Retired chief of Marion and Ralls County Ambulance Districts feted at retirement party

PERRY, Mo. — After 25 years of helping others at a job he considered to be one of the most satisfying, John Nemes, former chief of the Marion and Ralls County Ambulance Districts (MCAD), decided last fall it was time to retire.

Nemes was honored March 28 at a retirement party at The Junction restaurant, earning thanks and congratulations from those in attendance. He was presented a plaque for his 25 years of service to Marion County from Dot Lake, MCAD board president, and a plaque for 25 years of service to Ralls County from Andy Wollen, RCAD board president.

His journey with the MCAD began after his 3-year-old daughter had a bad choking episode, scaring both Nemes and his wife, Sharisse.

“I decided then and there I would learn everything I could so I would never feel helpless should such a thing ever happen again,” he said, adding he had already taken a First Responders class taught by Brandon Buckman, a paramedic at MCAD at the time, but decided he wanted to learn more.

Nemes was serving as a captain for the Hannibal Rural Fire Protection District but said he was “fascinated with the opportunity to learn the medical side of public safety.”

He started doing ride-along time with Buckman, Randy and Patty Summers and Jody Jacobs with the MCAD to make sure it was what he really wanted, then started his EMT classes in the fall of 1998. He passed the program, obtained his license and then began work with the district in March 1999.

He enrolled in the paramedic program in the fall of 2000, obtained his paramedic license in August 2002 and remained active on the trucks until he was appointed to serve as interim chief in March 2011, then eventually as chief. 

Nemes said he is proud of several accomplishments, not the least of which is increasing the pay and making the benefits better for employees to be competitive with districts larger than Marion County’s. That included getting the district’s pension plan passed and put in place in 2002.

Many of Nemes’ accomplishments were an asset to the crews, including helping secure the best equipment for the trucks “so we were always on the cutting edge of medical technology, treatments and procedures,” and implementing a new policy manual.

“I’m very proud of the fact that several of the policies and procedures I wrote with attorney Frank Foster are being used at other EMS agencies across the state and even some in Illinois.,” Nemes said.

Adding crews to balance call volume and reduce crew fatigue and remodeling to make crew living quarters more comfortable and private, including new bases at New London and Perry, also are among Nemes’ accomplishments.

Nemes helped build a relationship with the University of Missouri Healthcare to bring paramedic training back to Marion County “so we could recruit and train our own future employees, plus focus on internal training to provide our employees with the continuing education they need to maintain their certifications/licensure for free.”

A further benefit to the employees was building a hierarchy within the district and getting assistant chiefs into a leadership/support role to better assist the crews.

While the employees were an important part of Nemes’ job, several accomplishments also benefited the community, including getting new medical protocols implemented to increase the level of service to the community and providing free medical standby at events where medical treatment might be needed.

Nemes implemented an AED program, which has placed more than 60 AEDs throughout Marion and Ralls counties, and brokered a deal with SSM Cardinal Glennon to have a neonatal/pediatric critical care ambulance in the area.

Nemes said interaction with the employees, community and patients is what he will miss most.

“I want to stress there is nothing more satisfying than helping others, and I’m thankful God provided me with the opportunities to do that as well as provide the outstanding team we have,” he said. “Their hard work and dedication have helped make the districts what they are today, and I strongly encourage anyone with a desire to help others to explore a career in EMS right now.

“There is no better place to be employed and serve your community.”

Nemes said his main occupation will be spending time with family, especially his grandson, as well as getting more involve in his church and community, “helping others in a different capacity.”

“I’m not one to just sit around, so you will always find me busy doing something,” he said. “I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Marion and Ralls counties, and I greatly appreciate the trust they put in me to serve as chief.”