Biddeford EMS Instructor and 30-Year Paramedic Rory Putnam Dead at 54

Rory S.W. Putnam, a nationally registered paramedic who spent more than 30 years answering calls across coastal and southern Maine, died of heart disease at 54. His death leaves a measurable gap in a state already struggling to staff its ambulances.

Putnam taught Emergency Medical Services at the Biddeford Regional Center of Technology, a career and technical education school that serves roughly 500 students from eight communities. "He was a mentor who made a lasting impact on so many of our students and colleagues," Biddeford school officials said. He held credentials as an NREMT-P Instructor/Coordinator, among the highest certifications in the field, and brought genuine field experience into every classroom lesson.

His time on the midcoast directly touched the communities that Sagadahoc County's mutual aid network relies on. Putnam worked at Wiscasset EMS and the Boothbay Region Ambulance Service, agencies that operate within the same coastal Maine system that Bath and neighboring Sagadahoc towns depend on for backup coverage. He also served at Kennebunkport EMS, York Ambulance, where he continued working part-time until recently, and the U.S. Coast Guard as a civilian Paramedic Coordinator. From 1998 to 2010 he worked at American Medical Response as paramedic, dispatcher, and supervisor, and from 2002 to 2007 he served as Deputy Chief of Personnel and EMS Division at the Falmouth Fire-EMS Department.

At BRCOT, Putnam was direct about why the program mattered. "There is a tremendous need across Maine for trained personnel in the industry," he said in 2022, calling the school's program "a great way to get students interested in careers early on." That year he had 11 students in the EMT track and 11 in medical sciences, with no room for more. The state's EMS workforce shortage, which leaves rural agencies unable to staff rigs and forces providers into 80- and 100-hour weeks, gave every seat in his classroom urgency. In October 2024, BRCOT completed a $7 million expansion funded through Governor Janet Mills' Maine Jobs and Recovery Plan, adding 17,500 square feet and increasing EMS training capacity by more than 50%. Putnam had advocated for that expansion.

Beyond teaching, Putnam founded Atlantic Life Safety Services, LLC in Windham, an EMS education and consulting firm serving New England. He taught as an assistant professor at Northern Essex Community College in Lawrence, Massachusetts, held FEMA certifications in Incident Command and Emergency Response to Terrorism, published in EMS World Magazine, and spoke at national conferences including the 40th Annual Virginia EMS Symposium. He earned his Eagle Scout award as a young man in Brunswick before building a career that stretched from Cape Cod to the Maine coast.

Putnam is survived by his wife, Olida; his sister, Heather E.S. Goliber of Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida; and his brother, Brent V.W. Putnam of West Palm Beach, Florida.

A wake will be held Monday, April 13 at Potter Funeral Home, 81 Reed Road, Westport, Massachusetts. A funeral Mass follows Tuesday, April 14 at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, 1956 Main Road, Tiverton, Rhode Island.