Star of Life Awards honor area fire and EMS divisions

Staff Report
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News in Brief
News in Brief

COLUMBUS – An Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center doctor received the highest honor and two Wayne County fire departments (East Wayne Fire District and Wooster City Division of Fire) were among the honorees Wednesday during the annual Ohio Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Star of Life Awards ceremony, according to a news release.

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Presented by the Ohio Department of Public Safety’s Division of EMS, the State Board of Emergency Medical, Fire, and Transportation Services (EMFTS) and the Ohio Chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians (Ohio ACEP), the awards recognize Ohio’s outstanding pre-hospital providers.

“Ohio EMS responded to about 4 million emergency runs during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Ohio EMS Executive Director Rob Wagoner in the release “EMS teams are always ready to provide critical, lifesaving care to those in need 24 hours a day, seven days a week, regardless of the risks.”

Howard A. Werman, M.D., received the Jack B. Liberator Lifetime Achievement Award. Dr. Werman has dedicated over 40 years to emergency medical care. He entered The Ohio State University for his emergency medicine residency in 1981, where he has built incredible collaborations with leaders in the field of EMS and contributed numerous publications to the areas of resuscitation, patient transport, trauma, and EMS practices. His charisma and passion have had a positive impact on EMS through his lifetime of leadership.

The Ohio EMS Star of Life Awards bring together local communities and medical personnel to honor the dedication of those who provide the day-to-day lifesaving services on medicine's front lines. The awards exemplify the commitment and dedication of the over 41,000 EMS providers in Ohio who provide an essential community service every day.

EMS Star of Life Awards recipients:

Ohio EMS Stars 

  • Anna Rescue Squad

  • Akron Fire and EMS Department

  • East Wayne Fire District

  • City of Hamilton Fire and EMS and MedFlight

  • City of Union Fire Department

  • Columbia Township Fire Department

  • Ross Township Fire Department

  • MedFlight 4, Uhrichsville Fire Department and Smith Ambulance

  • Urbana Fire Division

  • Wooster City Division of Fire

Ohio EMS Agency of the Year 

  • Captain Matthew Parrish, Columbus Division of Fire

Ohio EMS Provider of the Year

  • Delaware County Emergency Medical Services

Ohio EMS Medical Director of the Year   

  • Ashley D. Larrimore, Medical Director for the Center of EMS at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Whitehall Division of Fire, Newark Division of Fire and EMS Department                          

Frank Giampetro Distinguished EMS Educator Award 

  • Ashish R. Panchal, MD, PhD, Associate Professor and EMS Fellowship Director in the Department of Emergency Medicine in the College of Medicine and a Clinical Associate Professor in the Division of Epidemiology at the College of Public Health at The Ohio State University

Jack B. Liberator Lifetime Achievement Award 

  • Howard A. Werman, MD., The Ohio State University, Wexner Medical Center

Complete narratives of Star of Life Awards recipients can be viewed at ems.ohio.gov.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: East Wayne Fire District, Wooster City Division of Fire earn award