33 GMR Team Members To Receive EMS Industry's Highest Honor
4.19.2022
"Stars of Life" honorees will be recognized by AAA in Washington, D.C. in May
Global Medical Response (GMR) announced the recipients of this year’s Stars of Life Award, which celebrates the contributions of professionals who exhibited extraordinary service to the EMS industry. The company’s 33 honorees — including three who are awarded posthumously — represent locations where GMR has operations, including Trinidad and Tobago.
They will be honored at the American Ambulance Association (AAA) Stars of Life Awards Ceremony at the Intercontinental Hotel at the Wharf in Washington, D.C. May 1-4. For more than 40 years, AAA has worked to safeguard the future of mobile healthcare through advocacy, thought leadership and education. The trade association advances sustainable EMS policy, empowering members to serve their communities with high-quality, on-demand healthcare. After a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, GMR’s 33 recipients of the industry’s highest honor are among the dozens from across the country who will be celebrated in person in Washington, D.C. They represent the ‘best of the best’ in the EMS industry.
GMR’s 2022 Stars of Life recipients are:
• Carlos Valdez Acosta-Meza, Paramedic Supervisor, San Diego County, CA
• Micheline Allaire Clement, Flight Nurse, Jacksonville, FL
• Renata Baboolal, EMT, Trinidad and Tobago
• Frank Berlanga, Paramedic, Nashville, TN
• Darla Biggerstaff, Paramedic, Waco, TX
• Lance Blythe, Flight Paramedic, Fayette County, GA
• Jeffery Boyd, Operations Supervisor, Linn County, KS
• Eric Bradshaw, Firefighter/Paramedic, Knoxville, TN
• Kyle Brule, Lead Paramedic, Stone Mountain, GA
• James Burns, EMT, Seattle, WA
• Pete Carlson, Paramedic Field Training Officer, Multnomah and Josephine counties, OR
• Jason Dau, Flight Nurse, Kotzebue AK
• Dubravka Frost, Paramedic, Contra Costa County, CA
• Michael Gibson, Flight Nurse, Salinas, CA
• Cathy Heikes, Flight Nurse, Dodge City, KS
• Kimberly Hiner, EMT, Riverside County, CA
• Brooke Holoubek, Flight Nurse, Napa, CA
• Bryanna Johnson, Base Clinical Lead/Flight Nurse, Harrisburg, IL
• Daniel MacDowell, Reserve Firefighter, Grants Pass, OR
• Cassandra Moreno, EMT, Tucson, AZ
• Nicole Piazza, Paramedic, West Hartford, CT
• Jack Rathgeber, Field Supervisor, Alamogordo, NM
• KC Robbins, Paramedic Supervisor, Macomb, IL
• Franchon Robinson, Dispatch Communications Supervisor, Jackson, MS
• Robert Sebree, Paramedic, Ventura County, CA
• Dylan Schoch, Paramedic, Prescott, AZ
• Lauren Van Damme, Fixed Wing Pilot, Greenville, SC
• Mario Vialpando, Field Training Officer, Pueblo, CO
• Lauri Wempen, Flight Paramedic, WY
• Todd Wobbe, Paramedic, Belleville, IL
Posthumous Stars of Life Recipients:
• Jacob Dindinger, EMT, Tucson, AZ
• Clifford Fontaine, AEMT, Las Vegas, NV
• William Levi, AEMT, Las Vegas, NV
“The term ‘hero’ is an understatement when recognizing these remarkable professionals, who worked long hours, sometimes putting their own safety at risk and did it all because of a deeply held belief that motivates them to care for patients in the communities they serve,” said Randy Owen, CEO of GMR. “It is a privilege to honor them for the sacrifice, skill and pursuit of excellence that each of them demonstrated, especially in the last few years.” He said during the last two years EMS professionals not only played a critical role in the battle against COVID-19, but never wavered in their response to emergencies that happen every day. He added, “GMR teams are forever grateful for the dedication of all first responders who helped communities and our country during this extreme time of need.”
They will be honored at the American Ambulance Association (AAA) Stars of Life Awards Ceremony at the Intercontinental Hotel at the Wharf in Washington, D.C. May 1-4. For more than 40 years, AAA has worked to safeguard the future of mobile healthcare through advocacy, thought leadership and education. The trade association advances sustainable EMS policy, empowering members to serve their communities with high-quality, on-demand healthcare. After a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, GMR’s 33 recipients of the industry’s highest honor are among the dozens from across the country who will be celebrated in person in Washington, D.C. They represent the ‘best of the best’ in the EMS industry.
GMR’s 2022 Stars of Life recipients are:
• Carlos Valdez Acosta-Meza, Paramedic Supervisor, San Diego County, CA
• Micheline Allaire Clement, Flight Nurse, Jacksonville, FL
• Renata Baboolal, EMT, Trinidad and Tobago
• Frank Berlanga, Paramedic, Nashville, TN
• Darla Biggerstaff, Paramedic, Waco, TX
• Lance Blythe, Flight Paramedic, Fayette County, GA
• Jeffery Boyd, Operations Supervisor, Linn County, KS
• Eric Bradshaw, Firefighter/Paramedic, Knoxville, TN
• Kyle Brule, Lead Paramedic, Stone Mountain, GA
• James Burns, EMT, Seattle, WA
• Pete Carlson, Paramedic Field Training Officer, Multnomah and Josephine counties, OR
• Jason Dau, Flight Nurse, Kotzebue AK
• Dubravka Frost, Paramedic, Contra Costa County, CA
• Michael Gibson, Flight Nurse, Salinas, CA
• Cathy Heikes, Flight Nurse, Dodge City, KS
• Kimberly Hiner, EMT, Riverside County, CA
• Brooke Holoubek, Flight Nurse, Napa, CA
• Bryanna Johnson, Base Clinical Lead/Flight Nurse, Harrisburg, IL
• Daniel MacDowell, Reserve Firefighter, Grants Pass, OR
• Cassandra Moreno, EMT, Tucson, AZ
• Nicole Piazza, Paramedic, West Hartford, CT
• Jack Rathgeber, Field Supervisor, Alamogordo, NM
• KC Robbins, Paramedic Supervisor, Macomb, IL
• Franchon Robinson, Dispatch Communications Supervisor, Jackson, MS
• Robert Sebree, Paramedic, Ventura County, CA
• Dylan Schoch, Paramedic, Prescott, AZ
• Lauren Van Damme, Fixed Wing Pilot, Greenville, SC
• Mario Vialpando, Field Training Officer, Pueblo, CO
• Lauri Wempen, Flight Paramedic, WY
• Todd Wobbe, Paramedic, Belleville, IL
Posthumous Stars of Life Recipients:
• Jacob Dindinger, EMT, Tucson, AZ
• Clifford Fontaine, AEMT, Las Vegas, NV
• William Levi, AEMT, Las Vegas, NV
“The term ‘hero’ is an understatement when recognizing these remarkable professionals, who worked long hours, sometimes putting their own safety at risk and did it all because of a deeply held belief that motivates them to care for patients in the communities they serve,” said Randy Owen, CEO of GMR. “It is a privilege to honor them for the sacrifice, skill and pursuit of excellence that each of them demonstrated, especially in the last few years.” He said during the last two years EMS professionals not only played a critical role in the battle against COVID-19, but never wavered in their response to emergencies that happen every day. He added, “GMR teams are forever grateful for the dedication of all first responders who helped communities and our country during this extreme time of need.”
