Paul began his career in EMS with Superior Air-Ground Ambulance Service of Michigan, Inc. in 2009. He currently serves as a Station Manager within the Michigan leadership team.

Paul began his career as a Paramedic. He became a part of the Critical Care Team in 2010 and started on the flight team in 2012. He was Board Certified as a Flight Paramedic in 2013. Paul spent seven years on the rotor service and one year on fixed wing service, prior to his promotion to Warren Station Manager.

Paul has contributed greatly during his time at Superior. As a Station Manager, Paul was instrumental in fostering a strong working relationship with Superior’s NICU team partners. He worked to equip more ambulances across the Michigan fleet to accommodate NICU/PICU patients. He also provided outreach to the NICU departments, giving them training and guidance on transport-related concerns. Another area Paul has contributed to is the mentorship of the station manager group. Paul has personally taken on the responsibility of mentoring and guiding fellow station managers to help them excel.  

Additionally, Paul consistently provides oversight and coordination for staff training. He has both developed and coordinated Superior’s compliance and skills training for staff, with a high rate of success. Paul is an active American Heart Association instructor within Superior. Not only does he teach courses for the staff, but he also provides instruction for the residency program at Beaumont Hospital-Farmington Hills where he teaches resident physicians CPR and ACLS.  

Paul has been a part of the US Department of Health and Human Services National Disaster Medical System since 2013 and has worked with several other Michigan providers and providers from other states on his deployments over the years. He considers his time deployed in service to disaster zones across the country and participating in national security special events as very rewarding.

During Paul’s free time, he enjoys boating, snowboarding, mountain biking, camping, and CrossFit with his friends and family.

We are proud to call Paul Tank one of our own and recognize him as a 2023 Star of Life.

Jeffrey Wilken, CCEMT-P, Operations Manager for Superior Air-Ground Ambulance Service of Indiana began his EMS career in 2010 as an EMT with a hospital-based county 911 service. During his time there, he earned his Paramedic certification in May of 2014.

After becoming a Paramedic, he set out to further his career and take advantage of better opportunities by taking a position on a 911 contract with Superior of Indiana. While working 911 was a special and rewarding experience, Jeffrey was looking to expand his knowledge of pre-hospital and inter-facility mobile healthcare.  He excelled in his Critical Care Paramedic program and added that certification to his list of accomplishments.  

 Jeffrey’s love for treating patients in the emergency setting as well as the critical care transport setting was extremely rewarding.  However, he still wanted to do more for both his patients and fellow EMS providers. 

“Jeffrey was the station manager for our Valparaiso station when I first met him.  He was loved by his fellow EMTs and paramedics, he was always available and a true employee advocate.  When I was looking for an Operations Manager, I was awe-struck by his compassion, skills, and outgoing personality and knew immediately he would be an asset to the leadership team,” wrote his nominator for Stars of Life.

In his role as Operations Manager, he has continued to sharpen his leadership skills by studying leadership strategies and attending lectures and conferences on the topic. His leadership style closely relates to the ideas of reality-based leadership and extreme ownership. Jeffrey is a graduate of the Ambulance Service Management course in Spring of 2022 and co-authored a research paper about the recruitment and retention of EMTs and Paramedics in our current culture titled Swipe Right to Apply.

Today, six station managers directly report to Jeffrey. He oversees 300 field employees in a diverse company with 911 contracts, inter-facility transfers, critical care services, industrial EMS, and an MIH program. 

Jeffrey attributes his affinity for leadership to his past experiences as a youth sports coach and his ability to connect with his peers through understanding and empathy.

He is married to the love of his life, Ashleigh, and is the proud father to Holden and Wade.  He is active in his community and his son’s school as well as coaching football. 

Superior Ambulance of Indiana is a better company because of Jeffrey’s daily leadership and dedication. 

Leonard Washington is a 9-year military veteran Combat Lifesaver who earned his associate’s degree from Rock Valley College. Leonard joined Superior’s Illinois Division in 2007 as an EMT, then earned his Paramedic certification in 2009 through the Swedish American program.

In 2010, he left Superior to run 911, but did not stay away long. In 2015, Leonard returned to Superior in the Rockford area and became a Critical Care Medic. When Superior opened its Wisconsin operations, he was one of the first to join.

Leonard has played a huge part in Superior’s success in Wisconsin and has moved all over the state to help start multiple stations in Green Bay, Kenosha, Madison, and finally, Janesville. Leonard is always available to help, and his peers and leaders look to him for guidance.

Leonard has a positive work ethic and is always willing to go above and beyond for his patients and coworkers.

Anna Busse, Critical Care Medic at Superior Air-Ground Ambulance Service of Wisconsin, has served her community through EMS for 18 years. In that time, she has worked in private ambulance services handling both emergency and non-emergency response. 

Anna is proud to have been a Critical Care Transport (CCT) Paramedic for 11 years and continues to learn something new every day from patients, staff, and coworkers. In addition to her position in the field, Anna continues to work in a hospital Emergency Room.

Anna joined Superior in 2021 and has been an integral part of Superior’s growth in Wisconsin since then by assisting with opening new stations in various areas throughout the state. Anna is seen as a leader amongst her coworkers as a Field Training Officer and CCT Paramedic who people look to for guidance.

Anna has expressed that her role at Superior is the first time in her career where she feels supported and seen along with feeling like she has all the tools needed to do her job.

Anna’s family is her everything. She says that she wouldn’t be here without the support of her husband along with her mixed bag of family, animals, and friends.

Kellie Ruetsch is the Regional Operations Manager for Superior Air-Ground Ambulance Service of Ohio, Inc.  She started her career as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) in 1997 and became a Paramedic in 2002. Kellie also worked as a dispatcher for three years in addition to her service working in the field. She attained her firefighter license in 2000.

In 2016, Kellie was offered a leadership position in which she immediately excelled. She continued her professional growth by obtaining her EMS Instructor license in 2017 and completing the prestigious Ambulance Service Manager certification in 2022. 

What makes Kellie so special and a perfect candidate for the Star of Life is how she leads by example. She exemplifies a consummate EMS professional through her consistency, steady demeanor, and the way that she always strives to do her best for patients, colleagues, and the community.

In 2020, Kellie was instrumental in Superior’s launch in Ohio.  Her sterling reputation with local agencies and government bodies aided Superior Ambulance with quick entry into the state. She has been able to maintain 20+ years of excellent service in private EMS while simultaneously holding a position at Clinton Township Fire Department and being a devoted mother of two. 

In Kellie’s spare time, she enjoys going on family vacations to Walt Disney, watching her kids compete in sports, and simply relaxing with her husband. 

Janet Brooks began her career with Superior Air-ground Ambulance Service, Inc. back in December 1992. After spending her early professional career in Food Service, which included management with K-Mart and McDonald’s, she grew unhappy with the inability to do what she really wanted to do—follow in the footsteps of her mother, a cardiac nurse, and help others. 

As a small child Janet would find all types of small, wounded animals and bring them to her mother to see how they could help them heal. Some lived and some died, but that didn’t deter Janet.

At the age of 15 she became “Candy Striper” volunteering her Saturdays to deliver mail and flowers to sick patients at the hospital where her mother worked. After her shift was over, she would go up to her mother’s unit, where (under supervision) she was allowed to help care for patients.

Janet volunteered this way for two years, during which she learned how to perform CPR. It was impossible to predict how this training would pay off in the future, until…

While camping on vacation in Rapid City, South Dakota, tragedy struck. Janet witnessed a young female being pulled from the pool in an apparent drowning.  Janet swiftly swam to the other side of the pool, jumped out of the water, and asked if anyone knew CPR. Janet was met with blank stares and asked someone to call 911. Janet, now 18, tried to remember her CPR training from 3 years back. She performed chest compressions and gave mouth-to-mouth the best she could until the young victim began to cough up pool water. Janet quickly turned the victim onto her side so she wouldn’t aspirate and covered her up with towels to keep her warm. In the distance, Janet heard the wail of the sirens of the inbound ambulance. The victim was then taken to the waiting ambulance and was quickly whisked away.

That is when the shock hit Janet. With the assistance of her friend’s father, Janet was taken to their camper shaking uncontrollably. Doubts ran through her min. “What if I didn’t perform CPR correctly? Did I do more harm than good?” But she guessed doing something, even imperfectly, was better than doing nothing at all.

Once she calmed down, Janet called home to tell her family how her vacation was going so far. She was able to see the Black Hills from their campsite. She was going to see Mt Rushmore and that she had just saved a drowning victim. Her mother began to cry and was grateful her daughter was where she needed to be at that time and place. Janet’s mother contacted the volunteer office and thanked them for requiring that hospital volunteers learn CPR. Janet still has the article that was written about her in the hospital’s newsletter.

Janet attended a local Community College where she has an associate degree in criminal justice. Her desire was to further her schooling, but money was in short supply. So, Janet began to work at McDonald’s on campus. Janet worked her way up to Assistant Manager in just a few short years. Janet worked for Mcdonald’s for 12 years and was also working part-time at a local K-Mart.

The day Janet witnessed a cat being hit by a car changed her life. A woman standing on the side of the street picked up the cat and began to run toward the local Fire Department. Janet, who was driving by in her car, yelled to the woman to get in and she would then drive them to an area animal hospital. Sadly, the cat—who belonged to the woman’s daughter—died of a broken back. Janet then asked where her daughter was, trying to make small talk to take the uncomfortable silence away while driving the woman and the dead cat to their animal hospital 30 minutes away. The woman said that her daughter worked at the local zoo and that she should call her. Janet informed the woman that she should wait until her daughter came home from work to inform her that her pet had been killed. The woman agreed and thanked Janet for helping her out in her time of need. The woman asked Janet what she did for a living and Janet told her she worked for McDonald’s but was unhappy due to her being passed over as a Store Manager. Janet asked the woman what she did for a living and the woman stated she was going to school to become an EMT. Janet always wanted to work on an ambulance but had no idea how to go about doing so. The woman then told Janet that she had what it took to become an EMT, she helped a stranger in her time of need. She told Janet that if she was serious about a career change, she would talk to her instructor and get Janet into the next class. Janet enrolled in the next EMT class.

Following her hire, Janet worked hard at Superior. After her day shift, she would volunteer her time on an ALS rig so she could learn as much as possible.

Janet was the first station manager to have a station at a local hospital where she attended their Paramedic program. Janet was in the 1996-1997 Paramedic class, all the while running a station. Once she graduated, she stepped down as a manager to begin her career as a Paramedic.

Janet tested into one of Illinois’ most prestigious EMS systems, Northwest Community Hospital. Janet is a FTO and a Paramedic Preceptor. Janet was also an EMS Coordinator working between NWC and Superior.

Janet has been influential in helping save the Company thousands of dollars with the development of the pack system. Janet and her former station manager were tired of throwing away dirty supplies and began to use Seal-A-Meal to package supplies to help keep them clean and organized. Superior adapted the program and uses it to this very day.

Janet works a 24-hour shift and serves at special events like concerts, sporting events, and the Chicago Marathon. In 2004, Janet was part of a deployment for then President-Elect Barack Obama’s Inauguration to head to Washington D.C. to provide EMS services while the D.C. paramedics took care of the events at the Capitol. Janet has worked on several movie shoots and an episode of Extreme Home Makeover.

Janet is a team player when it comes to helping new station managers become acclimated to the station and the crew members. She takes on the role of making sure the station has the supplies needed. In fact, Janet is known at her station as Momma Jan. She makes sure that the station is clean, that rigs are stocked appropriately, and reminds the crews to be safe and have a great day.

Janet enjoys listening to music, concerts, and jigsaw puzzles. When Janet isn’t working, she is at home with her wife of 12 years and their two rescue dogs. Janet and her wife are very active with their church. They prepare meals for the food and housing insecure in their community. They serve meals for the PADS Interim Housing Center. As well as two senior complexes for food insecurity with the Northern Illinois Food Bank. Janet also volunteers at the Greater Chicago Food Depository.

Marco Patino NRP, LI, is a dedicated and accomplished healthcare professional who embarked on his career with Superior Air-Ground Ambulance Service, Inc. in February 2017. With a commitment to excellence and a passion for serving his community, Marco has made significant contributions to the field of emergency medical services (EMS) in Illinois.

Currently, Marco Patino holds the position of Paramedic and serves as an integral part of the Superior Leadership team as the Manager of Education for Illinois. In this role, he has demonstrated exceptional leadership qualities and a strong commitment to improving the quality of EMS education and training in the region. Marco’s dedication to teaching and his role as a support structure for EMT classes have made him a respected figure in the EMS community.

One of Marco’s notable achievements has been his involvement in implementing EMR (Emergency Medical Responder) programs in high schools throughout Illinois. By introducing these courses, he has played a crucial role in educating the next generation of EMS professionals and raising awareness about the importance of emergency medical services.

What makes Marco’s journey even more inspiring is the fact that he is a DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) recipient. Despite the challenges and uncertainties that come with this status, Marco has shown remarkable resilience and determination in pursuing his career in healthcare. He not only serves as a role model within the EMS field but also advocates passionately for the rights and opportunities of DACA recipients. His advocacy work sheds light on the importance of inclusive policies and support for individuals who, like him, have made significant contributions to their communities.

In addition to his demanding leadership responsibilities and advocacy efforts, Marco remains deeply connected to the field of clinical practice. He actively schedules himself for ambulance shifts multiple times a week, demonstrating his ongoing commitment to providing hands-on care to patients in need. This dedication ensures that he stays connected to the realities of pre-hospital care, which, in turn, informs his leadership and educational roles.

Outside of his professional endeavors, Marco Patino values and cherishes his time spent with his two children, Layla and Troy, as well as his beautiful wife Sabrina. These relationships are a source of strength and inspiration, driving him to excel both personally and professionally.