Squad member's tenacity cited

Kevin Toomey, holding his service award, poses with Middletown Mayor Gerard Scharfenberger. MIDDLETOWN - Township first aid and rescue squad member Kevin Toomey is the recipient of the 2008 Matt P. Henkel Memorial EMS Service Award.

The Henkel family presented the award June 19 with the help of the Middletown Township Committee and the EMS Department.

Toomey has been a squad member for two years and recently received his EMT certification.

According to a press release from the township, Toomey has an epileptic disorder that has left him prone to seizures, and has had to overcome health issues to become a member of the squad.

In fact, Toomey attained his EMT certification on the second attempt due to classroom and practical time missed because of his condition, the press release notes.

"Kevin's tenacity, determination and his desire to help others drove him to continue his pursuit of becoming an EMT," the press release states.

He completed the course in 2008 and is now a certified EMT.

"Kevin's nomination is made in the spirit of my friend Matt Henkel. Like Matt, Kevin is not letting his personal health curtail his desire to help others. Matt's crusade to be the best lives on in Kevin. And I know that Matt would have been proud to know him," wrote Middletown First Aid and Rescue Squad Capt. Bob Pfleger in Toomey's letter of nomination.

To recognize Henkel's dedication to Middletown Emergency Medical Services, the Henkel family established the Matthew P. Henkel Memorial EMS Service Award in 2006.

He was an active member of the Fairview First Aid Squad for about six years. He joined the squad on Oct. 13, 1998, and remained a member until his death on March 19, 2005, following kidney transplant surgery.

For more information about volunteering with Middletown's Emergency Medical Services, call 732-615-2252.