Heather Teague has served her community for 26 years. She comes from a proud legacy of public safety as caring for fellow citizens was passed down from her father, a retired firefighter. It is clear that Heather learned from the best as she is now the most sought-after Paramedic Preceptor at Medic.
Heather is known for her knowledge and scene management skills in the field. Her nominations from co-workers describe Heather as, “approachable even on the worst days, caring, and the one that you want taking care of your loved ones.” This trust in her skill and empathy is one of the highest honors an EMS professional can have.
Mecklenburg EMS Agency is proud to recognize Heather as a 2024 Star of Life.
Mayo Clinic Ambulance Service is proud to recognize Taylor Gibson, as a Star of Life.
Since joining in 2018, Taylor has excelled as an Assistant Supervisor and Emergency Medical Dispatcher in Emergency Communications. Colleagues praise Taylor’s exceptional performance. One coworker noted, “Taylor is a true asset to Emergency Communications. His work not only exceeds standards but also significantly impacts patients, providing unparalleled support and care.”
Taylor’s supervisor, Seth Whalen, commends his broad EMS knowledge and dedication: “Taylor often goes above and beyond expectations. He’s a tremendous asset to colleagues and patients alike. His unwavering commitment to positive outcomes for patients, telecommunicators, and EMS staff is evident in all he does. The joy and satisfaction he finds in his work are both apparent and refreshing.”
Outside of work, Taylor is married to Rebecca, a Mayo Clinic nurse. They have a son and two dogs, enjoying cooking and traveling together. Banff National Park, western Montana, and Maine hold special places in their hearts.
Taylor’s stellar performance and positive impact on colleagues and patients alike make him an exemplary choice for the Star of Life recognition.
Taylor has made a positive difference in the lives of many people, and he has earned the respect and admiration of his peers and supervisors. He is a valuable member of the EMS community, and he embodies the spirit and purpose of this award.
Samantha joined Acadian Ambulance in 2021 and has been a hardworking team member since. She currently works in Bexar County out of our Schertz station. She is always ready to help out with any task, whether it is cleaning the offices, checking the units, or assisting someone in need. She is skilled and knowledgeable, and someone her team trusts and respects. In early 2024, she graduated from Acadian’s National EMS Academy Paramedic program and is now working as a Paramedic.
Samantha faced many hardships and traumatic experiences throughout her childhood. She found stability and guidance in her grandmother, who served as a pastor and chaplain for the San Antonio Fire Department. It was through her grandmother’s influence that Samantha developed a strong interest in EMS.
She survived a severe car accident when she was 17 years old, where she suffered an aortic dissection, a fractured wrist, and broken ankles.
Through it all, she has remained a positive person and it shows in the work she does. Samantha brightens the halls with her laughter and smile, and she collaborates well with her peers and leadership. In early 2024, she was the recipient of the President’s Performance Award.
Samantha is a mother of six, so she knows how to handle any challenge with efficiency and grace. Samantha said, “Acadian has helped me become a great person and medic. When I come to work, I forget about everything else and just focus on the job at hand. I love helping others, my partner, and new students, as well as meeting new people.”
Mark Dressel is a dedicated Emergency Medical Technician with Hunter’s Ambulance who has distinguished himself within the broader Hartford HealthCare EMS Network.
Known for his unparalleled commitment to EMS, Mark is consistently the first to volunteer for additional shifts and offer his assistance, embodying the very spirit of teamwork that is so essential in mobile healthcare.
Beyond his work ethic, what truly sets Mark apart is his exemplary bedside manner. Patients feel at ease under his care, a sentiment echoed by their families and affirmed by numerous commendations. Moreover, his colleagues hold him in high regard, a testament to the great rapport he has fostered within the team.
In recognizing Mark with the Star of Life Award, we honor not just his technical proficiency, but the warmth and camaraderie he brings to every interaction.
Jason Burn’s exemplary service helped save the life of a patient who was critically injured during a hike and, as a result of injuries sustained, suffered cardiac arrest.
The incident happened in mid-May 2022, when Jason and Flight Nurse Jesse Mascarenas risked their own safety to help the patient who fell 200 feet down a mountain slope in cold and rainy weather. Jason and Jesse were able to stabilize the patient until he could be flown to the nearest Level I trauma center.
While the patient lost one leg the next day, the individual made excellent progress in regaining his neurological function. Today, thanks to the intervention provided by Jason and Jesse, the patient is working towards a full recovery, even exercising on a prosthetic leg.
Paramedic John “Bearpaw” Rossmiller has been serving the Great Falls community as an EMS responder for over twelve years. He is admired for his clinical excellence, compassionate care, leadership, and sense of humor.
John is married to Willow who is a Family Mental Health Therapist; they have three children and love traveling around the state playing hockey.
Rossmiller is being honored as a Star of Life for his selfless and unflagging service over the years as well as the support and encouragement he always supplies to his EMS colleagues.
John Rossmiller is being honored by the Montana Ambulance Association as the 2023 Montana Star of Life.
What started as a quick lunch for Daniel Yandell and his partner turned into a heartfelt and perhaps lifesaving encounter with a fellow restaurant patron. Daniel and his partner were waiting for their food inside a fast-food restaurant when a man approached them, telling them he was experiencing mental health challenges and suicidal ideation. Daniel sat and talked with the individual, listening, empathizing, and eventually trying to connect the person with resources that could assist.
The dialogue between Daniel and the individual proved to be extremely effective, so much so that the person would go on to request ambulance transport to a hospital for further help. The kindness and empathy that Daniel and his partner showed the patient changed his mind about ending his life and guided him to get help instead.
Daniel and his partner saved a life, over lunch, by simply listening.
When Category 5 Hurricane Ian hit the Atlantic Coast, Danny Workman was one of the first to volunteer for deployment as part of a four-person neonatal team. Previously deployed three times, Danny knew what a valuable service this team would provide.
The neonatal teams’ mission was to provide rotor-wing EMS to newborns in the area impacted by the hurricane. Danny and his team helped lead the transport of many neonates who would otherwise have had limited options during this national disaster.
As one of the first helicopters to land at the area children’s hospital, the teams set off a chain of evacuation flights that would last nearly two days.
For the next 48 hours, the neonatal team worked tirelessly to help safely transport patients from impacted communities to NICUs throughout the state.
A critical thinker who knows how to act fast, Riley Wolfe’s intuition and EMS skills saved multiple lives while on a late-night shift when he and his crew came upon a traffic collision on the freeway.
The crash involved a driver who was trapped and unconscious in a car that was on fire and rapidly spreading. Riley, his student, and his partner quickly made entry to the vehicle. Fortunately, the crew and patient were able to escape harm as the car exploded. The crew then triaged the other passengers in the vehicles and simultaneously treated their patient, who they rapidly moved away from the blaze and into the back of the ambulance.
Riley remained calm and directed the additional resources to the other vehicles involved and told them the best place to stage to ensure everyone’s safety. Once additional AMR resources arrived, Riley and his team transported their patient to the local trauma center before any other public safety resources arrived on scene. Thanks to Riley’s dedication and skill, the patient ultimately survived.
On an evening in late November 2022, Bill Weber and his partner made a discovery that would eventually result in Bill rescuing multiple people from a fire.
It happened when the two EMS professionals were returning from a long-distance transfer. That is when they noticed a strong orange glow around the community of Desert Hills. When the two went to investigate, they realized they were the first ones on-scene of a multiple-vehicle fire that was adjacent to a mobile home park, which was also beginning to catch on fire.
As Bill, a former firefighter, exited the ambulance, several people stated there were occupants in the mobile home who were trapped. Knowing he had little time to act, Bill entered and found multiple occupants still inside. He directed everyone to exit the structure, but two elderly residents were unable to move quickly enough to escape in time. Bill then took the first patient in a firefighter’s carry and moved them out to the street. He then reentered and did the same with the second patient.
Bill’s swift actions ensured all four occupants were out of the structure and unharmed. He then assumed medical command and coordinated with the incoming ambulances to provide care.
Michael Taboniar is passionate about providing quality EMS to the Kaua’i community, a service he’s done for the past 28 years. Born and raised on this small island, Michael has taken a personal approach to ensuring that his “home” has the resources and personnel to ensure residents get the mobile healthcare they need when they need it.
A lecturer and assistant instructor in EMS at Kapi’olani Community College, Michael is enthusiastic about promoting the EMS profession through education. This past year, he taught a class of 20 new EMTs and led advanced courses for other EMS professionals. He was also instrumental in creating a community training center on the Kaua’i Community College campus where all active AMR providers can gain hands-on training on new tools and devices.
An EMS advocate who cares deeply about his community’s well-being, Michael is an avid volunteer who has often served as a standby EMS presence at local sporting events. He also spearheaded mock crash exercises to promote safe driving among high school students.
When the time to provide care at a moment’s notice came on a day in April 2022, Rob Spencer sprang into action. The call involved a young child, who had been riding on a mower when he was run over by the very vehicle he had been riding. Rob arrived to find this child still under the mower with horrific injuries. The injuries were so severe that Rob was forced to make a decision that could have drastic consequences for this young boy.
By the time the child was freed from the mower, an air ambulance was hovering overhead. Rob continued to treat and stabilize the child as the aircraft made its way to the designated landing zone.
Unfortunately, there was an issue that resulted in the grounding of the air ambulance. Rob then made the tough decision to make the lengthy transport with the unstable child by ground.
Through expert and rapid assessment and treatment, the child made it safely to the local children’s hospital. The young man had to endure multiple surgeries but was able to recover and return to a near-normal childhood.
Brad Sparks’ commitment to safety is credited for averting a possibly unfavorable situation.
During what was supposed to be a routine flight returning to base, Brad alerted the pilot that he was well below the established minimums for the instrument approach, which resulted in the pilot performing a go-around procedure and climbing out of the clouds. After the pilot initiated the procedure, he successfully landed the aircraft at a nearby airport.
As the base safety representative, Brad was able to quickly identify the issue, make a recommendation and save the crew from a potentially bad outcome.
During a mountain rescue call, Jay Shintaku responded to an emergency where a person had been thrown from a horse and suffered a severe, uncontrolled head bleed after hitting a rock.
Upon arriving at the scene via the sheriff’s department’s helicopter, Jay quickly began administering treatment and realized the severity of the patient’s condition. He convinced the pilot to fly directly to the trauma center due to the urgent nature of the situation. The patient was at risk of bleeding out and had multiple fractured vertebrae, making any delay in transport or transfer of helicopters potentially fatal.
Thanks to Jay’s swift and persuasive action, the patient received timely medical attention and survived the ordeal, with the hope of one day riding horses again.
When a premature baby, born at 27 weeks’ gestation, was in respiratory distress, Dakota Shadwell’s expertise and training on the Bubble CPAP helped save the infant’s life.
It happened when Dakota and his partner, Kelly Hamill, were called to help a patient who had been taken to a local emergency department in a rural area that did not specialize in obstetric or neonatal care.
Once there, Dakota and Kelly delivered excellent patient care to not just one, but two patients—the mother and her baby—until additional specialty help arrived. The baby, who weighed just two pounds, would go on to receive additional care from a ground pediatric specialty team while Dakota and Kelly transported the mother by air to another regional health facility.
Hiram Sanchez demonstrated extraordinary courage and skill during a routine call that turned out to be anything but, on a night in mid-December 2022.
While en route during a patient transfer, Hiram came upon a traffic collision involving three cars; no other emergency vehicles were on scene. Hiram quickly identified four patients, one who was unconscious and gasping for breath. Hiram then immediately grabbed the airway equipment bag and returned to provide patient ventilation.
San Mateo County communications were alerted, and additional resources were requested. Approximately two minutes later, Hiram returned to the ambulance to obtain the fire extinguisher because one of the victims was trapped in a car while the car adjacent was on fire. Hiram then positioned himself on the passenger side of the vehicle, closest to the fire, and used his body as a shield to protect the patient and a citizen who offered to help. The patient was quickly pulled from the car and away from danger.
Hiram’s management of this scene ensured the safety of the victims and bystanders and directly resulted in the patient being freed from the vehicle, likely saving their life. Hiram has also been nominated for a California EMSA EMS Medal of Valor for his heroic actions during this response.
Putting others above himself, Randall Roberson’s commitment to serving his community was on full display when historic flooding ravaged Eastern Kentucky.
On one evening in late July 2022, Randall was on duty as flood waters began rising. It quickly became clear to him that it was no longer safe for his family to remain in their home. Randall’s supervisor approached him and told him he should probably go home and be with his family, he replied that his family was in a safe place, but that other families might not be so lucky. He asked to continue helping those community members who were not as fortunate.
Although Randall and his family ended up losing everything they owned, he remained steadfast in his duties and lived at the station for more than two weeks, taking every opportunity to help that he could.
Stephanie Nocita is admired and respected by her co-workers and the leadership team alike for her ability to quickly assess a medical condition and for her skills that enable her to provide the needed intervention in critical situations. These characteristics were clearly on display in two recent circumstances: one involving a newborn and the other an individual in a busy shopping area.
Stephanie and her partner resuscitated a 17-day baby with a congenital heart defect who had gone into cardiac arrest. The newborn underwent heart surgery and made a full recovery.
Then, in early September 2022, she successfully helped resuscitate a person who collapsed at a crowded shopping plaza in Carmel. In that situation, a bystander and two police officers began CPR until Stephanie and her partner arrived and took over the care until more help arrived.
On the way to the hospital, the patient regained a pulse and was eventually discharged after making a full recovery. The patient later came back to visit Stephanie and the others who had helped them survive their medical ordeal.
Jesse Mascarenas proved to be a true hero when he helped save a critically injured hiker at the risk of his own safety. In May of 2022, Jesse and his partner, Flight Medic Jason Burns, responded to a call to help the hiker, who fell 200 feet down a mountain slope in cold and rainy weather. The patient was severely hurt and suffered cardiac arrest while Jason and Jesse were treating and rescuing him.
The two EMS professionals were eventually able to stabilize the patient until the individual could be flown to the nearest Level I trauma center. Although the patient lost a leg, the individual today is working toward a full recovery, even exercising on a prosthetic leg.
Daniel Lee distinguished himself through courage and skill by going beyond the call of duty to rescue his fellow crew members after the unthinkable happened.
On an afternoon in May 2022, Lee picked up a shift on an AL3 Klamath helicopter to help out his team and keep the aircraft in service. He, along with a newly hired registered nurse, a respiratory therapist, and the pilot had completed one call. While sitting on the helipad, the team was dispatched to another hospital. Arriving at the scene, the aircraft lost stability and crashed.
Lee reacted quickly and pulled all remaining crew members from the damaged aircraft. He triaged his peers based on acuity, started IVs on everyone, and gave medications as appropriate. He continued to care for and advocate for his team, even though he was also injured. He made sure everyone had help and insisted on staying with the newest team member to make her feel safe.
His quick thinking and expertise saved lives that day.
