EMERGENCY MEDICAL TECHNICIAN OF THE YEAR

Winner:  Alvin L. O’Neal, Darlington Fire Department, Inc.

The EMT of the year is a member of a BLS Non-Transport Organization where he wears many hats. Not only is he the head EMT, he is a firefighter and serves and the department fire chief.  He currently holds 17 active EMS, fire, and rescue certifications.  He is very active in his community and serves as the swim coach for the local high school.  He is called a great leader with a soft heart and is looked up to by the members of his department.

ADVANCED EMT OF THE YEAR

Winner:  Brooke Norton, Orland Fire Department

This year’s Advanced EMT of the Year also wears many hats being a firefighter, an instructor, and the local community’s chief of police.  She does all facets of EMS without complaint and it is documented that her early arrival on scene has saved many lives.  She is a recipient of the “Amkus Star” for her participation in a difficult extrication, the “Valor beyond the Call of Duty” award for a response to a chemical tanker accident, and during a 4 year enlistment in the US Coast Guard she received the Coast Guard Achievement Medal for assisting in the rescue of a drowning victim.  It is said she has good leadership qualities, is aggressive in patient care, and trains others well.  Her department is proud to call her one of their own.

EMT-INTERMEDIATE of the YEAR

Winner:  Thomas L. Williams, New Albany Fire Department

The Intermediate of the Year has been instrumental in implementing many new programs for his EMS organization including the capture and transmission of 12-lead EKGs, pacing and cardioversion, and hypothermic field treatment of cardiac arrest patients. He serves as the American Heart Coordinator at the local hospital.  He has been active in EMS for over 20 years and has served as Battalion Chief of EMS for 2 years.

PARAMEDIC OF THE YEAR

Winner:  Tony Knight, Evansville Fire Department, American Medical Response, Evansville

The paramedic of the Year has received many honors in his EMS career.  While an EMT, he was the only BLS employee to receive his employer’s Clinical Excellence Award. In 1998 he was named EMT of the year by his peers.  After his certification as a paramedic he served as Field Training Officer and then Operations Supervisor for his private ambulance service employer.  After being hired by the city fire department he maintained part-time status with the company as a paramedic.

He was promoted to the position of EMS Coordinator by the fire department in 2009.  Since then he has been instrumental in improving the department’s EMS training standards and chart documentation.  He is active in the homeland security district planning council, district EMS directors’ council, and the county’s fire district council.  In all his activities he is said to push others to excellence without realizing his own excellence.

DISPATCHER OF THE YEAR

Winner:  Ronald J. Donahue, Prompt Ambulance Service, Inc.

The Dispatcher of the Year Award recognizes the importance of the dispatcher in the delivery of all public safety services and especially in emergency medical service response.  Our winner was certified as an EMT in 2001 and is certified in Emergency Medical Dispatching through the National Association of Emergency Dispatchers.  He has been responsible for dispatching EMS during the evacuation of a large nursing home, a pedestrian bridge collapse involving over 100 people, and a presidential campaign visit that turned disastrous due to people being overcome by heat requiring a multiple ambulance response.

Our winner was actively involved in the renovation of his department’s communication center which answers calls for over 90,000 ambulance requests and 30,000 wheelchair requests per year in 6 different municipalities.  He was also responsible for having 911 ambulance requests routed through his communication center from the PSAP enabling callers to receive pre-arrival instructions.  This dedicated dispatcher also has improved in-house communications through the development of an intranet program serving over 500 employees.

FIRE TRAINING ACHIEVMENT AWARD

Winner:  Battalion Chief Christopher A. Rainbolt

The Fire Training Achievement Award recognizes an individual or division whose contributions to training and education of Indiana’s Fire service has made it more effective, safer, and more professional. The contribution may be in the form of specific program development or outstanding commitment to raising the level of knowledge, skills, and abilities of firefighters and emergency responders locally, regionally, or statewide.

This year’s recipient has is a Battalion Chief with the City of New Albany Fire Department, a position he has held for 7 years of his 26-year tenure with the department.  He is currently the District 9 representative for the Indiana Fire Instructors Association, having previously served as President of the organization.  He previously served as the Deputy Chief of the Fire Training Bureau for the City of New Albany, and has shown continued interest in promoting and developing the department’s training programs.  He was the lead instructor for the department’s Rope Rescue Operations and Technician level training programs, in which 30 personnel were certified at the operations level and 18 have already been certified to the technician level.  He also assisted in the department’s Fire Officer Strategies and Tactics program and was part of a team of lead instructors to certify department personnel in Hazardous Materials Operations level. He displays a dedication to his own continuing education and professional development.  He successfully completed the department’s Fire Inspector I/II program in March of this year, and continues to attain higher certification levels at every opportunity.  He has logged over 200 hours of training during the year 2010, with more than 80 of those as an instructor.  His dedication to the continuing education and improvement of others, as well as himself, makes him the ideal candidate for this award.

AMBULANCE PROVIDER PUBLIC RELATIONS AWARD

Winner:  Memorial Hospital EMS, Jasper

This year’s winner was selected in recognition of their efforts to inform their community about the emergency medical services it provides.  This provider makes a conscious effort to present information in a variety of ways and to a wide array of age groups in order to encompass all aspects of the population.  For the very young it offers EMS coloring books, education in using the 911 system, and a chance to use the “lights and sirens” in an ambulance to teach the preschoolers to not be afraid of the “ambulance people.”  Grade school children receive training in first aid from ambulance personnel, while career events and mock extrication events are held for teenagers.  Other activities include CPR and AED training, injury prevention programs, first responder training, and the promotion of public access defibrillators.  This department also has a very busy EMS Week schedule to not only honor its employees but to present EMS to its community.

DAVID J. EDWARDS MEMORIAL INSTRUCTOR OF THE YEAR

Winner:  Gary J. Kleeman, Harrison County Hospital EMS, Corydon

This year's winner is both a Primary Instructor and the director of an ambulance service. He believes that education, both public and professional, is the key to an effective and efficient EMS system.  He is a dedicated supporter of public education and keeps is employees busy handing out safety and educational literature at special events.  His dedication to public and professional education makes him deserving of this award

“THE GOLDEN LIGHT BULB” AWARD

Winner:  Eileen Orban, Public Educator, Pike Township Fire Department

The Golden Light Bulb award is presented to the public educator who received the most votes for their presentation at Thursday’s lunch. The Indiana Safety Educators work diligently to promote safety programs that are innovative and designed to educate our citizens about safety. Presenters brought their innovative ideas and methods and shared them with our attendees. The votes were tallied and a winner was determined.

Eileen Orban presented her “Playground Safety” program she offers to the elementary & pre-schools.

BLS NON-TRANSPORT PROVIDER OF THE YEAR

Winner:  Evansville Fire Department

All members of the winning department are provided with medical, dental, vision, and orthodontic insurance at very reasonable rates.  After recruit training, members are certified in Firefighter I& II, Hazmat Operations, and Technical Rescue Awareness as well as NIMS 100 & 700.  The department operates 4 special teams; Rope/Confined Space, Hazardous Materials, Trench/Structural Collapse Rescue, and Dive/Water Rescue Teams.

This municipal fire department participates in many community events and educational ventures and assists with CERT training.  It is also the Homeland Security District’s hazardous Materials Response Team and well as its Technical Rescue Team. It is active in the planning, training, and organizing of district response plans with local and regional fire departments and EMS organizations.

EMT-INTERMEDIATE PROVIDER of the YEAR

Winner:  Memorial Hospital Ambulance Service, Jasper

This hospital based ambulance service is the only ambulance provider in its county and employs 60 EMS personnel. The department offers monthly training program and mandates EVOC, Crisis Intervention, OC Spray use, self-defense, Autism, SIDS, and customer service training.  It is a leader in the state for EMS awareness and public relations activities and is active in efforts to coordinate the EMS response for mutual aid and disasters in its homeland security district.  This organization is very active in community events and is actively involved in developing and maintaining community disaster response plans.  Our winner is an active participant in the District EMS Directors’ Council, hosting many of the organization’s meetings.

The department is unique in that it has set a policy for EMS personnel that not only covers professional appearance and performance but spiritual and moral performance as well.

PARAMEDIC PROVIDER OF THE YEAR

Winner:  Perry County Memorial Hospital, Tell City

The Paramedic Provider of the Year reimburses employees for EMS course fees and pays them for hours spent in continuing education.  It makes a 403B Retirement Plan available to its employees and offers dollar incentives for 0% absenteeism and 0% tardiness.  It offers free lab and ECG screenings to all employees.  This organization is very active in public awareness of EMS offering a variety of programs including Operation Prom, Celebrate Safe (a drug and alcohol prevention program), Heart Attack Alert Training, participation in career days, and CPR and AED training to name a few.

This organization maintains a portable MCI Response and Command Kit, attends local LEPC meetings and participates in tabletop and full scale disaster exercises. It also participates in the District EMS Directors’ Council.  This organization is dedicated to providing quality patient care, achieving employee satisfaction, and promoting EMS awareness to the community.

MEDICAL DIRECTOR of the YEAR

Winner:  Peter L. Stevenson, MD

American Medical Response – Evansville, Evansville Fire Department, Casino Aztar, Air Evac Base 46

Our Medical Director of the Year takes an active role in audit session by conducting monthly audit and review sessions.  He also conducts field audits and rides with ambulance crews in route to the hospital.  He is known to be “approachable” and is described as a “father figure” by the ambulance service personnel.  He plays an important role in the education of his EMS affiliates and also serves as medical director for EMS training programs. He has received a mayoral appointment to his city’s EMS Oversight Committee. He serves and the medical director for 4 different organizations.  He maintains close contact with the provider organization’s quality improvement manager and is directly involved in the development of patient care protocols.

Every year this medical director conducts an audit session at his home where he cooks and serves a meal to the provider organization’s employees and their families. 

FIRE CHIEF OF THE YEAR

The Indiana Fire Chiefs Association wants to recognize the efforts of the Fire Chiefs in the State of Indiana. With that being said, it is often difficult to recognize a single Fire Chief for their efforts since every Chief faces the same arduous tasks.

With this in mind, the Indiana Fire Chief has set certain parameters for a Chief to be nominated for this award. This includes the following;

1.     The nominee must have at minimum three years experience as Chief of the Department

2.     The nominee must be actively involved in but not limited to the following…

a.     County or Mutual aid fire organizations

b.    Fire Prevention education on a local basis

c.     Training and Safety improvement with their department

d.    Local Community involvement (non-fire service)

e.     Regional, State or National Fire Service Organizations

Above all, the nominee must be recognized as a leader in the fire service by their peers.

This year, the nomination committee had several applicants for each category and reviewed several contributing factors that would have allowed for all of the nominees to be winners. In the end, the committee has made a decision but wants everybody to know that all of you are winners for serving your communities.

FIRE CHIEF of the YEAR - Combination / Volunteer Department

Winner:  Chief Phillip Taylor of the Petersburg Volunteer Fire Department

Our Fire Chief of the Year for Combination/Volunteer was born June 25, 1939 in Larchmont NY; the son a Larchmont NY volunteer fireman and grew up learning about the fire service from his father.  His father was a captain on the department.  In 1957 he graduated from High School, but he had already been serving the Larchmont Fire Company for 2 years as a firefighting cadet.  He served in Larchmont until 1977 where he reached the rank of Captain.        

He answered the call to service with our armed forces as well and served 2 years in the Navy during Suez Canal Crisis. He became a construction worker as his full time vocation, working and traveling for 36 years with sheet metal workers, where he retired in 2001.  His work brought him to Petersburg in 1977 with a construction project at one of the local power plants.  It was in Petersburg that Phil found a new home, and his wife Vivian (better known to everyone in Petersburg as Cooky).  Phil and Cooky were married in 1980.  He continued his passion for the fire service in Petersburg where he joined the local volunteer department in 2001.  Though his firefighting certifications did not transfer from New York under the old training systems, he quickly impressed the firefighters of Petersburg with his vast knowledge of the job, making them realize what an asset they had obtained.  To restore his certifications, he became very active in the State of Indiana’s fire school system.  Obtaining his certifications, and moving forward he transitioned from student to instructor, becoming a member of the Indiana Fire Instructors Association, and assisting with live fire training at numerous state schools and local trainings.

After the death of long-time Fire Chief Cy Woodall in 1987, he was appointed as the new Fire Chief for the city of Petersburg.  Three years into his now 23 years as chief of the department Phil led the group through the most devastating event in the city’s history.  In May of 1990 a levee break along the White River washed out the water supply line from the town’s water well field.  The Chief organized volunteer fire departments from all over the Tri-State area to respond and help haul water to keep Petersburg’s water tower full, be on stand-by for fire protection, and to assist until a temporary line could be constructed from one of the power generating stations. Only a few short weeks later, the city was struck by a killer F3 tornado.  Under his leadership the VFD coordinated house to house searches and led our city through the initial disaster recovery processes. He has become a true Hoosier, even though the New York accent still bleeds through.  He has been instrumental in the regional training initiatives of the Indiana Department of Homeland of Security where he chairs the District 10 Training Committee.  He has served as a member of the Petersburg City Planning Commission since its inception, and has served for several years as President of that Body. Recent Fire Service Accomplishments are maximizing grant funding including purchase of 2 new pumpers, rescue tools, communications equipment etc;  Training Center – most utilized in the State; BLS non transport certification and a Planning Grant from OCRA for design of a new fire station.

FIRE CHIEF of the YEAR - Career Department

Winner:  Chief Kevin Ply of the Purdue University Fire Department

The Fire Chief of the Year for a Career Department award winner has been consistently exceeding the standards or norm in the fire service. He has been challenging not only his fire department officers and firefighters in training & service, but also the neighboring fire departments both volunteer and career throughout the State. He is an example of leadership, dedication and service.   He has also taken a proactive stand toward fire prevention & education to the Purdue University community. He implemented a new full-time Fire Prevention Specialist position in 2007 that he works and supervises closely with. These actions have shown the growth in the University’s public fire safety awareness throughout the Purdue community.  This has ultimately brought thousands of young adults to be more actively aware of fire safety.    He continues to be associated with the To Hell & Back III committee (Peoples Burn Foundation), Indiana Fire Instructors Assoc., IFCA, District 4, and much more. He has set the standards bar high and continues to encourage others to seek their full potential.

OTIS R. BOWEN, M.D. HEROIC RESCUE AWARD

Winner:  Wyan Dru Johnson, Bloomington Hospital Ambulance Service

The Otis R. Bowen Heroic Rescue Award is given in recognition of an event that demonstrates a degree of courage and bravery while at the same time showing an understanding of the seriousness of the situation and the risks involved.

On October 7, 2009, at approximately 4:30AM a Bloomington Hospital Ambulance was dispatched to a structure fire on May Road.  Upon confirmation that the structure was fully involved, BHAS Paramedic Supervisor Dru Johnson decided to respond in the non-transport squad just in case additional assistance was needed.

While en route to the scene Paramedic Johnson noticed a Perry Clear Creek Fire truck to the side of the road.  The truck had run off the road and struck a tree.  Paramedic Johnson notified dispatch of the accident and proceeded to survey the scene.  The driver of the vehicle was out of the wreckage but the passenger firefighter was trapped in the vehicle.  The fire vehicle then caught fire and the passenger was being engulfed in flames.  Using fire extinguishers, the driver of the truck and paramedic Johnson worked diligently to keep the flames down and free the firefighter but were driven back many times by the intense heat.  Paramedic Johnson recognized that the firefighter’s life was in peril and continued working to free the firefighter from the wreckage.  He eventually was successful.  Perry Clear Creek firefighter Bill Eagan is alive today because of the efforts of Dru Johnson.  

LEGISLATIVE LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

The Legislative Lifetime Achievement Award winner is:  Rep. Vern Tincher

The Legislative Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes a State of Indiana legislator who, in the course of their service to their local communities and State of Indiana, has embodied the spirit of the fire service.

Retiring State Representative Vern Tincher received the Legislative Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his 28 years in the Indiana House of Representatives, where he consistently supported the interests of public safety.  The IFCA wishes Representative Tincher all the best in his well-earned retirement.

PRESIDENT’S AWARD

The 2010 IERC President’s Award winner is:  Peter A. Dillman Ed.D, EMT-P, Director - EMS

The President’s Award is the most coveted award bestowed upon an individual by the Indiana Fire Chiefs Association. Past recipients have included Governor Mitch Daniels and Indiana Department of Homeland Security, Director Eric Dietz.  This year’s recipient has partnered with Public Safety for over 30 years.  He has been a friend to EMT, Paramedics and Fire Fighters during the entire time.  This year he was chosen by IFCA President, Chief Joe Kruzan, from the Schererville Fire Department to show appreciation for all that he has done for all of Indiana’s Public Responders.  Immediate past President of the Indiana Fire Chiefs Association, Chief Joe Kruzan of the Schererville Fire Department, made the presentation on Friday, August 13^th, 2010 at the Indiana Convention Center, Indianapolis.

RECOGNITION AWARDS were given to the following companies for their support to the IFCA:

St.Vincent Health (Conference Partner)

Public Safety Medical Services (An Official Medical and Wellness Provider of the IFCA)

Donley Safety (Co-Sponsor of the Hospitality Suite)

RPI, Inc. (Co-Sponsor of the Hospitality Suite)

Global Emergency Products (Casino Night Sponsor)

Towers Fire Apparatus (Green Hydrant Level Sponsor)

Motorola (Yellow Hydrant Level Sponsor)

MES (Golf Outing Beverage & Lunch Sponsor)

Emergency Radio Service Inc. (Yellow Hydrant Level Sponsor)

FDIC (Red Level Sponsor)