The National Emergency Medical Services Week is held each year during the month of May. To celebrate, the Yakima County Department of EMS along with the assistance of community members holds an “EMS Award Ceremony”. The ceremony closes EMS week with a celebration and a thank you to those agencies, men and women who serve our community each and every day. Volunteer firefighters make up over 60% of Yakima Valley’s EMS response. Men and women waiting for their pager to go off, calling them away from their families or jobs to medical calls, fires and more. Kids and family events are interrupted repeatedly as they sacrifice those events for us. The system would not be functional without the services of the local fire department volunteers, the full-time firefighters, ambulance crews, emergency rooms nurses and physicians, dispatchers, and so many more. On this day, we say thank you. Thank you for the commitment you’ve made to our community and thank you for providing excellent care.
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Mayor Micah Cawley with opening statements |
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High School Essay Winner (Kelly Gooss) |
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Middle School Essay Winner (Natalie Bartlett) |
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Middle School Essay Award (Kylie Thorndike) |
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Middle School Essay Award (Alicia Alvarez) |
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“20 Years of Service” Award to Diane Koch, EMS Secretary |
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“Friend of EMS” Award to Pete Orgill, Davis High School |
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“RN of Excellence” Award to Tamara Pettis, Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital |
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“Tele-Communicator of the Year” Award to Cheryl Miller, SUNCOMM |
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“Educator of the Year” Award to Lora Robinson, Yakima County EMS Office |
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“Administrator of the Year” Award to Ken Shipman, Fire District #5 Dispatch |
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“Volunteer of the Year” Award to Wayne Guckert, Toppenish Fire Department - with over 30 years of service |
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"First Responder of the Year” Award to Brandon Torson, West Valley Fire Department |
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“EMT of the Year” Award to Dwight Derby, Advanced Life Systems |
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“Paramedic of the Year” to Jim Curtice, Gleed Fire Department |
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Medical Director Award to Roger Nelson, Yakima County Fire District #5 |
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Medical Director Award to Cara Bardwell, American Medical Response |
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Medical Director Leadership Award to Candace Hamilton, EMS Manager |
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Special Thanks to the Capitol Theatre |
Thank you to everyone who made the 2010 EMS Award Ceremony possible: Brother Jack Henderson, Mayor Micah Cawley, John Stouffer, Chief Charlie Hines, Chief Steve Smith, American Medical Response, Advanced Life Systems, Kim Bersing (YVMH) and the Yakima Valley School Districts and Leslie Porter (photography).
