Dr. Michael Copass Named Mercer Island Citizen of the Year

Dr. Michael Copass, a director and co-founder of King County Medic One emergency service program and longtime Mercer Island resident, was honored as Mercer Island 2011 Citizen of the Year by Mercer Island City Council at a June 18 meeting in .

Chief Chris Tubbs introduced "Dr. C" as "a living legend" in the firefighter and EMS community in his role in establishing the Medic One program alongside fellow physician Dr. Leonard Cobb. Tubbs shared several personal anecdotes about Dr. Copass — referring to the physician's knack for showing up unexpectedly at the scene of local accidents — from their first meeting at the scene of a horrific 1982 plane crash on Mercer Island, to a Harborview Emergency Room guerney when he was injured fighting a fire.

"System we enjoy today is due to the vision and demanding nature of this man," Tubbs said. "Thanks 'doc' for your sacrifice to public service."

Seated in the audience during his introduction, Dr. Copass and his wife Lucy were flanked by a crowd of Bellevue Fire Department Medic One Paramedics — some of whom were forced to leave on an emergency call — and Bellevue Fire Chief Mike Eisner and BFD Batallion Chief Mark Moulton.

"I'm honored that the City of Mercer Island gives me such an honor," Copass said "Living in a community gives you a sense of how it values public service."

Dr. Copass, who recently moved to Seattle, currently serves as the Director of the Medic One Paramedic Training Program and the Medical Director for Seattle Medic One, according to an official King County Medic One biography. He is an attending physician in the Division of Neurology at Harborview and the University of Washington Medical Center and recently retired after 35 years as Director of Emergency Services at Harborview Medical Center. He was also a long-time Board Member and past president of the Medic One Foundation Board of Directors.