TRIBUTE TO LIEUTENANT GEORGE CARTER
It is impossible to put into words the sadness and loss our Boston EMS family felt about the passing of our brother George Carter. An employee for 22 years, George endeared himself to his peers and other members of the medical community with his cutting wit, his compassion and complete professionalism. George faced his terminal illness with dignity and humor and, as only George could, went out with “style”. His funeral included a flyover by helicopters, as George was a helicopter pilot. The helicopters flew over the cemetery they missing man formation, as a salute to George. As dedicated as George was to serving the public, especially those in need, he was even more adamant in his role as advisor to the “new guys” in the Department. George was an old-fashioned supervisor, making sure that all bases were covered and that lessons were taught so that mistakes were not repeated. The light of his life was his wife Elizabeth and his praise of her was endless. When George was promoted to Lieutenant he never wavered in his loyalty to all of us in uniform. He won many EMS awards, as recently as May 2000 where he accepted with a joke, as only George could. An award is being established in his name by the Boston EMS Relief Association so that George will continue to live on with us in a positive way. Rest in peace Air Two .
It was a very sad day when the Boston EMS family heard of the passing of EMT Jason Dennehey. A native of Charlestown and an employee of BEMS for 7 years, Jason was dedicated to serving the city of Boston. He worked in several districts including downtown Boston, Dorchester and Jamaica Plain. He was known for his meticulous nature. His shirts were always pressed, his boots always shined, and you could rest assured he would ask for at least one Code 17 per week to keep the ambulance in tip top shape. He almost always started a shift with a cup of Dunkin Donuts hazelnut coffee and listened keenly to the fire radio waiting to pounce on the nearest fire call. A friendly game existed between the A13 and A5 night crews to see who could offer up first for the west zone fire and actually get assigned to the call. But you always knew that in the rare event that Jason didn’t get the assignment, he would still be lurking right around the corner awaiting the call for backup.
Jason had a wonderful sense of humor and a quirky smile. He was a loving father to his daughter Korinna and spoke of her proudly. She shared her Dad’s smile. For those who didn’t know him well, he could appear gruff on the outside, but on the inside, he was a kind, caring and compassionate individual. He was a very skilled EMT and worked well in extreme situations. He had a passion for photography and spoke frequently of his intentions to enroll in photography school in the future. He was a published photographer who was in his glory when taking fire pictures either locally or on one of his many trips to NYC. It was a beautiful Fall day when Jason was laid to rest with full EMS honors. While riding to Jason’s interment in Deputy Bosse’s Command Vehicle, the fire tones rang over the radio signaling an “All Out” somewhere in the city of Boston. It was an appropriate ending. Jason would have smiled.