Susquehanna Regional EMS Wins Prestigious NAEMT Award

WILLIAMSPORT, PA—Susquehanna Regional EMS (SREMS) has won the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians’ (NAEMT) 2025 Dick Ferneau Career EMS Service of the Year Award. The award, which was presented to SREMS by NAEMT and EMS World during NAEMT’s General Membership Meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 22, in Indianapolis, Indiana, Oct. 20-24, 2025, recognizes organizations that exemplify outstanding clinical care, innovation, and commitment to the communities they serve.

Based in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, SREMS serves a 3,000-square-mile region across four counties. It has a staff of 170 EMTs, paramedics, and staff who handle more than 20,000 calls annually with a fleet of 30 vehicles and a $10 million operating budget.

“Winning the NAEMT Dick Ferneau Award is a huge accomplishment for our staff,” said

Tony Bixby, SREMS chief and director of Prehospital Services for UPMC in North Central Pennsylvania. “Historically, when you look at this award’s winners, they tend to be from bigger cities. So, to be recognized with a smaller group of individuals in a fairly rural setting really speaks volumes to SREMS’ people, professionalism, and clinical excellence.”

SREMS’ 2025 NAEMT win comes a year after it was named Pennsylvania’s EMS Agency of the Year.

“Winning the 2025 NAEMT Award after receiving the Pennsylvania honor is a humbling experience,” said Mark Trueman, SREMS deputy chief and senior manager of Prehospital Services for UPMC in north central Pennsylvania. “It reflects all the hard work of our 170 employees, the UPMC system and the stakeholders of volunteer services. This was a collective win.”

The reasons cited by NAEMT for giving SREMS the 2025 Dick Ferneau Career EMS Service of the Year Award are numerous. They include:

• SREMS’ Quality and Excellence Team achieving continuous improvement in trauma, cardiac, and sepsis care.
• Taking part in national research such as the Department of Defense-funded Prehospital Airway Control study.
• Pioneering real-time patient tracking with the Juvare EMTrack system, used successfully during the Little League World Series, which shares its findings nationally.
• Donating more than 100 AEDs to organizations and companies locally, expanding PulsePoint alerts across three counties, and training residents in CPR, bleeding control, naloxone, and crisis intervention.

“The agency (SREMS) prioritizes workforce development through EMT and Paramedic Intern Programs, career ladders, and robust mental health support,” noted the NAEMT Award citation. “Beyond daily operations, Susquehanna Regional EMS has consistently stepped into leadership roles at the local, state, and national levels. Its leaders serve on county and regional EMS councils, the Pennsylvania Emergency Health and Services Council, the Ambulance Association of Pennsylvania Board of Directors, and the American Trauma Society’s Pennsylvania Division. The agency also co-chairs the Pennsylvania Central Region Healthcare Coalition EMS Committee and participates in the NAEMT Lighthouse Leadership Program. Its leaders serve on state and national EMS councils, co-chair healthcare coalitions, and advocate on Capitol Hill, ensuring rural voices are heard.”

“When we look back 25 years ago, our predecessors were visionary in seeing that volunteerism was failing in the area,” Bixby said. “So, they put together a hospital-based EMS system with professionals and volunteers working together in a truly cooperative way to provide this level of care. As well, we've really engaged SREMS’ staff over the years so that they feel like they're truly part of the team, rather than just coming to work and then going home. They do feel like it's a family here and that's one of the things we're most proud of.”

“It’s that sense of shared purpose,” Bixby added, “that continues to drive us forward every day.”