations across 10 states and provided support to AMS providers in another dozen. During this time, he began a 20-year span of Board service that included the Pittsburgh Emergency Medicine Foundation, Jefferson Hospital, the Jefferson Regional Foundation and several hospitals of the Allegheny Health Network. In 2009, Ed transitioned to Quick Med Claims where he worked with EMS and AMS clients from Alaska to Florida, serving as the Executive Vice President of External Affairs. He also serves as Adjunct Instructor in Emergency Medicina at the University of Pittsburgh School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences.

Steve Wirth began his public safety career in 1974 at age 16 as the first junior member of the Nippenose Valley Volunteer Fire Company in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania. He became a certified EMT in 1975, gaining ambulance experience with Citizens Hose Company in Jersey Shore, and soon became one of the youngest EMT Instructors in the state. As Deputy Chief of NVVFC, he led the department to become the first designated Quick Response Service (QRS) in western Lycoming County and among the first to join the County’s new 911 system.

In 1979, Steve joined the first paramedic program at The Williamsport Hospital as its youngest member and later became a full-time instructor. As Assistant Director, he helped the program achieve national accreditation, among the first in the U.S. He also expanded training opportunities across northern Pennsylvania by organizing mobile Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) courses for rural hospitals.

By 1982, Steve served as a research consultant for Erie’s EMS system redesign, which led to the creation of EmergyCare, a partnership between three hospitals and the city. As Assistant Director, he developed a groundbreaking community membership program that became a national model and helped launch LifeStar, the region’s first air medical service. Under his leadership, EmergyCare became the first ambulance service licensed under Pennsylvania’s new EMS Act in 1990. During this time, Steve earned his Master of Science in Health Services Administration from Gannon University with distinction.

Inspired by mentors to pursue law, he graduated cum laude from Duquesne University School of Law in 1994 and began representing ambulance services, becoming one of the first attorneys to specialize in EMS law. In 1999, Steve co-founded the national EMS law firm Page, Wolfberg & Wirth (PWW) with Doug Wolfberg and Jim Page, pioneering the legal specialty of EMS Law. In 2006, PWW launched the National Academy of Ambulance Compliance (NAAC), which trains and certifies thousands of EMS professionals nationwide.

Steve’s contributions have earned him the James O. Page Leadership Award (JEMS), the NAEMT President’s Award, and the American Ambulance Association Distinguished Service Award. A longtime participant in the National EMS Memorial Bike Ride and Board member of the National EMS Memorial Service, Steve celebrated 50 years of continuous EMT/Paramedic certification in May 2025. He resides with his wife, Jill, enjoying time with their two children, five grandchildren, and their lovable golden retriever.