Honoring Utah’s Emergency Responders

(Salt Lake City, Utah) – The Utah Department of Health (UDOH), Bureau of Emergency Medical Services and Preparedness paid tribute to the emergency medical professionals representing the many dedicated heroes whose mission is saving lives.  Today’s EMS Awards Ceremony gave special recognition to several different categories of responders who went above and beyond in the handling of critical situations. 

Special recognition was given to those who responded to a vehicle versus train crash last November.  Kaysville police, the Kaysville Fire Department, the Layton Fire Department, and the Davis County Sheriff’s office all responded when a UTA Frontrunner train ran into a van carrying three people.  The adult female driver, Clara Lewis, was found in critical condition with life-threatening head injuries.

When Davis county paramedics, Deputy Shane Archibald and Deputy Shane Sorenson, discovered her airway was restricted, they elected to use a pre-hospital rapid sequence intubation (RSI) protocol they had only recently been trained in, likely saving her life.  It was the first time they’d used the procedure. 

“As I reflect on the many lives the men and women in the EMS profession have affected, my respect and admiration for their commitment and fortitude continues to expand,” said Bureau Director Paul Patrick.  “It’s one of the highlights of the year to have the opportunity to thank them publicly and acknowledge their remarkable service.”

Special recognition also went to West Valley Police Officer Kevin Peck, whose story went viral in December after he responded to an incident involving a pedestrian and a UTA bus.  24-year old Aryann Smith’s legs were pinned under the large vehicle and she was awake and frightened.  Officer Peck crawled under the bus to take her pulse and remained there, holding her hand, until fire crews were able to lift up the bus and get her out.                                

For more information on the EMS Awards Ceremony and a complete list of winners, visit the UDOH Bureau of Emergency Medical Services and Preparedness website at www.health.utah.gov/ems.

Media Contact:

Tamara Goodin

Emergency Medical Services Systems

Cell: (801) 230-2963

Office: (801) 273-6672

Kaysville Frontrunner Crash Responders to Be Honored

What:   The Utah Department of Health’s (UDOH) Bureau of Emergency Medical Services and Preparedness will celebrate emergency medical services with an awards ceremony.  During the ceremony, special recognition will be given to Emergency Medical Services personnel who responded to a crash  involving a UTA Frontrunner train and a passenger van.  Davis County Sheriff’s responders used a special, pre-hospital intubation program and the critically-injured victim survived.

Why:     To recognize and honor EMS personnel throughout Utah.

Who:     Governor Gary R. Herbert

               Dr. David Patton, Executive Director, Utah Department of Health

               Emergency Medical Services award honorees

When:   Wednesday, May 30, 2012, 10 a.m.

Where:   Utah State Capitol Rotunda

               350 North State Street

               Salt Lake City, Utah

Media Contact:

Tamara Goodin

Emergency Medical Services

Office: (801) 273-6672

Cell: (801) 230-2963

Utah Anti-tobacco Crusader is National Youth Advocate of Year

(SALT LAKE CITY) – The national Campaign for Tobacco-free Kids (CTFK) honored South Jordan Teen Gabe Glissmeyer as its national “Youth Advocate of the Year” at its 16th annual gala on May 17.

Glissmeyer, an LGBTQ youth, was honored for many achievements, including his creation of Out of the Smoke, a Utah Pride Center program dedicated to helping LGBTQ youth quit smoking. Glissmeyer, President of the Youth Leadership Board of Utah’s statewide youth tobacco-control program, One Good Reason, also played a major role in the “It’s All About the Packaging” initiative. The initiative surveyed more than 1,800 Utah teens on marketing tactics used by the tobacco industry to sell dissolvable tobacco products to youth.

“Gabe Glissmeyer and other young leaders from across the nation are making great strides in the fight against tobacco and their voices are being heard,” said Matthew L. Myers, President, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. “Young leaders like Gabe play a critical role in preventing kids from smoking and reducing tobacco’s terrible toll on our nation.”

Glissmeyer’s fight against tobacco began when his older sister picked up her first cigarette.

“Hollie turned to cigarettes at a young age and that addiction rapidly progressed into more experimentation until she chose heroin,” said Glissmeyer. “I saw how her life was falling apart and tearing apart the lives of people around her. That’s when I decided to fight back.”

In Utah, 8.5 percent of high school students smoke, and 1,500 children become daily smokers every year. Every year, tobacco use kills 1,200 Utah residents and costs the state $345 million in health care bills. 

For more information and resources visit www.TruthAgainstTobacco.com

Media Contact:

Andrea Kofoed

One Good Reason Adult Coordinator

(o) 801-538-7085 (m) 801-836-4066

Gabe Glissmeyer

Anti-tobacco Advocate

(801) 793-0410