Andrea began her career in EMS in 2005 as a dispatcher for local Police, Fire, EMS, and Town Services. However, her goal was always to become a Paramedic. Following graduate school, Andrea started her EMS career with a transport company in Woburn, Massachusetts, and completed her Paramedic studies in 2013 with an A.S. in Paramedicine and a certification of NRP. Andrea now proudly serves as a Paramedic for Cataldo/Atlantic Ambulance Service. Born and raised in the City of Newburyport, it has been a lifelong dream for Andrea to serve her community.

Andrea’s passion for teaching began in 2015 when she taught her first class for Cataldo/Atlantic. Since then, she has begun teaching at local colleges and to a local police department, where she instructs the officers on how to properly use Narcan. She has repeatedly stepped forward to be a leader in the community; especially in the education of our citizens. Specifically, Andrea conducts courses on opioid overdoses, and has educated thousands of people within the community on the use of Narcan through live demonstrations, classes, and community outreach on cable access television. Andrea has even marched alongside other community leaders in remembrance of those who have lost their lives to drug overdoses.

Andrea has proven herself to be a true professional who is compassionate, street smart, and has a true heart of gold. She has a genuine concern for the community and the citizens she serves. Being a Paramedic is not just a job for Andrea, but a passion. From her interactions with survivors, family members, and loved ones, Andrea goes far above and beyond her title of Educator. Andrea’s impact within the community is immeasurable and she truly deserves to be nominated for a Star of Life Award.

Jay is an exemplary Chair Car Attendant for LifeLine Ambulance Service. His passion and commitment to his patients is unparalleled; Jay truly treats each and every patient as if they were a member of his own family. He sets a great example for all other employees and raises the bar for the standard of patient care.

LifeLine’s mission is to provide respectful, dignified, and compassionate care to all persons entrusted to our care. Jay truly embodies this mission. On April 15, 2016, Jay will retire from LifeLine and travel the country with his family. He will forever be missed by his fellow employees and patients.

Brian J. Connor has been employed in the ambulance industry for the past 36 years. Since beginning work as an EMT in 1980, he has served in many leadership roles and senior management positions at one of the oldest ambulance companies in Massachusetts.

In 2006, he ventured on his own and became the Founder, President, & CEO of LifeLine Ambulance Service. LifeLine became the fastest growing ambulance service
in New England. Today, with 13 satellite offices located throughout Massachusetts and New Hampshire, 125 vehicles and 350 employees, LifeLine transports over 350 patients daily. In addition to LifeLine, Brian served as President of the Massachusetts Ambulance Association for 14 years and served on many state and local Boards and Commissions.

Under his direction, LifeLine’s commitment to its employees, including creating tuition-free career paths to those who wish to advance from chair car operator, EMT, or Paramedic to RN is trendsetting and unmatched in the industry.

Brian’s commitment to his employees and the ambulance industry is noteworthy and therefore recognized by this nomination from his staff.

Pamela is being recognized as a Star of Life for an act above and beyond the call of duty, as someone who risked personal injury to assist a community member in need.

On Thursday, September 17, 2015 at approximately 16:00, Pam was grocery shopping off duty when she heard a page over the store intercom announcing the need for anyone with medical training to run to the bakery area. Without hesitation, Pam responded.

Upon arrival, she found a group of people encircling a male in his late 60s. He was unconscious, unresponsive, apneic, and pulseless. Pam immediately took control of the situation. She directed the bystanders to call 911, then began performing CPR for approximately six minutes by herself, before backup arrived to assist. Due to her efforts, the patient is alive today.

Pam jumped right into providing patient care, although her job role is in EMS communications and dispatch. Additionally, she did so when she was recovering from recent abdominal surgery where she had fresh sutures and had been instructed not to perform any rigorous activities at risk of great bodily harm to herself.

This is not the only instance when Pam has gone above and beyond the call of duty. She strives each day to assist 911 callers to the very best of her ability. She aids her fellow co-workers whenever she can, and is always willing to do whatever it takes to better the situation. She is polite, reassuring, ready to learn, and is truly the person you want on the other end of the phone if you need to dial 911 for assistance.

David Franklin is deserving of the American Ambulance Association Star of Life recognition due to his hard work, dedication and leadership as a clinical field supervisor for Cataldo Ambulance. While there are a number of individual calls that represent his exemplary performance as a clinician and leader, the time, commitment and passion he has shown over the past year, a year where a massive Paramedic shortage plagued much of Massachusetts, are the main reasons he deserves this honor. In 2015, Dave was the on-duty supervisor almost every weekend.

Traditionally, Saturday and Sunday are the most difficult shifts to fill and Dave was able to work his magic and kept Cataldo running through some very difficult times. His dedication was apparent, as he would often come in on his days off to assist in filling shifts. He contacted employees and moved staff around to keep our ambulances staffed. Through all of this, he continued to help mentor new supervisors, respond to multiple emergencies during his shifts, assist with ALS transfers, answer hundreds of phone calls, and handle all of the other managerial and supervisory responsibilities. His ability to do all of this, often on very extended shifts, while maintaining a courteous and professional attitude, has earned him the respect and admiration of almost every employee at Cataldo Ambulance. The leaders at Cataldo Ambulance are honored to nominate him for this distinguished award.

Christopher Grant is an EMT at LifeLine Ambulance Service. He started his EMS career in 2015 after becoming a Navy Corpsman. Chris has a very positive demeanor and is liked and admired by his peers. He serves as a preceptor for new EMTs and shares his military training and experiences with them; in turn they are better prepared to meet the daily challenges and provide excellent patient care.

His professionalism and energy are admired by all those who work with him as well as the patients he cares for. We are proud of his continued service to the United States Navy and are grateful for his dedication and leadership at LifeLine Ambulance Service.

Joe Johnson clearly found his calling when he started his EMS career 19 years ago. Through those years, he has worked as a Chair Car Driver, an EMT, and a Dispatcher. Currently an EMT for more than eight years with Armstrong Ambulance Service,
Joe consistently demonstrates excellence in every interaction, whether with patients, colleagues, or facility staff.

Humble to a fault, Joe is an ideal Star of Life. He is the epitome of a team player and is always pitching in to lend a helping hand to his fellow employees. Joe consistently picks up shifts when staffing is needed, cleans extra trucks, and assists fellow EMTs. Joe has gained a reputation for being a dependable, hardworking and responsible coworker and is well respected by both his peers and the managerial staff. Additionally, Joe is known for his loyalty to his Armstrong colleagues, even going so far as to organize a fundraiser for a fellow EMT.

Joe is always looking for ways to make company improvements. He comes up with creative and practical solutions to issues and communicates them so that best practices can be implemented.

Joe has stated that the most rewarding part of his job is helping the public and easing anxiety for patients and their family members. He said he “does it all for just a smile.” Joe does the right thing, because it is the right thing to do. He needs neither accolades nor recognition.

Joe has also been commended numerous times by both patients and partner facilities. Each day he demonstrates his capability to connect with and calm every patient. Joe is always even-tempered and excels in even the most urgent situations. His ability to relate to and work with various types of people has not only benefitted the many patients he has transported, but also the new EMTs that have come on board as well. Anytime a new EMT is trained by Joe, he or she leaves with a new mentor and friend. Armstrong Ambulance is proud to honor Joe Johnson for his work in 2015 and his eight years as an EMT with our service.

Bob Perry started his work experience on his family’s dairy farm which ran 24 hours a day, 365 days per year. In 1978 Bob entered into the EMS field as a Basic EMT, then in 1985 he advanced to the Paramedic level. In 2010 Bob became a Critical Care Paramedic.

Throughout his time in EMS, Bob has always been eager to share his experiences and to help teach new EMS providers how to become the best at what they do. Bob is a very loyal person who fully commits himself to his family, work, and patients. He is upbeat and enthusiastic, and puts his patients first. Bob is always early for work, and maintains high ethical standards.

While he is a medic, he is always willing and able to assist with whatever needs the company may have, he has been seen many times assisting chair car attendants and running chair car calls himself. Safety is one of Bob’s strongest points—he has never had an injury on the job in his more than 45 years of EMS service.

We could not be happier to have Bob as a part of LifeLine Ambulance Service, and want to thank him for his outstanding commitment to excellence.

Robert Piernock was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1955, then moved to Massachusetts in 1970. He is married to the former Ruth Carter and has three children; Michael, Jason, and Katherine. His youngest son, Michael, is a source of immense pride to him, as he is also an EMT on the squad and is currently training to become a paramedic. Bob has a varied background ranging from Laboratory Technologist to Project Manager to Web Application Developer, and also has a master’s degree in Business. He has now returned to his roots as a Laboratory Technologist at Fairview Hospital in Great Barrington.

Bob initially trained as an EMT-Basic in 1985, and then as an EMT-Intermediate in 2013. He recently attained the level of Advanced EMT in 2015. Bob currently volunteers over 24 hours a month staffing the squad’s ambulances, and was recently nominated by his peers to the squad’s Board of Directors. This year, Bob is being recognized by his peers and Southern Berkshire’s Board of Directors as the Southern Berkshire Volunteer Ambulance Squad’s Volunteer of the Year.

Bob is also being nominated as a Star because of his commitment to the squad and his exemplary leadership. For many years, Southern Berkshire had been struggling with problematic staffing, internal strife, and poor response times. Through his vision, leadership, and tenacity Bob brought the service to a new level of professionalism, and upgraded the level of care from EMT-Intermediate to Paramedic. Bob saw the upgrade through by hiring a new full-time Director of Operations to manage the service, added another ambulance to the fleet, and hired seven full-time paramedics. These actions enabled Southern Berkshire to successfully provide full-time paramedic emergency and non-emergency ambulance transport and paramedic intercept services to the largest service area in Southwestern Massachusetts. Previously this area relied on paramedic services from another city over 30 minutes away.

In his time off, Bob enjoys playing his guitar and working with computers, but most of all, enjoys spending time with his family and volunteering for Southern Berkshire. He is truly deserving of this recognition. Bob is a true Star and represents one of the best that Massachusetts has to offer.

Darlene has been working as an EMT for 24 years, 12 of which have been with Action Ambulance Service. Throughout her tenure at Action, Darlene has proven to be a highly valued member of the team. She is an asset when it comes to mentoring new employees and truly cares about her job, patients, and co-workers.

Darlene became an EMT because she grew up watching Emergency, with Squad 51. “Ever since that, I was interested in doing the same, which I did, and this will always be the best job that I have.” Darlene likes the uniqueness of the people she works with and the sense of community within the service. She says, “No one from the outside can truly understand what we go through, and why we do it. We do our job because we like it, and certainly not for the money. I like helping people, and I also like making a difference in their lives.”

Darlene also offered her talents in Texas during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and claims that was one of the highlights of her career. “We left with little notice, and just focused on getting there, not knowing what to expect. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity to venture out beyond our comfort zone and work in another area of EMS.” Another highlight for Darlene was the first baby she delivered. “A firefighter and I were going shoulder to shoulder, and trying to push each other out of the way. Of course, I won, and I delivered a very healthy baby boy.”

Darlene has earned her associate’s degree in Paralegal Studies, and just received her real estate license. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her grandsons.

Alex Rose has been working in EMS for eight years, three of which have been with Action Ambulance Service. In the time Alex has been with Action, he has truly proven to be a shining example of its values. Alex is being awarded the Star of Life for his level of compassion towards his patients and fellow co-workers. He says he decided to become a medic because he “thoroughly enjoys helping people. I wanted to make a positive difference in the world.” Alex does just that as he goes above and beyond to care for patients, both clinically and also with regard to their emotional wellbeing. He has been known to go back to hospitals to see if his patients’ family members needed anything, and has even picked up items to help keep a child busy while the child’s mother was being cared for in the E.R. Alex is an incredible resource of support to his coworkers, whether it is taking a new medic under his wing or just being there when a co-worker needs him. Alex says his “favorite thing about the job is being there for somebody when they need it most.”

Outside of work Alex likes to play sports, play guitar and hang out with his family. His future plans are to continue his career in EMS by making a difference, day by day.

After a long and successful career in retail management, Rick made a career change and found his way to Armstrong Ambulance as a Chair Car Driver. Throughout his six years at Armstrong, he has touched many lives and treated hundreds of patients with kindness and compassion. Rick looks at each and every one of his patients as unique and they leave their transport with him feeling truly special.

During his Armstrong career, Rick has been the epitome of dedication and loyalty. He is routinely commended by his patients for his patience, kindness, and excellent care. He takes pride in his work and positively influences everyone he interacts with throughout each and every day.

Rick is extremely respected by his peers, which is one of the reasons he was promoted to Chair Car Supervisor. Rick has always taken the time to listen to each and every one of his fellow chair car drivers, and works diligently on coming up with solutions in order to make processes more efficient and employees more engaged. Rick is constantly looking out for all of his colleagues and goes so far as to make sure that they have all that they need, both professionally and personally.

Rick has made an incredible impact on transforming Armstrong’s Chair Car Division and has been an exemplary leader. He puts customer service above all and will not leave for the day until the last chair car call is complete. He takes pride in his entire fleet of chair cars and makes sure that they are all clean, well-stocked, and in the appropriate condition to represent the legacy of Bill Armstrong.

Rick has the ability to form lasting and honest relationships with both his patients and employees in a constructive way that only a true leader could do.

When he is not working, Rick enjoys spending time with his wife, Cathy, of 28 years and his son, Michael.

Matthew Seely is a Paramedic with Cataldo Ambulance Service. He is a consummate professional in all his interactions with his colleagues and other first responders. He is easy to work with and is always available as a resource to everyone on staff.

During one particularly difficult response, Matt had the lead for medical control for a man entrapped in a piece of machinery. The man’s arm was stuck in a piece of equipment and it was entangled to the point where extraction was extremely difficult
without there being a good chance of loss of life or limb. Due to Matt’s professionalism, leadership, and support of all the first responders, the man’s arm was successfully extricated. This is just one example of the many reasons why Cataldo Ambulance Service selected Matthew Seely as a 2016 American Ambulance Association Star of Life.