Stephen Koerts (left) and Jim Strenkert (right) stand with medical gear and technology of Greene EMS in 2000. (Submitted Photo)

GREENE – At 24 years old, Stephen Koerts joined the Greene Fire Department Emergency Squad. Fifty years later, at 74, he still serves Greene as the treasurer of their independent Emergency Medical Services (EMS) squad.

Koerts said he semi-retired five years ago but plans on working for the squad for as long as he is useful to them.

“In 2018, my wife thought I should give this up…But I couldn’t give it up completely,” Koerts said. “She thought I was too old to do a young man’s job…(but it) never bothered me.”

During his 50 years with the squad, Koerts has held all officer positions as a volunteer, which include 2nd Lt., 1st Lt., secretary, captain for five years, and treasurer– his current position.

As treasurer, he is in charge of billing, collections and supervising the squad’s balance sheet. Although his work is now more office-based, Koerts has responded to thousands of calls throughout his years with the squad and has seen a mix of good and bad situations, he said, many of which he responded to alongside Jim Strenkert, the CEO and current captain of Greene EMS.

Strenkert joined the squad in 1987, when Koerts was 2nd Lt. He gained his skills by watching and learning from officers like Koerts, Strenkert said, and he described Koerts’ teaching style as gentle, but effective.

“The skills and the training, and just the ease of way he talks to everybody, is the most amazing thing that I've learned over the years,” Strenkert said. “He doesn’t yell– he doesn't have to yell.”

He said Koerts is his mentor and has kept him calm and dedicated to serving the community during stressful times.

“I'll come in here and bounce off the walls and scream and holler because somebody broke something and didn't tell me, and he just kind of glides in–he’s like a Jedi, just nice and quiet,” Strenkert said.

In an instance when all county departments were participating in a parade, Koerts described a two-car accident at County Road 32, where between him and Strenkert, they treated five people.

The two had to use pry bars to extricate the people from their cars, Strenkert said, and transport the five people, some of which had broken legs, to the hospital in two ambulances driven by retired firemen who also came to help.

Strenkert said they ensured each other were okay during the situation, and as he described himself as being more high-strung, Koerts kept him in check.

For Koerts, this was just another emergency, and he was just doing the job he committed to. He said family and friends also would describe him as “calm” and said it’s in his nature to have the trait. He said he separates himself from the emergency situation to focus on responding.

“It's hard to teach somebody that– they have to have it in their blood,” Koerts said “You gotta control yourself, because it’s not your emergency.”

Koerts said he has stayed with the squad because he likes to volunteer and help people.

In 2019, former New York State Senator Fred Akshar commended Koerts for his bravery and precision in dealing with emergencies for over four decades.

“In the performance of his duties, Stephen Koerts has demonstrated his character and his compassion for the welfare of others; he is a tremendous asset to his EMS Unit and a distinguished citizen of the State and Nation,” Akshar said in a statement.

Koerts said his favorite part of his work is being able to keep people alive. Greene is a friendly, small town-atmosphere, Koerts said, and since he knows most people living in the community, he has seen some of them in emergency situations.

“We've had good experiences as far as saving people with our defibrillator that were in cardiac arrest, and we’ve had bad experiences as far as multiple victim motor vehicle accidents– it's hard to see somebody that I know,” he said.

The closest hospitals to Greene are in Binghamton and Norwich, Koerts said, both of which are about a 30-minute drive from the town.

With the closest hospitals being far in relation to swiftly responding to emergency situations, Koerts said another reason he has stayed with the squad is because of the need for the service in the town.

Although Koerts has served Greene EMS for 50 years, he has been in the medical field since high school, working at Kimber Pharmacy in Greene, Akshar said in the statement.

After high school, Koerts attended Union University’s Albany College of Pharmacy, married his wife and continued to work at Kimber Pharmacy until purchasing the store and renaming it “Koerts Pharmacy” in 1973, Akshar said.

Koerts said his uncle was a pharmacist and helped inspire his liking of the medical field. He closed his pharmacy in 1993 but still works part-time at a pharmacy in Oxford to this day.

At his department, Koerts said co-workers come to him for its history, while younger staff come to him for advice.

At this point in his life, he said in addition to his work, what matters most to him is family, going to church and enjoying dinner with friends.

Strenkert said him and Koerts used to go out for Friday night dinners. Once Koerts leaves the EMS squad, Strenkert said that talking to him is what he will miss the most.

“Knowing he's not coming in here, it’s like losing a good friend who I won’t get the chance to talk to,” Strenkert said. “It's so easy to talk to him. I'm gonna miss it, I know I am.”

Koerts said he has been married to his wife, Ruthie, for 54 years and has lived in the same Greene household for 50 years.

In his free time, he said he enjoys day trips in his car, visiting family and friends, like his 49-year-old son, and collecting coins. At 74, Koerts said he is content living in Greene, the place that has always been his home.

“I can’t run as far as I used to, but I’m comfortable and healthy,” he said.

Greene EMS has been at the forefront of advances and improving emergency medical services, Koerts said, and he was a part of the first critical care course for heart health services in 1973. Fifty years and thousands of calls later, Koerts reflected on his volunteer time with the squad and participation in the medical field.

“Everybody should give back to their community and their profession,” he said. “We just have to take care of ourselves and those around us and share our skills.”