Goshen, N.Y. - Orange County Executive Steven M. Neuhaus proudly hosted the second annual Meritorious Service Awards reception on Wednesday, November 6th at the Graham Skea Lodge at Stony Ford Golf Course in Montgomery.
Orange County Legislator Kevin Hines also attended the event. Hines is the chairman of the Orange County Legislature’s Public Safety and Emergency Services Committee and a Commissioner with the Cornwall Fire Department.
Awards were presented in the following categories: Law Enforcement, Fire, Emergency and Military Service.
“This event provided an opportunity to honor our first responders who work hard every day to keep the County safe,” Neuhaus said. “The men and women who commit their lives to public service in this capacity don’t do it for awards or accolades which makes it even more of an honor to recognize their exemplary service. Our first responders and military personnel deserve to be commended and appreciated for making Orange County a safer place to live and work.”
The 2019 Meritorious Service Award recipients were:
Past Chief Elmer Budd, Goshen: Budd joined the Goshen Fire Department in 1959 and has served in numerous officer positions during his 60 years of membership. Budd is currently President of the Cataract Engine and Hose Company #1. He has previously served as Lieutenant, Captain, Assistant Chief and Chief of the Goshen Fire Department twice, from 1993 to 1995, and again from 2014 to 2016.
Sergeant Robert Card and Officer Patrick Kerr, Port Jervis Police Department: The duo responded to a domestic violence dispute on January 29th and were able to subdue a violent man brandishing a knife with a mother and two children inside the residence. Sergeant Card and Officer Kerr also ensured that the mom and children were removed from the home without being injured by the suspect. The suspect was charged with second-degree attempted murder, attempted assault in the first degree, criminal possession of a weapon and endangering the welfare of a child.
Wayne Chan, Monroe Volunteer Ambulance Corps: Chan has been a proud member of the Monroe Volunteer Ambulance Corps since he moved to Orange County in 1996. He has served in a variety of capacities and recently took his 3,000th call as a volunteer. Chan works closely with and mentors new Monroe Volunteer Ambulance Corps members.
Joseph Colombo, United States Military Academy: Colombo served as West Point’s Chief of Plans and Operations, Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security, from February 2005 until March 2019. A retired Army Sergeant, Colombo was responsible for all of the Academy’s public safety, working with a variety of local, County, State and Federal agencies.
Deputy Andrew Eberhardt, Orange County Sheriff’s Office: Eberhardt was honored for providing life-saving medical treatment to John McCarey, the County’s Director of Real Property Services, on Wednesday, April 3rd in the lobby of the County Executive’s Office. Eberhardt, a U.S. Army National Guard veteran who served three tours in the Middle East, performed CPR on McCarey after he collapsed due to a cardiac arrhythmia.
Officers Nicholas Eberwein and Thomas O’Connell, Town of Newburgh Police Department: The officers responded to a residence on July 29th after a report of a 68-year-old unconscious man bleeding from his leg. Working together, Eberwein and O’Connell applied a tourniquet to the wound to stop the bleeding. The man was transported to St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital in Newburgh for further treatment. It was later learned that the man was on blood thinners and a diabetic. If not for the quick actions of the officers, he may have died.
Past Chief Michael Mattausch, Cornwall Fire Department: Mattausch joined the Mountainville Engine Co. #3 in 1969 and has served in almost every administrative position, including Trustee, President. He is now the Chaplain and Secretary. Mattausch has served as Lieutenant, Captain, Assistant Chief and achieved the rank of Chief of the Cornwall Fire Department in 1981. He is an original founding member and is still an active member of the Cornwall Fire Department Rescue Team and is annually one of the top responders for his company.
Maybrook Fire Department: Honored for its response to a two-vehicle accident on Interstate 84 on July 3rd, 2019. A passenger vehicle had been rear-ended by a box truck and the driver was trapped and in critical condition. The Maybrook Fire Department in collaboration with the Mechanicstown Fire Department and other responders carefully cut the vehicle to save the trapped driver. Once freed from the vehicle, the patient reportedly went into traumatic arrest several times while being transported to Orange Regional Medical Center. The patient survived and was expected to make a full recovery. Honorable mention for their response to this incident was given to the Montgomery Fire Department, Mechanicstown Fire Department and Coldenham Fire Department.
For more information, contact Justin Rodriguez, Assistant to the County Executive for Communications and Media Relations at 845.291.3255 or jrodriguez@orangecountygov.com.
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