David Taylor

The Arkansas EMS Foundation has established a scholarship fund in memory of David Taylor, Sr. who passed away suddenly on Nov. 5, 2009.

Please click here to learn more about the David Taylor, Sr. Scholarship fund.

NorthStar EMS drops off 587 cereal boxes with Today's THV's Tom Brannon

NorthStar is always looking for ways to help in the community, I was watching Today’s THV and saw the state-wide cereal drive that they sponsored with the Arkansas Food Bank Network. I came to work and during our daily shift meetings told our crews we were up for a challenge. The challenge being… get as many boxes of cereal as possible! AND have it done by June 25th. That gave us approx 10 days.  We immediately went to working on this project to feed hungry children during the summer. Each NorthStar station, Beebe, Heber and Searcy together collected 587 boxes of cereal for this worthy cause.

I am so proud of our employees who always step up and accept these challenges of helping others!  The National EMS week theme was “A Proud Partner in your Community.” We want to live by that. EMS can make a difference and it doesnt always have to be within their scope of patient care.

We are now starting to plan for our yearly project of Christmas for Kids so we can again see the smiling faces of needy children throughout the holiday season.

Robert Galligher, 2009 Star of Life Recipient

Robert Galligher, Arkansas & NREMT-Paramedic #15484, one of eleven stars of life submitted, was chosen the 2009 Arkansas Star of Life by the Arkansas Ambulance Association. He represented Arkansas at the national Stars of Life in Washington, DC in May.

Robert became a paramedic sixteen years ago, graduating from North Arkansas College in Harrison, Arkansas. He joined the Vital Link team on February 1, 2006 after a stellar 13 years at North Arkansas Medical Center EMS. Robert was soon given a chance to advance his career with an opportunity to become a Vital Link Clinical Supervisor. He eagerly accepted the challenge and the additional responsibilities at Vital Link’s Clinton base on September 1, 2006. He has devoted himself to representing Vital Link effectively and in forming working relationships with fire departments, the rescue squad, Ozark Health Medical Center and numerous other local agencies.

Robert is dedicated to EMS education and the advancement of Arkansas EMS. He serves as Vital Link’s Education Coordinator teaching annual refresher classes, as well as numerous continuous education classes. Robert is an American Heart Association Regional Faculty and participates fully in all American Heart activities.

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Donald Reed, emergency medical service director for Arkansas Methodist Medical Center

Donald Reed, Emergency Medical Service director for Arkansas Methodist Medical Center, said his interest in becoming an emergency medical technician (EMT) began as a teenager with a stint as a police explorer forwarding 911 calls to the ambulance service.

But the Florida native’s life took a different path after high school, and he worked in retail management until the mid-1990s, when he saw an ad for an EMT position.

“I always had an interest in public service,” he said. “I was already a firefighter, so I thought I’d try being an EMT.” After he completed his training, he joined Arkansas Methodist Medical Centers ambulance service as a part-time EMT in 1996. He began working full-time in 1999 as a triage paramedic in the emergency room.

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Steven Tidwell, Watson Chapel Fire Department

Watson Chapel Fire and Rescue’s Steven Tidwell doesn’t consider his blindness to be a handicap, “It’s a challenge” he says. The valedictorian of Watson Chapel High School’s class of 2002 began his fire service career in February 2004, as the department’s dispatcher. In 2005, Steven went a step further and took a 6 week 1^st responder class. With that in mind he has decided to compete in this year’s AEMTA first responder competition.

Born a mere 1.5 pounds and two months premature, his retinas were detached leaving him blind. From the time he was old enough to ride in a car and carry on a conversation, Tidwell developed a mental map of the Watson Chapel area. Continued

Air Evac EMS recently received Helicopter Association International’s (HAI) Operator Safety Award for 2008. The award recognizes the safe operation of helicopters by HAI regular members.

Air Evac EMS director of safety Dave Hardin said, “I congratulate our staff, and I appreciate the hard work and efforts of our crews in ensuring the safety of our crew members and those entrusted to our care.”

To qualify for the Operator Safety Award, a helicopter operator must have an accident rate of less than half the accident rate of the entire helicopter industry.