By EILENE E. GUY, American Red Cross volunteer

CANTON – The father of emergency medical technician (EMT) training got an early Father’s Day “card.”

Jack Liberator, flanked by Brittany Paxos, left and Kim Kroh, right

On May 22, Jack B. Liberator of Canton received the first-ever Lifetime Achievement Award from the State of Ohio EMS Board for his pioneering contributions to the field of EMT training in Ohio and across the nation.

The American Red Cross has played a role in Jack’s career of service from the very beginning.

As a senior in high school, Jack joined the newly-formed Canton Township Fire Department and helped organize an emergency squad. He turned to the Red Cross for first aid training and quickly became an instructor for his own and nearby departments.

“I was going to Kent (State University) to become a teacher,” he said, “but I found I like going out on the squad; I liked patient care, so I switched over to become a nurse.”

As a newly-minted registered nurse in Columbus, Jack was struck by the primitive treatment of emergency victims, who often received transportation but little or no care, until they reached the hospital doors.  So in his “spare time,” he started teaching his own specialized classes in emergency medical care to fire departments in the Columbus area.

In 1958, the State Department of Education asked Jack to draft a comprehensive course in emergency victim care and rescue procedures. His student and instructor courses – the first statewide curriculum in the nation – became the foundation of modern EMT services and were widely copied.

Meanwhile, Jack pursued a career as a nursing and hospital administrator, served in the U.S. Army Reserves for 26 years, raised a family of six children, and continued to give to his community as a paramedic, EMS instructor and volunteer firefighter.

“Jack is a great example of a lifetime of service – personally, professionally and as a volunteer,” said Kim Kroh, executive director of the Stark and Muskingum Lakes Chapter of the Red Cross. “We’re delighted that he received this state recognition. Closer to home, we’re so grateful for his continued service to our community through the Red Cross.”

Jack is an active member of the chapter’s board of directors and helps represent the Red Cross on the Stark County Emergency Management Agency board. He’s also a generous financial supporter, Kroh said.

“He truly lives our mission of mobilizing the power of volunteers and the generosity of donors, so we can help people prevent and respond to emergencies. Red Cross fits right into his life’s work.”

“If you volunteer, you’ll love it,” Jack says without hesitation.

To learn more about the many volunteer opportunities within the Red Cross – from preventing and responding to disasters to helping blood donors to serving our armed forces to teaching first aid, babysitting or water safety skills – visit https://neoredcross.org/volunteer