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The 1990s

In 1990 the Kentucky Ambulance Providers Association held their first Kentucky EMS Conference and Expo in Louisville and I would serve on their conference committee for 30 years through 2018.

Also in 1990 I left Frankfort Fire & EMS and returned to Louisville EMS as a paramedic. Frankfort Fire & EMS was firmly established and fully operating as an advanced life support EMS service, and Louisville was in the process of merging their EMS into the Louisville Fire Department. While I was very proud of the accomplishments that Frankfort Fire & EMS had made, I still was very attached to Louisville (where I still lived) and, since I now had experience with a large fire-based EMS system, wanted to be a part of this merger process.

In 1991 I was honored by President George H. W. Bush with a Presidential Commendation for Community Service.

In 1991 I competed in a state EMS competion and my EMT partner and I earned first place. In 1993 I placed second in an individual paramedic competition.

In 1995 I was honored with the Kentucky Ambulance Providers Association's 1995 Special Recognition Award.

In 1995 I left the Louisville Fire Department and became a full-time Flight Paramedic with Jewish Hospital SKYCARE, the first civilian Helicopter Emergency Medical Service in Kentucky. As a flight paramedic, there were so many new things to learn and do and, by working for a hospital I had the wonderful opportunity to further advance as a critical-care paramedic.

Due to our large area of flight operations I also had to earn my Indiana paramedic certification.

In 1996, when the Internet was just becoming popular, I started the industry news Internet site The Kentucky EMS Connection with the goal of improving communication and the exchange of information and ideas within the Kentucky EMS community. One of our weaknesses in EMS was that there were multiple professional associations working to improve EMS in Kentucky, but they were not working together and not coordinating their efforts. In 1996, most people were not using electronic mail and were not getting their news from the Internet.

The Kentucky EMS Connection made it possible for everyone working in Kentucky EMS to learn what was going on within our state EMS agency and to share ideas in a new way that was rapid and convenient.

In 1997 I was honored with the Kentucky Cabinet for Health Services' 1997 EMS Special Recognition Award.

In 1998 I was the designer of the Air Medical Memorial Wings that are worn in remembrance of those air medical flight crew members who have died in the line-of-duty. Any profits from the sale of this jewelry go to a bereavement fund.

In 1998 Jewish Hospital SKYCARE merged with University of Louisville Hospital StatFlight (and to a lesser degree, with Kosair Childrens' Hospital Just For Kids Transport Team) to become Louisville Medical Center STATCARE. With thi merger I was placed into both a flight and education positions.

In the late 1990s I also purchased my first professional camera, a Hasselblad medium-format, which is a camera that I had dreamed of since the 1960s.

in 1999 my first granddaughter, Cassandra Elizabeth, was born.