“We Care. For Everyone.”
As the theme for the 51st annual national EMS Week, those words also reflect the Philadelphia Fire Department’s year-round mission to provide emergency medical services (EMS) across the city.
Our EMS providers – who include paramedics, emergency medical technicians (EMTs), advanced EMTs and firefighter-EMTs – offer compassionate and skilled care hundreds of times daily. Last year, the PFD responded to an average of 775 EMS incidents each day.
EMS Week (May 18-24, 2025) was a time to highlight the incredible dedication and service provided by these PFD members.
To start, Mayor Cherelle L. Parker issued a proclamation that encouraged residents “to show appreciation for the contributions of every member of the City’s EMS system throughout the year.”
We announced the EMS Providers of the Year: Paramedic Zachary Weinstein and Firefighter-EMT Mitchell Valentin, who rescued a gunshot victim at great personal risk to themselves and rendered superior care while transporting the patient to the hospital. They will be honored at a ceremony later this year at Fireman’s Hall Museum, whose board of directors bestows the award.
We also honored several members with commendations for their life-saving work. Among those being recognized:
- Paramedic Brad Woods and Paramedic Pete Gonzalez were recognized for working together to revive a patient who was in cardiac arrest.
- Paramedic Jessica Biedrzycki and Paramedic Lieutenant Kelly Maysonet, whose skilled care and interventions enabled a team of PFD members to revive a patient who had been rescued from the Delaware River.
- Paramedic Zachary Weinstein and Firefighter-EMT Christian Essenthier teamed up with other PFD members to resuscitate a child who was in cardiac arrest.
- Paramedic Joseph Onorato was honored for his role in managing advanced life support protocols for a critically ill patient – skills that earned him a compliment from the hospital physician after the patient was admitted for further care.
- Paramedic Jonathan Williams was honored for the skilled care he provided to a patient who had been badly injured in a fall. The receiving hospital’s trauma program manager and attending doctor thanked Williams for exemplary service and treatment.
- Paramedic Andrew Negron and Firefighter-EMT Christopher Coll were recognized for reviving a patient who later reached out to the Fire Department to express his gratitude.
We shared the stories of Paramedic Lieutenant JaNét Pearson and her husband, Advanced EMT Walter Pearson. Lt. Pearson was also honored for her courage and compassion by St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children, where she once received treatment as a burn victim.
In addition, the Regional EMS Office thanked our medics with swag bags, and the department held a “Meet a Medic” event at LOVE Park (picture) to connect the community with job opportunities, safety information, and our dedicated EMS providers.
