Empress Deputy Chief of Operations Joe Bilotto was recently presented with the Harriet C. Weber EMS Leadership Award at the Dutchess County EMS Council Awards in Millbrook on May 14.
“Joe has been working with Empress Emergency Medical Services out of Poughkeepsie for years and has been with various agencies in the Hudson Valley throughout his entire career. … These decades of service have landed him in a position to help advance EMS in our region in a unique way,” said the Dutchess County EMS Council in a Facebook post.
The Harriet C. Weber EMS Leadership Award recognizes longevity, innovation/dedication, responsibility, as well as executive and management skills in establishing, maintaining, promoting or expanding EMS organizations, agencies and committees at the community and/or state level.
“I’m incredibly honored, and quite honestly, still a bit shocked to have accepted the EMS Leadership Award in Dutchess County. When I got the call, I had no idea I was even being considered,” Bilotto said.
Harriet C. Weber is credited with founding modern emergency medical services in Ulster County in the 1950s and became a champion for volunteer medical squads. She died in 2001 at age 85. She was Ulster’s first certified medical emergency technician instructor and later became an instructor for the American Red Cross’ advance first aid and emergency care course, in addition to cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
Bilotto outlined his career in the EMS field.
“I started out as a street medic in 1991 with Empress in Yonkers and since then have worked for three other companies. As a supervisor with TransCare, to a chief for Harrison EMS and a captain for EMStar, I have been honored to receive a Leadership Award and ALS Provider of the year in Westchester and Putnam counties. For 34 years, I was out on the street, providing patient care daily as a medic and a supervisor.”
Recently, his career took a different turn.
“About a year and a half ago, I transitioned into a new role as deputy chief of the North/West Divisions, which has truly been a different experience. What many don’t see is the significant amount of work that goes on behind the scenes to ensure our operations run smoothly across the five counties we serve. It’s a complex dance to make everything flow seamlessly,” Bilotto said.
He stressed the importance of surrounding yourself with exceptional people and working together.
“When you do that, your team — and, by extension, you as a leader — will always succeed. I’m so proud of our supervisor team and all our employees here at Empress. It’s been remarkable to see how well everyone, including those who joined us from the companies we’ve acquired, has come together. We’ve successfully integrated the strengths of Empress with valuable ideas and policies from other organizations, and that collaborative spirit has been key to our success.”
Overall, he said the award reflected the dedication and hard work of the team.
“This award isn’t just for me. … Because, as the saying goes, ‘Leadership is not about being the best; Leadership is about making everyone else better.’ And I am so fortunate to work with a team that truly embodies that spirit.”
