Jon Tierney

Jon Tierney, NR/W/CCEMT-P, FP-C, began his EMS career in 1982, while in college, in an effort to be better prepared to help others in the backcountry as he intended to work as a backcountry ranger and mountain guide. After completing a basic EMT class, he worked a few summers as an EMT in his hometown of Claremont, NH. It was there that he first worked alongside paramedics who planted a seed for EMS work that would grow into a longstanding parallel career.

A graduate of the University of Maine, Jon has a degree in Recreation and Park Management with additional studies in Education. He helped establish and then directed the University of Maine outdoor program for seventeen years. He served locally on volunteer EMS squads and rescues teams through the 80s. In 1989, Jon completed the paramedic program at Kennebec Valley Technical College. As a paramedic, he worked as a volunteer and per diem in the Bangor area over the next decade. For several summers Jon worked as a backcountry climbing ranger and paramedic for the National Park Service where he was involved in many high mountain rescues in Rocky Mountain National Park and on Mount McKinley (Denali) in Alaska.

Jon is one of a handful of internationally licensed IFMGA mountain guides in the US and has guided over 70 expeditions to high altitude peaks around the world. He is the owner of Acadia Mountain Guides and a local outdoor retail store. He instructs wilderness medicine for Wilderness Medical Associates and enjoys teaching outdoor leaders and fellow emergency providers.

Jon first became involved with LifeFlight of Maine during its inception but stepped back to pursue other goals. A serious backcountry skiing accident in 2003 left him with a whole new perspective on medical care, so when the opportunity arose again in 2009 to join LifeFlight he jumped at the chance. At LifeFlight he serves on the Safety Committee and brings a unique perspective on care in difficult and remote locations.