2023 Awards Program

The 2023 Awards Program is Closed. See below for Award Recipients.

Click guidelines for more information on the Awards Process.*

*Submitting a nomination does not preclude you from submitting a nomination to EMSAC

• Skilled medic who cares immensely about her community, her co-workers, and her patients.
• Full-Time Paramedic, Kayla goes well out of her way to increase harm reduction resources in Lake County:
• Kayla attends every event she can to be able to give out Narcan and provide Narcan education.
• Initiated and organized harm reduction education at the Leadville 365 Health Fair on her own and donates her off-duty hours to it as well.
• Kayla goes above and beyond when it comes to families who have lost loved ones suddenly, including putting the house back together before getting back into service.
• Much of what she does is on a volunteer basis, outside her full-time paramedic position.
• She is a great asset and example to Leadville, Lake County, the Central Mountains Region, Colorado, and EMS as a whole.

Jeremiah Grantham, EMT- P, Director, St Vincent Health Ambulance

• Jeremiah has been a dedicated EMS leader in Lake County over the last few years as the hospital district he is managed by has struggled with organization and finances.
• He has always led with a steady hand and positivity during this incredibly challenging time, putting his patients and staff first and going over and above to hold the system together.
• As an EMS and healthcare community, we should recognize those among us who are dedicated to their communities and go to great lengths to support EMS providers.

• He is exemplary in his dedication to his staff, his profession and his community.

Steve Boyle, Fire Marshall, Leadville Lake County

• Performs his duties as Fire Marshall with great diligence, but inserts himself into the community wherever it is needed.
  • Works heavily with Red Cross, community events, local food banks, distributing smoke and carbon dioxide alarms, as well others that are too many to all list.
  • Sits as Chair for CMRETAC’s Injury Prevention Committee.
  • In between all his other duties, Fire Marshall Boyle even finds a way to respond to emergency calls. Chief Boyle does anything from helping to lift and carry patients, to running an entire scene as Incident Commander, and everything in between.
• Chief Boyle lives in the community and knows the needs of Leadville and Lake County fully. All of this is something we would very likely never have, without him as our Fire Marshall. Chief Boyle is without a doubt an irreplaceable asset for emergency services within our community.

Barry Picker, EMT, Medical Lieutenant, Southern Park County

• In 2022, Barry was promoted from senior EMT to Medical Lieutenant. In our department, these are volunteer positions. However, Barry has put in time and effort to greatly exceed expectations, and our entire community has benefitted from his service.
• He has orchestrated several community outreach programs, written a grant for a new ambulance (which was bestowed by the State of Colorado), developed an excellent in-house training program to help our crew obtain continuing education credits, and mentored our entire EMS crew. Examples of his hard work are:
  • CPR Instruction for both the department and community
  • “Stop the Bleed” classes for the department and the community
  • Stroke Awareness classes for the community
  • Opioid Overdose Program- instruction and distribution of NarCan to community members who are prescribed opioids for pain management. This program was written by Barry, and adopted by our medical direction and several agencies in Teller County.
  • Leg work for our 2023 Colorado State and RETAC grant to procure a new ambulance for our fire district, which is also a BLS transport agency.
  • Organized a curriculum for our in-house medical training, using the FireRescue1 Academy program to procure continuing education credits for all our medical providers.
  • Led the charge and helped with the groundwork to provide AEDs and CPR training for the school, library, and almost every business in the town of Guffey.
  • Suggested and implemented our “chase car” program; revising and improving our department’s response to medical emergencies. This change has tremendously lowered the response times of our district, and has effected a higher level of care for the residents and visitors to our district.
• Barry has brought a lifetime of knowledge and experience to our team and has provided excellent counsel to me as the fire chief. Our department and community are grateful for his efforts, and we would like to see him recognized for his contributions.

Summit County Dispatch

• Through significant challenges of staffing over the last few years along with the COVID-19 pandemic as well as being without an official Director for some time, Summit County Dispatch has remained steadfast in their training and dedication to a job well done.
• One significant improvement opportunity that is taught at the Resuscitation Academy in Seattle is teaching dispatchers to recognize the need for and to provide coaching so that bystanders provide compressions to pulseless patients. The reality is that Summit County’s Dispatch team has been providing this level of service since EMS in Summit County in the mid-90s!
• Since early 2019, Summit County’s fire and EMS providers have worked hard to improve their resuscitation rates from 8.8% in 2018 to an average of 27%. This has meant sending more than 36 people home from the hospital neurologically intact since January 2019. Had we maintained the 8.8% rate, it would have only been eleven individuals. The resuscitation rate in Summit County could never be that amazing without the quick recognition of pulseless patients by our dispatchers, who also provide instructions in compressions WHILE dispatching law, fire and EMS.
• EMs truly couldn’t do our jobs without them and they are absolutely deserving of this recognition.

• Critical Care Paramedic, Educator and Role Model
• Likely transferred the region’s first critical ill COVID patient, who was on a ventilator.
• Performed a cricothyrotomy on a patient with massive facial swelling
• A true expert in the field of Paramedicine
• Is an avid patient advocate
• Has taught EKG basic and advanced skills to many
• Writes a Blog, “Prehospital Wisdom”, a must-read.
• In 2021, ran more than 300 calls, including 277 911 responses and crisis calls and 31 interfacility transfers
• During the challenging times in EMS during the past two years, has “continued to demonstrate exception skill and infinite compassion that is so integral in being an outstanding paramedic”.

Summit Fire and EMS

• Individuals collectively nominated: Lieutenant Aaron Kaltenbach, Firefighter Darren Toro, Fire Medic Andrew Segura, Engineer Dennis Jackson, Paramedic Jason Kennedy, and Jamie Woodworth Division Chief of SF&E
• Nominated for their collaborative work on Injury Prevention during COVID-19
• Created an virtual injury prevention presentation during COVID, which was instrumental in being able to continue ThinkFirst programming in schools
• Partnered with St. Anthony’s Summit and were “collaborative, creative and resourceful in producing a video that demonstrated the initial resuscitation and response to victims of trauma”.

Keystone Ski Patrol

• Nominated for “dedication to providing state-of-the-art patient care in arduous conditions” specifically during four cardiac arrest events this ski season.
• Keystone Ski Patrol achieved return of spontaneous circulation on all four patients, and three had complete neurological recovery.
• This 75% success rate is unprecedented and deserves recognition.
• In addition to the cardiac arrest saves, KSP routinely providers excellent care for individuals with traumatic injuries.
• They are committed to continuous improvement of skills and processes, both at the individual patroller and leadership level.
• Thanks to the efforts of Keystone Ski Patrol, here is one example of a life saved:
  • A male in his 20’s approached a group of ski patrollers, complaining of difficulty breathing, and collapsed. The ski patrollers initiated CPR, managed the airway and alerted the clinic staff. The patient was moved to the clinic, where ski patrol integrated with the medical staff, helping to provide CPR for almost 40 minutes prior to ROSC. The patient was flown to a Denver area hospital, made a full recovery, and walked out of the hospital a few days later.
• Exceptional teamwork, patient care and integration with local and regional EMS systems makes them an outstanding EMS agency

• Nominated for a Lifetime of Service
• Became the EMS Medical Director for most of Eagle County in 1994, starting with volunteer fire departments and two ambulance districts.
• Over the next 28 years, was the common thread through department consolidations and transitions from volunteer to paid agencies.
• Under her progressive leadership and protocols, allowed some of the first EMTs in the country to place intraosseous needles in cardiac arrest patients.
• One of the first medical directors in the country to eliminate the need for backboard for spinal motion restriction, allowed paramedics to function at a critical care level before the state developed that scope of practice, and oversaw a program that allowed transfer of intra-aortic balloon pumps and patients with REBOA catheters in place.
• Oversaw expansion of ALS in Eagle County and helped imbed with ski patrol, SAR, and National Guard aviation and into the wildland fire environment.
• Although she intended to retire earlier, stayed through the COVID-19 pandemic, where Eagle County was the bullseye in Colorado ahead of most of the state. Leadership in redefining dispatch and field medical protocols were an enormous contribution.
• “At her retirement in early 2022, she was overseeing one of the most advanced EMS systems in the state. Dr. Hearne was a guiding force for EMS in Eagle County and has left an indelible mark on our District and on the profession as a whole. We appreciate her leadership and truly feel that she deserves recognition for the almost 30 years that she contributed to EMS”.

• “An example for all EMTs to follow”.
• Wildland firefighter
• 154 medical responses in the last year including multiple high acuity calls. Paramedics praise her assessment skills, bedside manner, and willingness to participate in
• Led webinars for residents on wildland fire preparedness
• Led a firefighter academic class for new hires
• Teaches EMT classes at CMC
• Completed prerequisites for Paramedic school

Andy Heyne, Paramedic, Red, White & Blue Fire District

• “A workhorse of our EMS response at RW&B”
• An employee for 8 years, ski patrol background
• Greatest attributes are “intelligence, a positive attitude, and work ethic”.
• 110 medical responses in the last year: Highlights: 2 complete recoveries for Cardiac arrest
• Lead provider for multiple Covid-19 patients, some very acutely ill. Showed bravery during this
• Helped get all BLS staff IV certified, requiring a challenging logistic effort
• Teaches EMT and IV classes for CMC
• Serves as an acting Fire captain, member of SAR Paramedics, and is a field training officer.

• “An example for all EMTs to follow”.
• Wildland firefighter
• 154 medical responses in the last year including multiple high acuity calls. Paramedics praise her assessment skills, bedside manner, and willingness to participate in
• Led webinars for residents on wildland fire preparedness
• Led a firefighter academic class for new hires
• Teaches EMT classes at CMC
• Completed prerequisites for Paramedic school

Andy Heyne, Paramedic, Red, White & Blue Fire District

• “A workhorse of our EMS response at RW&B”
• An employee for 8 years, ski patrol background
• Greatest attributes are “intelligence, a positive attitude, and work ethic”.
• 110 medical responses in the last year: Highlights: 2 complete recoveries for Cardiac arrest
• Lead provider for multiple Covid-19 patients, some very acutely ill. Showed bravery during this
• Helped get all BLS staff IV certified, requiring a challenging logistic effort
• Teaches EMT and IV classes for CMC
• Serves as an acting Fire captain, member of SAR Paramedics, and is a field training officer.

Anna Miller, Community Paramedic, Eagle County Paramedics

• Instrumental in delivering care to COVID-19 positive patients in their homes
• Community Paramedics experienced a 90% call volume increase in
• In partnership with EVBH, was instrumental in launching a new program placing naloxone in homes to address opioid addiction. The program also helps provide patients with treatment and
• This program helped some of the most vulnerable patients receive care that they needed and reduced the burden on the community
• In addition to his regular schedule and duties, took on more leadership during

Elizabeth Kruger, RN, Trauma Program Manager, Vail Health Hospital

• TPM at VHH for less than two years and has already been instrumental in education and up-to-date trauma
• Arranged trauma simulations, updated practices and policies, and is very knowledgeable with introducing
• Brings a “sense of humor that makes learning (and mistakes) “
• Calmly helps staff with procedures, including REBOA
• Stays late at night to help care for
• “We are lucky at Vail Health to have such a fun and intelligent TPM for staff, physicians, EMS and ultimately for our patients”.

Eagle County Paramedics Services

• Nominated for their “Incredible, community-wide impact they made during the epidemic, but also for the continued and tireless efforts maintained throughout the past year”.
• Eagle County was one of the 1st and hardest hit with
• Took a proactive approach to the pandemic including activating the emergency preparedness plan, securing PPE, and coordinating communication
• Proactively hired and trained 16 members of ski patrol for a surge crew. The surge but stayed on call for the
• Took a creative approach to reusable PPE
• Kept staff members safe during COVID-19
• Offered critical care inter-facility transport to surrounding areas
• Community Paramedics program went into homes for COVID-19 patients
• Use community resource navigators to support patients’ needs, including behavioral health.