EMS Provider of the Year Award

 

On April 25, 2021, the Aurelius Volunteer Fire Department was dispatched by the Cayuga County 911 Center for a motor vehicle accident with the possibility of a person ejected from the vehicle. While en route, dispatch advised that the person did appear to be ejected and they were laying in the ditch yelling for help and possibly had a serious head injury. 

Aurelius VFD Firefighter Shawn DiSanto was first to arrive on the scene in his personal vehicle approximately three minutes after dispatch. Upon his arrival, DiSanto did a quick size up and immediately started to comfort and reassure the patient. 

Approximately two minutes later, Aurelius VFD EMT Tom Bingham arrived on the scene with his personal vehicle and his personal EMS bag. Upon Bingham’s arrival, he was given a quick update from DiSanto, which included significant trauma to the face and right upper extremity. Bingham quickly assessed
the patient’s airway and breathing due to the amount of facial trauma and determined that both were acceptable. Bingham then assessed the right upper extremity and determined that the limb was almost completely severed and that the patient had lost a significant amount of blood as a result. 

Bingham applied a tourniquet to the patient’s upper right extremity, effectively stopping the bleeding. AMR arrived about 15 minutes after the initial call and assisted with patient care. Once secure, the patient was removed from the ditch and loaded into AMR’s ambulance for transport to the landing zone for Medivac. 

DiSanto started his firefighting career later in life and has been a member of the Aurelius VFD for only 10 months. Bingham had only been with the Aurelius VFD for one month at the time of the incident. 

Working conditions were “typical” for field operations at 1:30 a.m. It was dark, the patient was lying in a ditch with water in it, the people that called the incident were trying to be helpful, but were very much in the way and speaking directly to the patient creating communication issues between responders and patient. 

New York State Police were conducting their investigation and trying to gain information from the patient. Despite all of this, Bingham and DiSanto demonstrated composure. Communication between the two was constant and consistent. There was no yelling for supplies, just very matter-of-fact communication between the two as to their needs. 

Post-incident communications indicated that initial care, including the early application of the tourniquet, saved the patient’s life. 

Adapted from a nomination by Aurelius VFD Fire Chief David Perkins 

Past Award Recipients

2022	Tom Bingham and Shawn Disanto	Aurelius Volunteer Fire Department
2021	Fabius Fire Department
2020	Christopher Hann and Jake Lawlor	Fairview Fire District
2019	Christopher Tracey	Brighton Volunteer Fire Co. No. 5
2018	Shane Sharkey	Southampton Volunteer Ambulance
2018	Ian King	Southampton Volunteer Ambulance
2017	Brandon Sutton	Rapids Volunteer Fire Co.
2016	Riley DeJong	Lewisboro Volunteer Ambulance Corps
2015	Andrew Melamed	Albertson Fire Company
2015	Joel Melamed	Albertson Fire Company
2014	William Street	Ulster Hose Company #5
2013	Karen L. Haab	Springs Volunteer Fire Department
2012	Kyle J. Reitan	Miller Place Fire Department EMS Corps
2011	Karen L. Rathke	Southside Fire Company
2010	Valerie White	Community Ambulance
2009	No Award Given
2008	Firefighter/EMT Mark W. Gilson	Olcott Fire Co.
2007	Firefighter James Rosse II	South Schodack Fire Department and Castleton Ambulance
2006	AEMT-CC Patrick Barriere	Keeseville Fire Department
2006	Chief Leonard Martin	Keeseville Fire Department
2006	Firefighter George Bassler	Keeseville Fire Department
2006	Firefighter Ronald Ouimette	Keeseville Fire Department