[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 57 (Wednesday, May 8, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E741-E742]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

[[Page E741]]



                    2002 AAA STARS OF LIFE STATEMENT

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BILL LUTHER

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                          Tuesday, May 7, 2002

  Mr. LUTHER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the men and women of 
the emergency medical and ambulance services profession who dedicate 
their lives to helping individuals in need.
  Every year, the dispatch of an ambulance is the first response to 
millions of medical emergencies. Often, the survival of a patient is 
significantly improved by the prompt medical attention provided before 
arrival at an emergency room. As a result of the selfless acts of these 
courageous and devoted men and women, the lives of thousands of 
Americans are saved each year. While these professionals do not expect 
to receive recognition for their work, they deserve our sincere 
gratitude.
  I consider myself fortunate to have met with a number of medics from 
Minnesota and around the country and have heard firsthand accounts of 
the tireless efforts that they perform on a daily basis for the 
communities they serve. They are truly America's health care safety 
net.
  For the past nine years, the American Ambulance Association (AAA) has 
recognized those emergency, medical and ambulance service professionals 
who exemplify what is best about their field, and bestow upon them the 
Stars of Life award. These appropriately designated Stars of Life have 
been selected by their peers to represent them in Washington, DC as 
part of pre-National EMS Week activities. The highlights of their 
visits to our nation's capital are an awards banquet this evening where 
they are presented with this prestigious award and meetings today and 
tomorrow with their Members of Congress. The American Ambulance 
Association is honoring 113 Stars of Life this year.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask that the names of the 2002 American Ambulance 
Association Stars of Live honorees be printed in the Record.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
           State                Name of Star of Life      Company or organization                Town
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alabama....................  James ``Pete'' Norris....  American Medical Response..  Birmingham.
Arizona....................  Jim Hayden...............  Rural/Metro................  Mesa.
Arkansas...................  Chuck Creed..............  Columbia County Ambulance    Magnolia.
                                                         Service.
California.................  Lon Adams................  American Medical Response..  Burlingame.
                             Tanya Banks..............  American Medical Response..  Concord.
                             Sajee DeReauxchette......  American Medical Response..  Hemet.
                             Susan King...............  American Medical Response..  Lancaster.
                             Kelly Taddeo.............  American Medical Response..  Los Angeles.
                             Jonathan Graves..........  American Medical Response..  Moorpark.
                             Brian Mullins............  American Medical Response..  Palm Springs.
                             Jim Sachs................  American Medical Response..  Roseville.
                             Keith Fournier...........  American Medical Response..  San Diego.
                             James Bauck (Posthumous).  American Medical Response..  San Leandro.
                             David Tovar..............  Medix Ambulance Service....  Mission Viejo.
Colorado...................  Randy Ermer..............  American Medical Response..  Aurora.
                             Liz Dienst...............  American Medical Response..  Colorado Springs.
                             Wescott ``Wes'' Hyde.....  Summit County Ambulance      Frisco.
                                                         Service.
                             Charles ``Chaz'' Gross...  Summit County Ambulance      Frisco.
                                                         Service.
Connecticut................  Louis Formica............  Hunter's Ambulance Service.  Meriden.
                             Jennifer Giordano........  Hunter's Ambulance Service.  Meriden.
                             Joseph DeAngelis.........  American Medical Response..  New Haven.
Florida....................  David Twiss..............  American Medical Response..  Fort Lauderdale.
                             Kevin Hull...............  American Medical Response..  Largo.
                             Jon. C. Thompson.........  Rural/Metro................  Orlando.
Georgia....................  Misty Hall...............  Mid Georgia Ambulance        Macon.
                                                         Service.
                             Richard Thompson.........  Mid Georgia Ambulance        Macon.
                                                         Service.
Hawaii.....................  William ``Lin'' Watkins..  American Medical Response..  Makawao.
Illinois...................  Carol Swank..............  Advanced Medical Transport   Peoria.
                                                         of Illinois.
                             Lisa Newell..............  Advanced Medical Transport   Peoria.
                                                         of Illinois.
Iowa.......................  Thomas Sheetz............  Medic EMS..................  Davenport.
                             Jerry Weismann...........  American Medical Response..  Iowa Falls.
                             Karla Anderson...........  Iowa EMS Association.......  West Des Moines.
                             Gary Ireland.............  Iowa EMS Association.......  West Des Moines.
Louisiana..................  Melanie Guidry...........  Acadian Ambulance and Air    Lafayette.
                                                         Med Service.
                             Troy Guidry..............  Acadian Ambulance and Air    Lafayette.
                                                         Med Service.
                             Emily Savoie.............  Med Express................  Melville.
                             Robin Rozas..............  Med Express................  Melville.
Massachusetts..............  Marie Watson.............  Lyons Ambulance Service....  Danvers.
                             Stacy Gillis.............  Lyons Ambulance Service....  Danvers.
                             Brad Wilson..............  American Medical Response..  Framingham.
                             Todd Simoes..............  Cataldo Ambulance Service..  Somerville.
                             Robert White.............  Cataldo Ambulance Service..  Somerville.
                             Michael Pandora..........  American Medical Response..  Springfield.
                             Todd Beaudet.............  Action Ambulance Service...  Wilmington.
                             Joseph V. Amello.........  Action Ambulance Service...  Wilmington.
                             Shawna A. Caponigro......  Action Ambulance Service...  Wilmington.
                             Josh Hanson (Posthumous).  American Medical Response..  Natick.
Michigan...................  Erik Youngblood..........  Huron Valley Ambulance       Ann Arbor.
                                                         Service.
                             Mike Bentley.............  LifeCare Ambulance Service.  Battle Creek.
                             John Pinkster............  Life EMS...................  Grand Rapids.
                             Roy Zigier...............  Life EMS...................  Grand Rapids.
                             Toni Tarrant.............  American Medical Response..  Pontiac.
Minnesota..................  Joe Martinez.............  Life Link III..............  Minneapolis.
                             Peter Grothem............  Gold Cross Ambulance.......  Rochester.
Mississippi................  Rosa Newman..............  American Medical Response..  Natchez.
                             Tammy Holloway...........  American Medical Response..  Jackson.
Missouri...................  Steve Bell...............  Emergency Providers/MAST...  Kansas City.
                             Chad Schipper............  Emergency Providers/MAST...  Kansas City.
Montana....................  Jeff Bakker (Posthumous).  American Medical Response..  Billings.
Nevada.....................  Ken Kavanaugh............  American Medical Response..  Las Vegas.
                             Don Vonarx...............  REMSA......................  Reno.
                             Ken Whittaker............  REMSA......................  Reno.
New Hampshire..............  Dennis Mechem............  Rockingham Regional          Nashua.
                                                         Ambulance.
                             Rebecca Coltey...........  Rockingham Regional          Nashua.
                                                         Ambulance.
                             Jennifer Shea............  American Medical Response..  Sommersworth.
New Jersey.................  Jesse VanMiddlesworth....  Med-Alert Ambulance........  Sparta.
                             Jerome Cuppia............  Med-Alert Ambulance........  Sparta.
New Mexico.................  Steve Lovato (Posthumous)  American Medical Response..  Roswell.
New York...................  Alonzo Merchant..........  Rural/Metro................  Bronx.
                             Ken Bak..................  Rural/Metro................  Buffalo.
                             Ron Barrett..............  Rural/Metro................  Buffalo.
                             Gene Buchanan............  Rural/Metro................  Corning.
                             Matthew Kanciruk.........  CHS Ambulance Service......  Farmingdale.
                             Larry Baumgart...........  Rural/Metro................  Rochester.
                             Kevin J. Sullivan........  Mohawk Ambulance Service...  Schenectady.
                             Lester Freemantle........  Mohawk Ambulance Service...  Schenectady.
                             Jeffrey Jones............  Rural/Metro................  Syracuse.

[[Page E742]]

 
                             Rob Stuck................  MetroCare Ambulance Service  White Plains.
                             Jay Robbins..............  MetroCare Ambulance Service  White Plains.
North Carolina.............  John C. Crunk............  Mecklenburg EMS............  Charlotte.
                             Eric Morrison............  Mecklenburg EMS............  Charlotte.
                             Bryon Runyon.............  Mecklenburg EMS............  Charlotte.
                             Doug Rorie...............  First Health of the          Pinehurst.
                                                         Carolinas.
                             Donna Dow................  First Health of the          Pinehurst.
                                                         Carolinas.
                             Thomas Williams..........  First Health of the          Pinehurst.
                                                         Carolinas.
                             Michael Lineberry........  First Health of the          Pinehurst.
                                                         Carolinas.
North Dakota...............  Don D. Martin (MN).......  F-M Ambulance Service......  Fargo.
Ohio.......................  Christopher Wheeler......  American Medical Response..  Akron.
                             Bradley Bell.............  Rural/Metro................  Columbus.
                             Lawrence D. Fields.......  Stofcheck Ambulance Service  LaRue.
                             Gregory Smith............  Rural/Metro................  Youngstown.
Oregon.....................  Victor Hoffer............  Metro West Ambulance.......  Hillsboro.
                             Bill Wildman.............  Metro West Ambulance.......  Hillsboro.
                             Dawn Poetter.............  Metro West Ambulance.......  Hillsboro.
                             Randy Johnson............  Metro West Ambulance.......  Hillsboro.
                             Frank Wallender..........  Metro West Ambulance.......  Hillsboro.
                             Candy Schneider..........  Metro West Ambulance.......  Hillsboro.
                             Lindy Boyersmith.........  Mercy Flights..............  Medford.
                             Sandra Gearheart.........  American Medical Response..  Milwaukie.
Pennsylvania...............  Forrest Wieder...........  Centronia Ambulance Corps..  Allentown.
                             Jeff Zeiber..............  Exeter Ambulance Service...  Reading.
South Carolina.............  Donald McCown, Jr........  Medshore Ambulance Service.  Anderson.
                             Steven A. Kelly..........  Medshore Ambulance Service.  Anderson.
                             Ernest Autry.............  First Health of the          Cheraw.
                                                         Carolinas.
South Dakota...............  Faron Wahl...............  Rural/Metro................  Sioux Falls.
Tennessee..................  Darin Hash...............  Rural/Metro................  Knoxville.
Texas......................  JoAnna Burgan............  American Medical Response..  Greenville.
                             Clifton Brown............  LifeNet EMS................  Texarkana.
Vermont....................  James Collins............  Regional Ambulance Service.  Rutland.
Virginia...................  Arthur D. White, Jr......  LifeCare Medical Transports  Fredericksburg.
                             Alison Burkholder........  American Medical Response..  Richmond.
Washington.................  Bill Munson..............  American Medical Response..  Yakima.
Wyoming....................  Ivan Maxfield............  American Medical Response..  Cheyenne.
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