Max Thwaits III, the Essex County (New York) emergency services director, passed away September 19. Thwaits, of Au Sable Forks, was 40. He was a member of the APCO Atlantic Chapter.

A report in the Press-Republican said Thwaits started working for the county in 2007 as a public safety telecommunicator and was promoted to 9-1-1 director. He was named to the emergency services director’s job in 2021, a position he held until his death of heart failure. The newspaper said he was a U.S. Navy veteran and graduate of SUNY Empire State College with a bachelor’s degree in emergency management.

Thwaits served as Jay Volunteer Fire Department chief and as an EMT for the AuSable Forks Volunteer Ambulance Squad since 2000, according to the newspaper.

He was a U.S. Navy veteran and graduated from AuSable Valley High School and SUNY Empire State College with a bachelor’s degree in emergency management, the newspaper reported.

“Our hearts are broken,” Matthew Watts, who is acting emergency services director, told the newspaper. “Max was dedicated to public safety and serving his community and the entire Essex County. Max had great visions for this office, and we will continue to carry out those visions.”

Watts is survived by his parents and brothers.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Jay Fire Department or the Wounded Warrior Project.