Maine EMS celebrates paramedics, EMTs statewide: Honoring Excellence and Embracing Resilience
Selina Powers, paramedic at North East Mobile Health Services, and Bennett Cohen, Camden Fire Department firefighter/EMT, both receiving recognition for rendering medical care to a woman suffering a cardiac arrest at the Camden Snow Bowl during the 2026 Toboggan Festival in early February. (Photo courtesy Alex Cohen)
Rick Petrie, a founding member of Friends of EMS for Maine, commends Powers, Cohen and the firefighters and ski patrol who responded to the Toboggan Festival cardiac emergency. Petrie has been actively involved with the Maine EMS system as a paramedic and firefighter for over 40 years. 
Selina Powers, paramedic at North East Mobile Health Services, and Bennett Cohen, Camden Fire Department firefighter/EMT, both receiving recognition for rendering medical care to a woman suffering a cardiac arrest at the Camden Snow Bowl during the 2026 Toboggan Festival in early February. (Photo courtesy Alex Cohen)
Rick Petrie, a founding member of Friends of EMS for Maine, commends Powers, Cohen and the firefighters and ski patrol who responded to the Toboggan Festival cardiac emergency. Petrie has been actively involved with the Maine EMS system as a paramedic and firefighter for over 40 years.
On Aug. 28, the Friends of EMS for Maine gathered with clinicians and partners at the Maine Capitol in Augusta for a Memorial and Remembrance Ceremony, followed by awards of EMS staff around the state for their outstanding work. Among them, Paramedic Lina Powers, of Warren, and Bennett Cohen, of Camden, were recognized for their successful resuscitation efforts last February at the Camden Snow Bowl Toboggan Championships when a participant suffered cardiac arrest.
Powers, who serves with North East Mobile Health Resources and Wiscasset Ambulance Service, was also the recipient of a Maine EMS Merit Award, which honors individuals who make a profound difference through service, leadership and dedication.
Derek Booker, Waldoboro EMS Chief, received a Maine EMS Excellence Award, recognizing his outstanding leadership, dedication, and exceptional contributions to emergency medical services. And, Deborah Heath, now retired after 30 years of serving as a paramedic, leader and mentor at Belfast Fire and Ambulance Service, was recognized with a Lifetime Achievement Award, as was Denise Harriman, who serves in Stockton Springs.
The Friends of EMS for Maine hosted the annual event at the Maine EMS Memorial and Education Site, beginning at 11 a.m. with the memorial.
"Following the heartbreaking Searsmont explosion, Maine’s EMS and Fire Departments have leaned on one another, found strength in shared grief, and displayed unbreakable resolve," said Maine EMS, in advance of Thursday's ceremony. "Now more than ever, it is a time to shine a light on the incredible spirit that defines Maine’s Emergency Medical Services, Clinicians, and Partners.
"This gathering is more than a ceremony; it is an opportunity to draw strength from our collective resilience and fiercely celebrate the exceptional clinicians, agencies, and partners who dedicate themselves to caring for the residents and visitors of Maine."
At the morning event, Powers and Cohen, firefighter/EMT with the Camden Fire Department, were honored, "From Crisis to Gratitude: Honoring our Newest Heroes." Following that, Lauren Moreau, a Lewiston Regional Technical Center student, and Luke Gordon, a student at Caribou Technology Center, were recognized as part of, "Legacy in the Making: The Next Generation of EMS."
Later in the afternoon, an awards ceremony took place in the Hall of Flags in the Capitol building, honoring those, "who continue to keep the system running every day, and remember the EMS professionals who made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty. Please join us as we gather in reflection, gratitude, and remembrance."
