In 2010 I was appointed to the Kentucky Board of Emergency Medical Services' EMS Memorial Committee, serving on that committee until we replaced the committee with an independent non-profit Kentucky EMS Memorial Foundation in 2011. I served on the foundation's Board of Directors as their Vice-Chair from 2011 through 2018.
In 2010 I was awarded an Honorable Mention ribbon in the Kentucky State Fair, Fine Arts Division.
In 2011 I left Air Methods and returned to the ground ambulance industry, beginning a position with Rural/Metro Corporation as their Regional Director of Public Affairs for their Kentucky, Indiana, and Southwest Ohio Ambulance Division.
In 2011 I was elected to the Executive Board of the Kentucky Ambulance Providers Association's Board of Directors. I served on the Executive Board until 2015, when I no longer was eligible for a board position. However, in 2015 I was appointed by the board to the position of Public Affairs Consultant and served in that position through 2018. I also served as editor of the Kentucky Ambulance Providers Association's quarterly newsletter, The Provider, from 2011 until 2018.
In 2011 I was appointed to the Kentucky EMS Information System (KEMSIS) Task Force by the Kentucky Board of Emergency Medical Services and served on that task force through 2013 when it was replaced the following year with a standing committee that I was then appointed to.
In 2011 I also became a member of the Kentucky Healthcare Emergency Response Association Region VI, and its EMS Committee, serving until 2018. I also became a member of the Greater Louisville Medical Society's EMS Diversion Council, serving until 2018.
In 2011 I was awarded a First Place Ribbon in the Kentucky State Fair, Fine Arts Division.
In 2013 I was honored with the Kentucky Ambulance Providers Association's President's Award.
Also in 2013 I was awarded a Third Place ribbon in the Kentucky State Fair, Fine Arts Division.
I left Rural/Metro Corporation in 2015 and returned to the Helicopter Emergency Medical Services industry, taking a position in public relations and relationship management at Air Evac EMS, Inc. (an Air Medical Group Holdings company).
In 2014 I was appointed to the Kentucky Ambulance Providers Association's Medicaid Reimbursement Committee, which I served on until 2018.
In 2014 I was also appointed to the Kentucky Board of Emergency Medical Services' Data Collection Standing Committee, serving as Vice-Chair from 2014 until 2016, and then as Chair from 2016 through 2018.
In 2014 I served on the Kentucky Board of Emergency Medical Services' Preliminary Inquiry Board, hearing complaints that had been filed against EMS providers and then making recommendations to the full board regarding disciplinary action.
In 2015 I was honored with the Kentucky Ambulance Providers Association's Above and Beyond Award.
In 2016 I worked with the Kentucky Ambulance Providers Association to successfully lobby for Kentucky House Bill 54, the John Mackey Act, which extended line-of-duty death benefits to some EMS survivors in Kentucky.
In 2016 and 2017 I worked with the Kentucky Ambulance Providers Association to successfully lobby for H.R. 304, the Protecting Patient Access to Emergency Medications Act of 2016, which ammended the Controlled Substances Act to ensure that EMS agencies would continue to have the ability to administer controlled substances by medical protocol in emergency situations. This bill passed the U.S. House in January of 2017, passed the U.S. Senate in November of 2017, and was signed into law by President Donald Trump on November 17, 2017.
In 2017 I was included in the national EMS industry news Internet site EMS1's 2017 class of EMS Pioneers and they featured my EMS story in their January edition of the series.
In 2018 I entered semi-retirement and left my position at Air Evac Lifeteam. However I retained my board positions as Vice Chair of the Kentucky EMS Memorial Foundation Inc., Chair of the Kentucky Board of Emergency Medical Services' Data Collection Standing Committee, and as a coordinator for the Kentucky Ambulance Providers Association's Kentucky EMS Conference and Expo.
In January, 2018, I was honored to serve on the first Kentucky Board of Emergency Medical Services' EMS Line-Of-Duty Death Review Panel in recognition of work done to help pass Kentucky's EMS Line-Of-Duty Death Benefit statute.
On February 15, 2018, my sister Eloise was hospitalized with complications from the flu and she passed away peacefully during the evening on March 5 with her immediate family by her side while listening to John Denver music.
On March 1, 2018, I transferred ownership of the Kentucky EMS Connection after 22 years of being their editor-in-chief to the Kentucky Ambulance Providers Association. In a news article published that day I was quoted as saying: "I fully believe that the Kentucky Ambulance Providers Association already has a culture that will allow it to follow the journalistic principles that are important to me. KAPA has demonstrated that they are working for the betterment of the EMS profession as a whole. They focus on what is relevant to EMS, they have a vision for the future, and they are dedicated to the Kentucky EMS practitioners as a whole. They have also demonstrated that they are independent from other associations and the Kentucky Board of Emergency Medical Services, and they have always welcomed public criticism and compromise. To me, KAPA is the best organization to pass the torch to and I am confident that they will do a wonderful job."
I was honored to have been a member of the Kentucky Ambulance Providers Association's Congressional Delegation starting in 2005, visiting with Kentucky's Congressmen and their legislative assistants in their local and Washington, D.C., offices to discuss federal issues that affect emergency medical services, including reimbursements, grants, emergency medication shortages, and vehicle safety. These visits were instrumental in advancing emergency medical services not only in Kentucky but in the entire nation, as evidenced by the American Ambulance Association recognizing us with their 2008 Partnership Award.
On May 14, 2018, I made my last trip to our nation's capital with this group as I transitioned into retirement. During this last trip we had a productive few days of meetings and I got to say good-bye to many Congressmen and staff whom I had enjoyed working with during the past 14 years. At the end of our meetings U.S. Representative Andy Barr recognized my friend Tom and I, as we were both retiring, in the Capitol's Rayburn Reception Room, which was a true honor.
On October 16, 2018, I was awarded a first place premium ribbon in the 2018 Kentucky State Fair for a monochrome photograph that I entered into the Fine Arts Accomplished Photographer Division.
This photograph was taken during a snowstorm on the first day of spring a few blocks from my house and was entered into the category titled "The Great Outdoors.
On September 11, 2018, I reached my 50-year EMS career goal and announced that I would be retiring at the end of the year and fully retired from Emergency Medical Services on January 1, 2019.
In August, 2019, I was awarded an Honorable Mention ribbon in the 2019 Kentucky State Fair in the Fine Arts Accomplished Photographer Division.
In December, 2019, I received the The Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award from Marquis Who's Who, an honor reserved for biographees who have demonstrated leadership, excellence and longevity within their respective industries and professions.
2017 EMS1 EMS Pioneers article: