Price receives VFW safety award

PHILIP PRICE

BY REGGIE SHEFFIELD

Correspondent

The Pennsylvania Department of Veterans of Foreign Wars has for the first time awarded a Clifford Twp. Emergency Medical Technician its Annual Safety Award for “EMT of the Year.”

Philip Price, a volunteer with the Clifford Twp. Fire Company for over 30 years, received his award during the department’s annual convention in June in Harrisburg.

“It’s just a great honor to be picked.   We don’t usually get a pat on the back,” Price said over the roar of a tractor pull match at last week’s Harford Fair.  Price was at the Harford Fair operating a booth for the VFW.

“EMTs, we see people in the worse conditions and nobody remembers what you’ve done and they could walk in front of you today and you could have saved their life two years ago and they would never know who you were.  So they very rarely get recognized,” he explained. 

The VFW, the nation’s oldest and largest service organization for this county’s combat veterans, gives out an award for the police officer and firefighter of the year but had never before given an EMT from this area the award.  The VFW reaches its decision after considering applications submitted from around the state, explained John Getz, the department of Pennsylvania VFW Adjutant Quartermaster.

Getz said he would like to see more applicants.

“We’re out there to support all of our veterans, EMTs, firefighters, and police,” Getz said.

Price, 68, a member of VFW Post 8488, served in Vietnam in the United States Air Force before returning home to get his EMT certification and join the reserves.

Years later Price was activated for Desert Storm and Desert Shield and trained U.S. Air Force personnel for Kuwait and Afghanistan.

 “To me it’s a great honor, knowing what the VFW does for the vet.  Really I was shocked that they picked me because this is the first time that I submitted,” Price said.

Price is the father of two, has a grandchild and is expecting a granddaughter.  Price is married to Jan Price, the athletic director for the Mountain View school district.

Price, a volunteer, has logged as many as 1700 hours on ambulance in one year.

“Hey, I’m only there to help the people and there’s a lot of other people doing the same thing I do.”

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