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.

Each year Robert prepares an ambitious training schedule for Vital Link that includes CPR for community groups, bystanders, health care providers, local fire departments, and continuing education for Vital Link employees. His teaching certifications include BLS, ACLS, PALS, EMT, Paramedic, PEPP and EVOT. Robert was recently instrumental in organizing First Responder Training for a large number of volunteer firemen in our service area.

Robert is also committed to emergency response. A commitment he has made real by continuing to seek educational opportunities and by taking responsibility for acquiring all the proper preparedness certifications. Robert is ICS 100, 200, 300, 400, 700, 800 certified. These certifications were put to good use in 2008 when he served as the EMS Coordinator in Van Buren County during the days following the devastating February 5, 2008 tornado.

This past summer when Gustav and Ike rampaged across the Gulf States, Robert was deployed on August 30 through September 7, 2009 to assist with evacuations. During this deployment Robert accepted the appointment as an Arkansas Strike Team Leader, serving tirelessly and with distinction.

Just three days after his return, and with no complaint or thought for his own interests, Robert answered the call and returned to the Gulf on September 10 at the request of Arkansas public officials. Robert began the second deployment as a Strike Team Leader but was soon promoted to Arkansas Unit Leader and served in that capacity until the deployment ended on September 19th.

Despite his education, his many accomplishments, and his long service to EMS, Arkansas, and Vital Link, Robert is an unassuming, humble, person not seeking the limelight. Vital Link is proud to have him on our team.

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.

From there, he became the manager of the services base in Rector and became EMS director in October 2007.

“I feel like I was called to [working in emergency services],” he said. Everything he’s done in life has lead to this, from his time as a police explorer to his management training in the retail sector, he said.

“It’s prepared me to run the whole service,” he said, which encompasses bases in Paragould, Rector and Corning, five ambulances and 35 EMTs and paramedics. The ambulance service makes 8,000-plus responses a year, which includes public relations appearances, he said.

His first goal when he became EMS director centered around updating the ambulance fleet and its equipment.

He said the fleets capabilities are now on par with ambulance services in metro areas like Little Rock, with 12-lead electrocardiogram (EKG) monitors, continuous positive airway pressure capability and the ability to place an intravenous line into the central line in a patient’s bone when a placing a standard IV is not possible.

The next big goal is gaining the ability to transmit EKG results to the hospital electronically, he said.

“I want to leave [the profession] better than I found it,” he said.

To that end, Reed was elected May 14 to the board of directors of the Arkansas Emergency Medical Technician Association. He represents 15 counties in Northeast Arkansas for Region 2. The board helps develop rules and regulations for the profession in Arkansas, he said.

“I feel it’s an honor and privilege to serve my coworkers and colleagues in my area,” he said.” I felt humbled when I was asked to do that.”

He said the greatest part of his career is the differences we make in people’s lives. “People thank us for saving them,” he said. “And I tell them, it’s not me, its God. He uses our hands as instruments here on Earth.”

He admitted that he once thought about leaving the profession and returning to retail. He said he left for about a month.

“You feel this guilt,  you’ve been called to do this job [emergency services], and you’re not doing it. This is where I need to be.”

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. From road conversations Tidwell memorizes street names, intersections, addresses, and even whether the address is a trailer or house. Chief Tommy Holcomb says, “I think he is amazing. If you didn’t know he was blind, you would never guess it.”

“The challenge is mutual”, Assistant Chief and Medical Training Officer Dwayne Aalseth said. “He can do anything he wants to; I have to figure out how to train him. I depend on my sight for just about everything, and have to adjust to compensate for his blindness.”

“Even though I’m blind, I feel I’m just as much a part of the fire department as anyone else. I do the best I can to help the firefighters, and they do their best to help me.” With a smile and a laugh, “The only thing I don’t understand is why they haven’t let me drive the fire truck yet,” Steven said.

Aalseth goes on to say, “When I get on the scene, he gives me a great patient care turn over with the appropriate care rendered. He will do great at the competition, and I look forward to seeing him compete.”

When contacted about the competition, Region 5 director and competition coordinator Ronny Russell said, “I think it’s great he is going to compete. He will be judged the same as everyone else, and any concessions that must be made — if any — will be granted to the other teams also.”

On a side note, Steven and his wife Mandy are expecting a baby in mid-October.

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.

The first one was to help local Law Enforcement throughout White County. Due to limited funds avaliable in each department, several law enforcement officers were without bullet-proof vests, or some of those who had them were outdated. I put together a team for that project, and they met — actually exceded our goal. We waited tables at the local Pizza Pro and gathered sponsors, and we were able to furnish 30 new vests for local law enforcement!

The second project was Christmas for Kids. We again waited tables for tips, and every single employee at NorthStar EMS donated either money or toys for this cause. Together we donated over 900 toys for needy children this season!

The third project was each shift “adopted” a senior citizen for Christmas. This project varied from giving canned foods to socks, robes, Bibles, etc. We sponsored 4 seniors and what a joy it was to see their faces when we delivered the gifts!

Last, but most certainly not least, during the Thanksgiving holiday our crews pitched in canned food, and NorthStar donated the Turkey for a Thanksgiving meal for a needy family. What we discovered was that when we took the meal to them on Thanksgivng was that there was going to be a need at Christmas as well. This family was a grandmother raising her 6 grandchildren of ages ranging from 2 years old to 15 years old. The children’s parents had been sent to jail, and to keep these children from being separated the grandmother took them in. Again our crews came together and donated gifts and food. We also involved the White County Sheriff department in this project as well. We asked each child for a “want” list. To our suprise the children’s list consisted of mostly clothes and 2 toys each. It broke our hearts to see young children in that situation, as it was not their fault. The grandmother asked for a set of pots and pans to help furnish meals for her grandchildren. Together with the Sheriff’s department, we were able to furnish the entire want and need list of each child and grandmother.

I wanted to share these stories, because as you all know, we are not in this business just for patient care, but we at NorthStar EMS believe in giving back to our community. I am so proud that we had the means to help in so many different ways this holiday season for people less fortunate than ourselves. I am proud of our employees who unselfishly gave to more than just their own families. I hope many others will be touched by these stories.

NorthStar EMS team at EMS 2008 Conference in Hot Springs

From our EMS family to yours Happy Holidays!!

Tonia Hale
Operations Director
Northstar EMS

Steven Huffline (left) receives Award for Excellence.

The National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT) has named Steven Ray Huffine of Hardy, Ark., as its 2008 recipient of the Asmund S. Laerdal Award for Excellence — EMT-Paramedic of the Year. This award, which recognizes a paramedic who has made a significant contribution to the EMS community, is sponsored by Laerdal Medical Corp.

Huffine received his award at the NAEMT General Membership Meeting and Awards Presentation on October 14, 2008, in Las Vegas. Huffine is a flight paramedic with Air Evac Lifeteam in Vilonia, Ark. He has worked as
an EMS practitioner since 1988.

“Steve knows all our protocols and can always be counted on to follow those protocols to the letter,” wrote Air Evac Lifeteam Medical Director Timothy W. Collicott, MD, in his recommendation letter. “When a protocol just doesn’t cover the situation, he has an uncanny ability to work through the situation and deliver excellent patient care.” Huffine’s former EMS partner, Kenneth W. Luff II, EMT-A, stated, “If I could define
mentor, his name would be the first in mind. Steven is literally a walking, talking, interactive, perfect paramedic!”

In addition to his duties as a flight paramedic, Huffine has presented on EMS for local community groups, schools and churches.

He was recognized with the Igor Sikorsky Award for Humanitarian Service from the Helicopter Association International for helping to evacuate patients from New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina. In 2007, Huffine was named Arkansas EMT Association Paramedic of the Year.

Formed in 1975 and today nearly 25,000 members strong, NAEMT is the nation’s only organization solely dedicated to representing the professional interests of EMS practitioners, including paramedics, emergency medical technicians, first responders and other professionals working in pre-hospital emergency medicine. NAEMT members work in all sectors of EMS, including government service agencies, fire departments, hospital-based ambulance services, private companies, industrial and special operations settings, and in
the military.

Each year, NAEMT recognizes excellence in various areas of prehospital medical care with the presentation of individual and organizational achievement awards. These awards honor America’s EMS practitioners and organizations that demonstrate exceptional leadership within the profession and outstanding commitment to prehospital medical care. For more information, visit the NAEMT web site at www.naemt.org.

The NAEMT Board of Directors is responsible for the general management and oversight of the affairs of the association. Each of the members of the Board, including the officers, is elected by the active members of the association.

NAEMT members elected the officers and directors via an online election that was conducted from September 14 to 28, 2008, and the newly elected board was announced shortly after.

Serving the association in the coming year will be:

• President – Patrick F. Moore, Conway, Ark.
• President-Elect- Connie Meyer, Greeley, Kan.
• Treasurer – Richard Ellis, Warner-Robins, Ga.
• Secretary – Donald W. Walsh, Chicago, Ill.
• Immediate Past President – Jerry Johnston, Mount Pleasant, Iowa

Directors

• Jennifer Frenette (Region I), Lancaster, N.H.
• Jim Slattery (Region I), Norton, Mass.
• Don Lundy (Region II), Charleston, S.C.
• Dennis Rowe (Region II), Knoxville, Tenn.
• Aimee Binning (Region III), Pinedale, Wyo.
• Sue Jacobus (Region III), Schuyler, Neb.
• Charlene Donahue (Region IV), San Jose, Calif.
• K.C. Jones (Region IV), Harrison, Ark.
• Kenneth J. Bouvier (At-Large), Luling, La.
• Chuck Kearns (At-Large), Largo, Fla.

Formed in 1975 and today nearly 25,000 members strong, NAEMT is the nation’s only
organization solely dedicated to representing the professional interests of EMS practitioners,
including paramedics, emergency medical technicians, first responders and other
professionals working in pre-hospital emergency medicine. NAEMT members work in all
sectors of EMS, including government service agencies, fire departments, hospital-based
ambulance services, private companies, industrial and special operations settings, and in
the military. For more information, visit the NAEMT web site at www.naemt.org.

Kim Hall receives EMT of the Year Award

The National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT) has presented its 2008 Robert E. Motley EMT of the Year Award to Kim Hall, EMT-B, of Center Ridge, Ark. This award, which recognizes an EMT who has made a significant contribution to the EMS community, is sponsored by JEMS Communications.

Hall received her award at the NAEMT General Membership Meeting and Awards Presentation on October 14 in Las Vegas. Hall is the EMS training officer-elect for the Center Ridge Volunteer Fire Department.
She has been an EMS practitioner for the last five years. “Every patient is treated as if they were a part of her family,” wrote Laura Guthrie of the Arkansas EMT Association in her nomination letter. “She is easily able to relay facts to the medical professionals she interacts with each day. Due to her expansive knowledge and
ability to answer each an every question to those that she interacts with, she is quite respected within the medical community as well as the community in which she lives and works.”

“Throughout the past seven months, Conway County, Arkansas, has experienced five federal and state disaster declarations due to severe tornadoes and flooding,” wrote Brandon Baker, director of the Conway County Office of Emergency Management, in his recommendation letter. “Kim Hall has shown repeatedly, exceptional skills in lifesaving patient care during these horrific events and has never failed to provide anything less than the highest level of emergency medical care possible.”

In addition to her regular duties, Hall organized “The Brain Train” to create continuing education opportunities for EMS practitioners in her area. She conducts community outreach presentations on stroke for local senior centers and provides uncompensated refresher courses for local fire departments.

Formed in 1975 and today nearly 25,000 members strong, NAEMT is the nation’s only organization solely dedicated to representing the professional interests of EMS practitioners, including paramedics, emergency medical technicians, first responders and other professionals working in pre-hospital emergency medicine. NAEMT members work in all sectors of EMS, including government service agencies, fire departments, hospital-based ambulance services, private companies, industrial and special operations settings, and in
the military.

Each year, NAEMT recognizes excellence in various areas of prehospital medical care with the presentation of individual and organizational achievement awards. These awards honor America’s EMS practitioners and organizations that demonstrate exceptional leadership within the profession and outstanding commitment to prehospital medical care. For more information, visit the NAEMT web site at www.naemt.org.