The Emergency Medical Services memorial groundbreaking in Augusta on Saturday drew first responders from across Maine, according to a release.

EMS professionals honored at the groundbreaking were Joanne LeBrun, of Winthrop, the regional coordinator for Tri-County EMS in Lewiston; Sally Taylor, of Brewer, a paramedic and EMS instructor who coordinates the American Heart Association’s Northeast EMS Community Training Center; and Francis “Skip” Stewart-Dore, of Alfred.

Additional Photos

Bicyclists for the National EMS Memorial bike ride roll into the Maine EMS memorial event on Saturday near the State House in Augusta. Staff photo by Joe Phelan

About 100 bicylists began a ride from Augusta following the ceremonies, making their way to Philadelphia as part of EMS Week, the release stated.

Construction of the memorial will begin next week, according to the release. In additon to the groundbreaking, four veteran EMS personnel will be honored at the ceremonies for their contributions to emergency medical care.