Hancock Rescue Squad and Fire Department

On March 6, 2026, a Hancock, Maryland resident went into a life-threatening cardiac emergency at home, with an anterior heart attack confirmed by EKG in the field. EMTs Isaiah Neal and Mollie Barnhart, Paramedic Isaiah Hahn, and Captain Casey McKnight of the Hancock Rescue Squad, along with Hancock firefighters Ben Hoopengardner and Pat McTigue, responded rapidly and began advanced care. During transport to Meritus Medical Center in Hagerstown, the patient went into ventricular fibrillation; the crew delivered defibrillation and restored a pulse. The patient received four cardiac stents and was discharged neurologically intact — an outcome achieved by only 8 to 9 percent of cardiac arrest patients nationwide. ECC Specialist Bethani Memmert was recognized alongside the field crew. Washington County Emergency Services, its Quality Assurance Office, and Meritus Medical Center honored the entire team through the county's Cardiac Arrest Save Recognition Program.