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Basic Life Support EMS Professional of the Year Zachary Alvey, Ute Pass Regional Health Services District The accolades in Zach Alvey’s nomination may be the most outstanding and exceptional ever received by EMSAC. Zach Alvey is the embodiment of the highest standard that a BLS EMS professional should be. His years of dedication to patient care and the emergency medical community have proven to be unparalleled by others. His execution only surpasses his passion for the quality of his work in his performance in the field and as a trusted provider, educator, and leader. Zach has a servant’s heart for caring for the needs of others, and he has a unique ability to bring calm to an otherwise chaotic situation. Most of all, Zach takes great pride in his work, which is evidenced by his constant desire to learn new skills and provide the most advanced level of care possible in any situation that he is presented with. As a result of his innovative thinking, his attention to detail, his genuine dedication to patient care, and his ongoing commitment to excellence, Zachary Alvey is clearly setting the standard for emergency medicine in Colorado. Despite his busy full-time work schedule and being a full-time adult college student, Zach spends his off time as a qualified EMS instructor sharing his passion and developing the next generation of BLS providers. Zach's students regularly test higher than the national average. The success of his students is summed up in one quote, "I have never had an instructor like Zach." While Zach is an amazing mentor and educator, he is also a beacon of light for the community. Zach shows a helping hand to anyone who comes across his path and will always set aside his needs before others. Zach not only takes time out of his busy schedule to know his community and to listen to their needs, but he also makes changes to better the community. Zach teaches CPR first aid and BLS to the community without charge because he believes everyone should have access to this knowledge to potentially save a life. Zach has brought a new light and energy to the Ute Pass Regional Health Service District. He has been working with our local state and federal representatives to bring awareness to our legislators about the struggles of EMS in our state. This has resulted in bills passing in our state that are a boon for all EMS clinicians statewide and has helped our profession move forward in its totality. Not only has Zach been pushing our profession forward on the political front, but he is also a caring a compassionate EMS provider. This award is not merrily predicated on patient outcomes. Zach Alvey embodies what an EMT of the State of Colorado should look like. He is a powerhouse EMS professional with a knowledge base far beyond his certification. Evident by any conversation or interaction, should one have the distinct pleasure to speak with him. He genuinely believes in the field of EMS and is advancing the profession to new standards of the highest accord. He is too humble to admit that he has touched so many lives. He goes above and beyond every time. EMS Executive of the Year Buffy Witt, Hinsdale County EMS Buffy Witt is the dream of what Colorado wants in an EMS director, especially a frontier one. She took a fragile agency on the brink of collapse and resuscitated it. She is the leader that Hinsdale County EMS needed at just the time she rose to the occasion. She continues to rise to that occasion today and every day and night of the year. Buffy, as she will tell you, is a true child of Lake City, Colorado. She left her hometown in the most remote mountain town in the San Juan Mountains, for school and a career in the big city. She rose to the ranks of Denver EMS and worked the streets as a DG medic for several years. She returned with her physician husband to Lake City, the Hinsdale County seat and only incorporated community in Hinsdale County, just after their long term director, EMT instructor and only ALS provider had slipped into a needed retirement. Others tried to pick up the pieces and couldn't do what it took to keep the ambulance service alive. Buffy not only did that; she gained new volunteers where volunteering is an incredible challenge. She has inspired and led a wide range of improvements in their EMS system including pediatric preparedness, resiliency initiatives, peer counseling, a very personalized volunteer recognition program and increased financial support from the County as well as multiple grants. She has stepped into the planning and production of the San Juan Solstice Endurance Race which in turn has provided funds for her volunteer stipend program. All this while maintaining call 24/7/365 as the only responding ALS provider for a county larger than most New England States. When the EMS Sustainability Task Force went to Lake City, she was a humble and gracious host who provided a true example of what dedicated rural EMS leadership looks like while looking after the needs and interests of all her guests. She also gave a very compelling and informative report. She is a natural collaborator and serves on several boards including our Western Colorado RETAC. Her counsel and support is invaluable and her warm friendship constantly uplifting. She is an example for all good EMS leaders to emulate. She is an exemplary EMS agency director. She serves as a role model in the state. Other EMS Directors would do well to follow her lead in developing peer support teams which, not only benefit the mental health of individual responders, but build bridges, understanding and friendships between those agencies which must work together under stressful circumstances. Because the pandemic drove people from big cities into small towns, call volume doubled. In 2019 the team ran 55 calls, but in 2020 it ran 116; in 2021 we ran 131 and in 2022 the number jumped to 189. In just 4 years the team’s responsibilities nearly quadrupled. And these are all volunteers - there was no compensation for dropping paid work to help a community member or visitor. But Buffy is tackling our rural EMS shortage head-on. She has identified the problems of times when we have very thin coverage from our volunteers and taken action to ensure our community has folks to respond. She successfully recruited and has retained for three summers a seasonal paramedic to take call during Lake City’s busiest time of year. She has created, found funding for, and is successfully implementing an on-call stipend program to ensure we have coverage on weekends. And she successfully expanded paid personnel for our team to include an EMS coordinator so Buffy’s capacity can stay focused where it needs to be: budget, recruitment and retention, taking call, and providing leadership. She also has recruited a team of folks to be drivers, and there is deep strategy behind this effort - she has successfully pushed some drivers on to become EMTs. There are few people who could hold a team together under that kind of pressure. It takes incredible leadership skills, and the glue that keeps the team together has been Buy’s heart since 2020. She leads 100% by example and is willing to jump in and help a team member in any medical OR personal emergency. Her hugs and words of encouragement and care are commonplace here - but I doubt that is the case in most agencies. Her goal in her director position is to make EMS sustainable in Lake City. Buffy is a member of a dying breed. The position of EMS Director in small mountain towns must be funded to a level that will attract young residents to acquire their EMT certification, serve the community for a while to ensure that EMS is the right path for them, work with an urban agency while gaining paramedic certification and experience, and then be able to afford to return home and do what Buffy is doing now. Critical Care Paramedic of the Year Joseph Blunn, Crested Butte Fire Protection District Critical Care Paramedic Joseph Blunn is a bright, inquisitive and diligent as a critical care paramedic. Joseph is a true leader among his peers and an example of a great public servant. He developed significant technical prowess as a medic for Denver Health for 5 + years prior to joining our team at the CBFPD, and developed incredible leadership skills previously in his 23 years in the Army Reserve, reaching the rank of 1st Sergeant in the 364th Engineer Company. He deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan for 4 tours and spent nearly 49 months in total in combat. Working in a low call-volume system that gets very high acuity calls, he took his time with CBFPD to gain his CC-P, as well as a much more intimate knowledge and understanding of disease processes, and medicine as a whole. He began working part time for Gunnison Paramedics, not for extra money, but so he could have more opportunities to use his Critical Care skills during inter-facility transports. He has the technical skill, leadership, and knowledge of how and why we do what we do in the bus, but beyond all that, I have never met a person with a more genuine desire to better society. He works tirelessly both on shift and off to improve the communities that he is a part of. During the pandemic he spent his weekends volunteering at homeless shelters in Denver. He now spends his weekends working with local non-profits in Salida that help give at-risk youth a better way forward. Joseph Blunn is a leader, a mentor, and an incredible practitioner of paramedicine. He has been a supportive member of the CBFPD ensuring that we are maintaining our standards, increasing our level of service, and supporting our critical care program. He takes it upon himself to guide and mentor other fellow paramedics as well as all of our providers so that they understand why we must stay proficient and competent in our medical knowledge and treatment. Joe is not one to seek out recognition and is simply a doer. His efforts and supportiveness of humanity, his peers, our department’s mission and the communities he serves deserve such recognition. Community Paramedic of the Year Brenda Hazard, Eagle County Paramedic Services Brenda Hazard has worked for Eagle County Paramedic Services for 25 years as a paramedic and as a Community Paramedic for more than 10 years. Brenda was one of the first paramedics to join the ECPS Community Paramedic program while it was still in its infancy. Community paramedics provide a broad range of services to our population including community health screenings, chronic disease management and interventions, crisis co-response, follow-up after acute health events, and other services designed to increase health outcomes for individuals and support overall population health. Although these services are provided every day by our community paramedics, they often go overlooked. The mission of our program is to increase the health and well-being of the citizens of Eagle County by mobilizing care, addressing gaps along the healthcare continuum and connecting people to the services they need. These are the "kitchen table" issues of healthcare: Not necessarily the most exciting or expensive, but by far the most impactful in terms of an individual's overall health and the local healthcare system as a whole. Brenda provides these services with professionalism and patience, ensuring positive outcomes for what is often our most vulnerable population. We’d like to share just one tiny example of how Brenda has made a huge impact on someone's life. Brenda has been caring for one of our community members, a teenager living with a severe disability secondary to Cerebral Palsy, for several years now. Brenda provides biweekly check-ins and resources as needed to keep this patient safe at home and to support her family in caring for her. Brenda coordinates care with all of her providers and ensures that the patient has what she needs to remain healthy in the home setting, assisting when the patient is sick to get her the care she needs. The patient is non-verbal and immobile, requiring a high level of around-the-clock care that is provided by her family. Here is a testimony from the patient’s mother: "Brenda does a very good job when she is here; she is always detail oriented and never skips a step, from checking her O2 to blood pressure. She speaks very good Spanish and there is absolutely no language barrier. The most important thing is how kind she is every time she is here." Everyday heroism is hard to define, but we have seen the embodiment of heroism every day from Brenda as she serves the Community Health program at ECPS. This is a great reminder that paramedicine as a profession has so much to offer and will be integral in redefining the value of community-based healthcare delivery in our country for years to come. Thank you Brenda for your everyday heroism and support for our patients! EMS Dispatcher of the Year Meighan Powell, El Paso County Dispatch Communications Manager As the El Paso County Dispatch Communications Manager, Meg is responsible for ensuring police, fire, and EMS units receive the information they need to successfully provide emergency services to our community. The job includes managing the wants and needs of nearly 30 agencies representing urban, suburban, and rural areas of our county. Meg's success is directly attributed to the relationships and trust she builds with local agencies, and it is apparent to me that she cares about all of us and is always available to help us improve. Meg's support for the agencies is in addition to leading and supporting her own employees at the dispatch center. She manages to support all of her internal and external constituents even when their perspectives do not align. I believe that her ability to empathetically connect with people is a large part of her strength as a leader. El Paso County is blessed to have Meg as a member of its emergency services community. Meg has often asked for follow up on 911 calls that became patients at either Penrose or St Francis. She does this in order to provide information and closure and help increase the resiliency of her dispatchers. She truly cares about the outcome of the community members who find themselves in need of emergency dispatch. Meg also seeks opportunities to recognize members of the public with awards such as the 911 hero award, so that Meg and her team can provide the caller with the recognition that they deserve. The Francis Mildred Roth Women in EMS Award Jill Ridenhour When starting out in the EMS profession, I never was told that women could not completely perform the job and tasks. Jill set the example and we partnered together to provide the very best care to our patients, letting virtually nothing stand in our way. I have since learned this is not the norm and am so grateful to Jill for setting me up to believe I was fully capable. Jill has put her community first for decades. She has given up many nights of sleep, many holidays away from her family, many hours of downtime on shift that others spend relaxing and watching movies, all to ensure that her community and fellow providers are taken care of in difficult moments. To say that she goes above and beyond would be a significant understatement. I cannot emphasize that point enough. Jill is without a doubt the most caring provider I have ever worked with. She can connect with anyone — from a difficult patient to a worried family member to a grumpy fire captain and all those in between (hint: stashing mini chocolate bars in your uniform coat pocket works to overcome the grumpy fire captain at 2:00 am!). Jill taught me firsthand how to talk to patients and their families. She continues to demonstrate how to work with people — by finding a commonality and building from there. Even more so, she connects by caring about people. There's not a provider in the long history of Summit County's EMS system who could claim that Jill didn't care about them and hadn't demonstrated that caring in one way or another. She has also been a steadfast presence in the Central Mountains Region, and has impacted and positively influenced hundreds of EMS providers, and many more patients. Her unwavering commitment to the betterment of the EMS system in Summit County has been evident throughout her career. Her leadership skills have significantly impacted both her colleagues and the community. On even the hardest of days, she’s there with a hug and uplifting words of encouragement, always showing genuine concern for the well-being of those she serves and leads. Her advocacy, leadership, and passion have without a doubt contributed to the advancement of EMS in the Central Mountains and inspired generations of EMS providers. After decades in EMS, Jill remains one of the most compassionate and caring professionals I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with. She is committed and passionate about caring for both her patients, and those she leads as a supervisor. For years she has been a champion of new and future providers, most notably fiercely advocating for high school healthcare education students to find success in EMS- one of countless examples of her unyielding passion for mentorship and advocacy. Jill embodies the spirit of the Francis Mildred Roth Women in EMS Award. Her dedication to her work, her team, and her community, coupled with her innovative contributions to the field of EMS, make her an outstanding candidate for this award. Recognizing her with this award will inspire other women in EMS to strive for excellence in their roles.
Carol J. Shanaberger Award for Lifetime Achievement in EMS Recognizes an individual whose contributions to prehospital care have been consistent and long-lasting, representing in effect, a lifetime of outstanding service to the profession and the public. Honors the memory of Carol J. Shanaberger, a paramedic and an attorney, who diligently worked for many years to improve EMS in Colorado and the nation. Jeff Dyer, board president, Upper Pine River Fire Protection District, Bayfield Jeff Dyar began his career as a volunteer EMT in Brighton, Colorado in the early ‘70s. He worked his way like many others through a mix of paid and volunteer jobs, with fire departments and private ambulance companies till he got his paramedic certificate and he got to work for the old “Knife and Gun Club” system at Denver Health, then known as “D.G.” But in time, the fire service drew him back and fire based EMS is something he came to learn and master. This is why Jeff came to lead the EMS program at the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg, Maryland. His position was program chair of EMS, Firefighter Safety and Counterterrorism, a position he held for twelve years. Jeff personally responded as a command center consultant and resource person at many major disasters. This included New York City on September 11, 2001. In 2015, when the State Emergency Medical and Trauma Services Section of the Department of Public Health and Environment, initiated an educational program for Provider Resiliency, I was pleasantly surprised that joining us who were taking a train-the-trainer course in Olathe, Colorado was Jeff Dyar. The idea that you can respond to moments of crisis in the lives of people, support them through their emergency and not be affected by it, is like thinking you can run a river and never get wet. We both recognized that we had a responsibility to push our peers to accept a new culture of resiliency. That Jeff would become a leader in this effort was no surprise. Everything presented in the course and the way it was presented, he analyzed. As a cultural leader in the iconically traditional Fire Service, Jeff knew immediately how the program taught by One-Tree Learning had to be edited, how the education style needed to change and soon he was on their steering committee and leading the changes that were needed. Mental health for EMS became his new passion and for a good reason. Like the rest of us, Jeff is human. He knows firsthand how one of the most rewarding professions can also be quite painful and scarring, like his experiences at 9/11 where many of the fallen firefighters and EMS responders were not just colleagues and former students, but truly brothers and sisters. Jeff has been a mentor, counselor, confidant and role model, but mostly a good friend. There are giants among us. They are men and women on whose shoulders we have built our systems, who have brought us a vision and the encouragement to reach that vision. My friend is one such giant. Jeff Dyar has lived EMS, and like C.J. Shanaberger, he has made an indelible mark on this profession. We who are in the business of caring for others will always be better for it.
EMSAC President’s Award Presented by the president to a deserving individual or organization at the president's discretion. Silverton Medical Rescue Although individuals are a key part of the success, this year’s President’s Award goes not to an individual but to an EMS system that has faced numerous challenges and developed a system to address their highly unique community need: San Juan County covers 388 square miles (1005 sq km) of some of the most remote and dramatic terrain in the contiguous United States, of which Silverton (pop. 637) is the only incorporated town. We also boast the highest mean elevation in the country at 11,240 feet. With our incident types ranging from everyday lift-assists and cardiovascular compromises to backcountry motor vehicle accidents and alpine rescues, our personnel must be ready to respond to and manage an uncommon range of scenarios. – Silverton Medical Rescue Silverton, Colorado, sits at over 9,300 ft and is accessed only via multiple mountain passes. Due to the geography combined with the growing amount and types of recreation in San Juan County, over 40% of their calls are backcountry in nature, many with difficult access and requiring technical rescue. The nearest hospital is 55 miles away over two mountain passes. These passes cross dozens of avalanche paths; in fact, Silverton medics are required to wear avalanche beacons during ambulance trips over the passes in winter. For years, San Juan County struggled to maintain an EMS program, to fund it, to keep staff, to manage training. Their mountain rescue team suffered the same struggles. Due to highly creative and dedicated people, as well as a supportive community, they have begun to solve these problems by functionally joining the programs to address the challenges of this unique paradigm. The result has been the surprising creation of an elite organization. All of Silverton Medical Rescue’s staff are required to have both EMS and numerous technical rescue certifications. Their increased requirements have had a paradoxical effect. Instead of increasing their staffing challenges, they have attracted high caliber people. Many are also ski and climbing guides, even professional endurance athletes. This summer, Silverton Medical Rescue responded to numerous calls related to the proliferation of off-highway vehicles on the many miles of 4x4 roads in the San Juans. One of these calls had 4 critical patients needing medical care along with technical evacuation and the coordination of 4 helicopters. At the same time, as happens daily, the Durango-Silverton Narrow Guage Railroad delivered 5 full trains of tourists into their community, many from sea level, and many with preexisting health conditions. Silverton Medical Rescue is not only an example of the toughness and resiliency of mountain folk, it embodies the very spirit of EMS in which we seek unique solutions to seemingly overwhelming challenges—and build something to be truly proud of. It is my distinct honor to recognize Silverton Medical Rescue with the 2023 President’s Award.
The Valentine E. Wohlauer Award for Physician Excellence in EMS Honors the memory of Dr. Wohlauer, who directed the EMS section of the Colorado Department of Health and brought into being many of the outstanding EMS components now existing in Colorado. It is presented to a Colorado physician who has made a substantial contribution to the advancement of EMS in Colorado. Dr. Michael Mandrell After the passing of long-time medical director Dr. Kevin Weber, the Southern Colorado RETAC needed a new Medical Director. Dr. Mandrell took an immediate interest and traveled to New Mexico to take a course on EMS Medical Direction. Once he was selected, he jumped right in. Dr. Mandrell has been instrumental in getting the STEMI alert program back up and running in Pueblo County. He has been very active building on to the existing QA/QI program and has assisted in the roll out of the RAMP triage system. He is currently working to get Pulsara rolled out in the region, as well. Dr. Mandrell has redone the guideline phone app, which is available to use offline and updates itself instantly. He has been supporting the tech liaison to correct and upload all guidelines. He is helping to coordinate the new medical director group for the region. He is a committed leader for the EMS community and he has grown quickly into the many responsibilities his medical direction and has made many contributions to the agencies of the RETAC. After a difficult medical legal call, Dr. Mandrell conducted research with both lawyers and the state health department on the issues from this call. He was then able to clarify the rights of the patients and rights of patients that are not able to speak for themselves. Dr. Mandrell made it clear that he is available to help our medics with such difficult situations and who the other resources are if he was not available at the time of an incident. Dr. Mandrell puts in long hours and accepts phone call at any time day or night. He makes himself available without question. His work with the Southern Colorado RETAC Guidelines also shows his willingness to adapt to ever changing medical needs in our community. The dynamic challenges of the EMS field have only grown in the last several years and care has only improved in our area due to his diligence on all aspects of EMS. He has immersed himself in the southern Colorado Emergency Medical scene whether it has been as an emergency physician, Medical Director for the Pueblo Fire Department, or as part of the SCRETAC and Pueblo EMS Council, his willingness to lead in our medical field has been unparalleled. Dr. Michael Mandrell is a medical director that makes a difference in the emergency medical community.
Ambulance Service of the Year Honors an ambulance service that has become a leader in patient care, medical control, quality assurance, public education, public access and training and education. Ute Pass Regional Health Services District Ute Pass Regional Health Services District is a shining example of innovation in moving EMS into the future. They provide exceptional emergency care to the residents of their community. But, that is not enough. Ute Pass has taken on the huge task of developing a “one of a kind” community paramedic program that focuses on the mental health of their residents. Ute Pass Regional Health Service District has been one of the leading organizations in Colorado when it comes to out of hospital emergency medical care and 2023 has been no different. In 2023 UPRHSD has attempted to receive novel waivers for better treatment of the citizens of our district in the 911 response arena. We have enacted multiple programs to assist the community members that are aimed at addressing the top line concerns of the area citizens to include food insecurity, 24 hour mental health assistance and emergent health care at home. This is to cover a dearth of primary medical care in our response area. Our organization has even taken efforts to assist neighboring ambulance services with coverage of mental health response in order to assure that the people of the area have the mental health care that they need. The District has one of the Colorado’s oldest and longest-running Community Paramedic programs, providing health care services to marginalized populations in geographically isolated areas, including:
Many members of UPRHSD have taken it upon themselves to be proponents of EMS at a state and federal level as well. Taking time to lobby for bills and actions to our state and federal representatives to assure that EMS, the community and all first responders are well taken care of. UPRHSD is also known for its fantastic work environment and as an organization that its employees love and appreciate.
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