Vern Smith, 5 others inducted as Legends of EMS
HOMESTEAD, Allegheny County — Retired emergency medical services director Vern Smith, a face familiar to thousands of Butler County residents, was one of six people across Western Pennsylvania honored at the third annual Legends of EMS event, held Thursday morning, May 7, at Pittsburgh Improv.
“This is a very humbling opportunity,” Smith said before the event. “I was very surprised when I got the notification. It’s gratifying to to be part of an elite group of individuals that have many years of service in public safety, particularly in emergency medical services.”
The Legends of EMS event is organized and sponsored by eServices Payment Technology, a Pittsburgh-based company which provides solutions for payment and donation management for emergency services. Jesse Siefert started the company in 2013, after having previously worked at Medical Rescue Team South, an EMS authority which covers Baldwin Township, Castle Shannon, Dormont, Green Tree, Mt. Lebanon and Whitehall.
“I just had a desire to recognize EMS leaders within the community that had made a significant impact and give them the opportunity to share their stories and pass on what they had learned to the next generation of EMS providers,” Siefert said.
Legends of EMS was described as a TED Talk-style event where the honorees shared stories of their professional careers, along with advice for those new to the field or considering entering the field.
In addition to Smith, the other EMS personnel honored at the event were Raymond Carlin, Jeffrey Wess, David Lindell, Edward Marasco and Stephen Wirth.
Smith’s public service began in 1970, when he joined a volunteer fire department in Butler Township.
“I don’t know what drew me to this particular fire department,” Smith said. “It had a big yellow truck. Everyone made fun of us for having this circus truck.”
By 1973, he had worked his way up to rescue captain at the department.
On New Year’s Eve that year, he responded to a three-alarm fire that ultimately caused him to change career paths.
“We go through the house and we’re searching for a person and all of a sudden ... I was about ready to go through the floor. It had burned out,” Smith said. “That experience opened my mind.”
Not long after, Smith completed an EMT program at Butler County Community College, joining Butler Ambulance Service on a part-time basis before moving to Zepfel Ambulance in Pittsburgh in 1977.
Before retiring in 2016, Smith would serve as EMS coordinator, and later administrative director for emergency services, for Butler Memorial Hospital. He would also launch the hospital’s Medic-1 paramedic unit in 1985 and make a presentation at the Emergency Management Exercise in Chennai, India, in 2011.
Smith had a history of responding to high-profile local and national disasters, such as the Saxonburg tornadoes in May 1985, 1996’s ValuJet crash in Florida, the United Flight 93 crash on Sept. 11, 2001, in Shanksville, and the 1994 crash of USAir Flight 427 in Beaver County.
Just before his retirement, he was serving as emergency services coordinator for Clarion County. In 2023, he was nominated for a Hometown Hero Award by the Butler AM Rotary Club.
For his part in the event, Smith was introduced by his son, Shawn.
“I’m lucky enough to stand here today and tell you that he has passed down to me some of his greatest attributes,” said Shawn Smith, who is a 911 dispatcher with Butler County Emergency Services. “Most importantly, he has guided me in every step of the way as I navigate my own career in emergency services. And for that, Dad, I’m forever grateful.”
Each of the six speeches highlighted the close bond shared by the Western Pennsylvania EMS community. At various points during the event, whenever one of the speakers mentioned the name of a colleague, various attendees laughed or clapped, immediately catching on to the context of what the speaker was about to say about them.
“I’d say I probably know about 90% of the people in this room,” Vern Smith said.
“It’s certainly a very close-knit community,” Siefert said. “I think there’s always been a very strong history and an opportunity for the torch to be passed down to the next generation of EMS providers.”
The six honorees in this year’s Legends of EMS class boost the total number so far to 24, as the inaugural class contained 12 members and last year’s class also featured six.
