NAEMT awarded the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT) Executive Director Bill Brown, Jr., its 2009 Rocco V. Morando Lifetime Achievement Award. The award was presented on October 27 during NAEMT's annual EMS awards ceremony. The event took place at NAEMT's 2009 General Membership Meeting, held in conjunction with EMS EXPO 2009 in Atlanta.

Coming to the stage during the awards ceremony believing he was presenting the award to someone else, Brown was completely surprised when NAEMT President Patrick Moore instead named Brown himself as the recipient of the award. The Rocco V. Morando Lifetime Achievement Award is named after EMS pioneer and NAEMT founder Morando, and represents great achievement in EMS. Considered NAEMT’s most prestigious honor, the award is presented by NAEMT and is sponsored by NREMT.

“ 'Lifetime Achievement in EMS’ is a title that is truly appropriate to attach to the name of Bill Brown,” NREMT Chairman of the Board Jimm Murray commented. “He has spent a professional career in the service of EMS and patients, first in direct medical care and then in devising systems of training and testing that aid the public. This is a most fitting match of a title and a person."

NAEMT President Patrick Moore told the audience at the awards ceremony that “Bill Brown is truly a visionary,” pointing out his heroic efforts as a Pararescueman (PJ) in Vietnam, his assistance of refugees from Hurricane Katrina, contributions in shaping the national EMS system and guiding the NREMT.

"A long time ago in Vietnam, I recognized my mission would be to continue the Pararescue mission — ‘That Others May Live'," Brown commented as he accepted the award. He said his purpose with the NREMT is about EMS provider competency and safety of the public, with a side goal of bettering EMS.

In comments Brown later wrote in a forum to his staff, he said in part, ”Perhaps I will never be able to say enough “thanks” to so many people who have made my life so meaningful...The NREMT is what it is today because of the teamwork we accomplish with our stakeholders, Board Members and staff. We will all only be able to pass through life one time. For those of us who have chosen the mission to help others, both directly and indirectly, life has the flavor others will never know. It is not a “one-man” mission, it is a team…”

Brown's complete biography can be found at www.nremt.org under About the NREMT/Staff Biographies.