FAQs About The Friends of Emergency Medical Services for Maine
Q: Are the Friends a part of Maine EMS?
A: No. The Friends are an independent organization of EMS professionals, Maine people and others who support a strong, sustainable EMS system in Maine. We always intend to work in cooperation with the State EMS office and the Maine EMS Board for the betterment of that system. We encourage those EMS leaders to firmly embrace the longtime Maine EMS maxim: facilitate first, regulate second.
Q: Is the Friends organization incorporated as a non-profit?
A: The Friends are incorporated in Maine as a charitable organization and an IRS 501(c)3 designation was reaffirmed by the Internal Revenue Service in 2023.
Q: Where did the Friends come from and who leads it?
A: The Friends organization was born out of the initiative to establish the Maine EMS Memorial and Education site which began in 2004 by former state EMS director, Kevin McGinnis, and was first completed in 2013. Later, during the second phase completion, in 2018-19, the core Memorial planning group of McGinnis, Rick Petrie, Joanne Lebrun, Benjamen Zetterman, and Nancy McGinnis, formed the Friends. Kevin McGinnis is the Board Chair, Ben Zetterman is the Vice-Chair, Rick Petrie is the Treasurer, Joanne Lebrun is the Secretary, and Nancy McGinnis is the volunteer staff director.