News & Announcements

The Saratoga County EMS Council today announced recipients of the 2022 Saratoga County EMS Awards.  A ceremony was held September 14, 2023, at the Saratoga County Public Safety Building in Ballston Spa during a meeting of the Council.

Awards are given to emergency services personnel, affiliated with a New York State EMS Agency. Who show individual or team heroism above and beyond the ordinary call of duty.

EMS Communications Specialist of the Year: Awarded to Colin Campbell.  Colin Campbell began working as a Desk Officer in the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Department in June of 2013.  He has been responsible for dozens of cardiac arrest reversals resulting in no small part from his providing dispatcher assisted CPR.  Recently, Desk Officer Campbell took a call for a 3-month-old baby not breathing. He quickly determined that the baby was not effectively breathing and calmly and effectively walked the caller through CPR instructions. His caring and calming demeanor helped the caller stay calm and effectively provide CPR to the infant.  His dedication, responsibility, professional behavior, and special skills have saved countless lives.

Basic Life Support Provider of the Year: Awarded to Elisabeth Hildenbrandt.  Liz Hildenbrant has been an amazing asset to multiple Saratoga County EMS agencies.  She assists with QI efforts at Community Emergency Corps (Ballston Spa) and Waterford Rescue Squad where she also manages the agency Facebook page.  At Clifton Park & Halfmoon Emergency Corps, she teaches CPR and Safe Sitter courses.  Her interest in billing and reimbursement led her to become a Certified Ambulance Coder and she plans to use her skills to improve EMS reimbursement. Liz is the partner every one of us would want by our side. She has spent time advancing herself and her career opportunities, but unlike many others, it is with the hope of staying in EMS, not moving somewhere else.

Advanced Life Support Provider of the Year: Awarded to Erin Jarvis. Erin Jarvis is a Wilton Emergency Squad Paramedic, their Director of Patient Services, and a Field Training Officer.  She was the first paramedic in Upstate New York to gain certification as a Community Paramedic (CP-C) by the International Board of Specialty Certification (IBSC).  During the pandemic, Erin led the Public Health charge in her locality, vaccinating hundreds of homebound residents and multiple non-English speaking communities of farm workers in the Wilton EMS jurisdiction. Her exemplary service to her community, hard work in educating others, and every day “can do” attitude has transformed the mission and vision of her home EMS service and set an example for others.

Harriet C. Weber Leadership Award: Awarded to Nashua Alexander.  Nashua Alexander is the Chief Operating Officer of Wilton Emergency Squad, a State Fire Instructor, and a Specialty Care Transport Paramedic. He Chairs the Saratoga County EMS Council and frequently presents at Regional EMS Leadership conferences.  Nash has spearheaded an untold number of innovations, such as implementing pit crew CPR training long before the concept became well known, forming collaborative purchasing and education initiatives with neighboring EMS agencies, and introducing use of ultrasound on his ambulances. His talent for coaching and collaboration have fostered a culture in his home organization where longevity of employees is exceptional.  His organizational, motivational, and communication skills are second to none.

2023 EMS Award Recipients

The Saratoga County Peer Support Team (SCPST) was organized in November 2022 to support all Saratoga County law enforcement, fire, and EMS departments. The team, currently numbering 60 members, combines resources from multiple PSTs with clinical expertise from the Saratoga County Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services. Team members provide individual offsite meetings with department member for a “check-in and check-up” on issues of concern, with an opportunity for referral to formal counseling services if needed. Following critical incidents, the PST is available to meet with members and agency leaders for group activities targeted at protecting the resilience of each responder involved. Our team is looking to grow. We are especially interested in recruiting more fire service members.  To grow and develop the PST, the Saratoga County EMS Council will sponsor four ICISF (International Critical Incident Stress Foundation) certification courses this fall.  Click here for dates/times and registration information.PST Training 2023

Multiple EMS Agencies will participate in a County Wide Narcan Training Day on Thursday, August 31st:

Click here for a downloadable copy of this poster.

The Saratoga County EMS Council, in collaboration with the Saratoga County Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, is pleased to launch the Saratoga County Peer Support Team (SCPST) on November 1, 2022.

The newly organized team combines resources from multiple agency Peer Support Teams with clinical expertise from Saratoga County.  The unique experiences, training, education, and culture of emergency services personnel requires specialized resources.  Dr. Michael Prezioso, Commissioner, Saratoga County Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, and Assistant Professor of Psychiatry/Albany Medical College will lead the SCPST startup.

The PST will offer agency members individual offsite meetings with a peer support team member for a “check-in and check-up” on issues of concern, with opportunity for referral to formal counseling services if needed.   Members may self-refer or be referred by agency leaders.  Meetings are confidential and information will not be shared without express permission.  The PST will maintain some de-identified data, to document accomplishments of the program.

In addition to Peer Support, the SCPST offers consultation to agencies regarding mental health and addiction, case consultation in circumstances involving repeated contact with mentally ill persons in the community and education regarding topics in mental health and addiction.

Finally, for critical incidents affecting members of agencies, the PST is available to meet with members and agency leaders for group activities targeted at protecting the resilience of each responder involved.  Initially, the team can be accessed through County EMS Coordinators with the eventual plan to provide access through Communications.