#MiddletownRI Fire Battalion Chief Brian DeFreitas was recognized recently as the Rhode Island "EMS Coordinator Of The Year." Heartfelt thanks to DeFreitas and all our emergency responders for putting it on the line every day.
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CONTACT: Matt Sheley at (401) 842-6543 or msheley@middletownri.com
“BEST IN THE STATE” — DEFREITAS RECOGNIZED FOR EMS WORK
MIDDLETOWN, R.I. (MAY 30, 2024) – Brian DeFreitas was recently named “EMS Coordinator Of The Year” in the State of Rhode Island.
A Battalion Chief with Middletown Fire, DeFreitas also serves as the EMS Director for the Wyatt Road based department.
He and his hard work were honored during a May 24 ceremony in the Governor’s State Reception Room of the State House in Providence by the Rhode Island Department of Health.
“Honestly, I would've never thought I'd win this award,” DeFreitas said. “I’m honored and excited to receive it, as there is certainly a lot of talent in the EMS Coordinator realm in Rhode Island.
“EMS in Rhode Island has changed dramatically in the 19 years I've been on the department. That's a credit to the hard work of Chief Jason Rhodes and his staff at the Department of Health, as well as the Ambulance Advisory Board. We went from the dark ages, to leading the country in Stroke Care and dramatic advancement of our EMS protocols.”
The husband of Sarah DeFreitas, the couple has two daughters, Cailynn and Isabella.
One of the more public faces of Middletown Fire, DeFreitas said the award wasn’t about his hard work, but more of a representation of everyone with the department.
“For me to win this award, it means they're recognizing our commitment to EMS and our residents, businesses and visitors,” DeFreitas said. “This is more of a recognition of Middletown, an award to our EMT's and Paramedics for their strong work and dedication, to (Fire) Chief (James) Peplau for his guidance and passion we share for EMS and (Town Administrator) Shawn Brown and the Town Council for providing us support on many fronts to accomplish these tasks.”
He also expressed thanks to his wife and family for their understanding and unwavering belief.
“I wouldn't be able to accomplish much without support from my colleagues and the community itself, but none of this would have been possible without my wife,” DeFreitas said. “Sarah gave up her birthday day so we could go to the award ceremony and she always pushes me to be and provide the best; as well as my parents, whom I'm blessed to have and have provided me the support to become the best Paramedic I can be.”
The fire chief Peplau said he was pleased to nominate DeFreitas for the recognition because of the effort he put into everything he does.
“Battalion Chief DeFreitas is a highly skilled prehospital clinician who is very passionate about sharing his knowledge with new and seasoned first responders as a talented EMS instructor and mentor,” Peplau said. “As the fire department EMS Coordinator, DeFreitas oversees EMS training, quality assurance, and procurement. He also maintains productive relationships with our medical control and receiving hospitals. This allows our firefighters to focus on providing the best treatment. Beyond this, DeFreitas has been positioning the department to enhance our level of care via education, certification, and equipment, and has improved local access to CPR, AEDs and Narcan.”
Asked what many people might not realize about the MFD, the local native DeFreitas was quick to respond.
“One thing the average person doesn't know about the Middletown Fire Department is the tremendous amount of work and preparation that goes on behind the scenes,” DeFreitas said. "The large events that take place in Newport, the influx of vacationers, pandemics-epidemics, beaches and more, all of these things impact Middletown significantly. From fire prevention to training and planning, marine training, EMS education, it's a tremendous amount of responsibility, and I'm always honored to stand next to all of the firefighters for their commitment to our Town and Department. We all wear many hats at the Fire Department for ultimately one goal, to be successful in every mission.”
DeFreitas thanked everyone who supported him along the way to help make him the best person — and firefighter — he can be.
“I take tremendous pride in this Department and Town,” DeFreitas said. “It's an honor to be in this career at this level, and I would just like to thank all of those who have supported me in my good times and bad, as well as the Chief Peplau for having the confidence in me to chase my passion.”
“I was born and raised in Middletown, and much of my family still lives here. My approach to my work is and has always been the same — prepare everyone to take care of my parents/family. When your drive and focus is to take care of the ones you love most, no obstacle is too large. Our expectations are that everyone gets that level of care. Middletown Fire has taken some large steps lately, with many of our EMT's becoming Paramedics (1,200 plus hours of training with the idea of bringing our ambulances to the Paramedic level), the creation of a Rescue Task Force, as well as cross training with beach lifeguards and Middletown Police Department police officers, to ensure that care is fluid between the systems.”
Document Link: https://mdl.town/Brian