GLOCESTER – Two Glocester residents who work with village fire departments have received special recognized from the Rhode Island Department of Health as part of the state’s celebration of EMS Week.
EMS Captain Justin Lema of the Harmony Fire Department was named EMS Coordinator of the Year, and Lt. Lindsey Grissom, a volunteer with the Chepachet Fire Department, was named Advanced Life Support Provider of the Year.
Lema’s award was presented prior to the annual Harmony Fire District meeting by RIDOH Center of Emergency Medical Services Chief Jason Rhodes and Deputy Chief Megan Umbriano.
“Simply put: our EMS services would not be what they are without Captain Lema’s guidance, commitment, and hard work,” the district noted on social media. “Captain Lema spends countless hours furthering the training of all of our EMS providers, providing exemplary patient care to our communities, and expanding education not only to our EMS providers, but also to those across the state of Rhode Island.”
A Middletown native, Lema was among those previously acknowledged by the Glocester Town Council for saving a life on a service call in 2019.
“Captain Lema, we are thankful for your dedication and commitment to our members, our department, and our community,” noted the district.
Grissom, a volunteer with the Chepachet department since 2019, was recognized during a ceremony at the Rhode Island State House on Friday, May 26 as part of EMS Week celebrations.
A Ponaganset High School graduate who works as a medical assistant for Stillwater Primary Care as well as a a pharmacy tech for CVS, Grissom is currently a studying to become a physician assistant at Bryant University.
