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Community Corner

Two Sunstar Paramedics team members honored with national award

James Bryant, Jay Horne receive Star of Life award from American Ambulance Association

LARGO, Fla. – Two Sunstar Paramedics team members recently traveled to the nation’s capital to receive the highest national honor an Emergency Medical Service worker can receive, the Star of Life award by the American Ambulance Association.

James Bryant and Jay Horne were selected for this honor and attended three days of celebration and education in Washington, D.C. on March 24-26.

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Bryant, Assistant Supervisor, joined Sunstar in 2009. He began his EMS career in 2005, working as a firefighter, EMT and paramedic. Bryant received Dunedin VFW’s 2013 Paramedic of the Year award for his outstanding patient care, moral and ethical behavior and leadership within Sunstar and the Tampa Bay community. He serves on the special events team and All Children’s transport team for Sunstar and volunteers for numerous foundations including Shriner’s Hospital, Masonic Cardiac Medical Research Foundation, and the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

Horne, an EMT, has worked with Sunstar since 2012. He was among the first emergency responders, alongside Sunstar’s Christopher Jennings, on the scene of Ireland Nugent’s tragic riding lawnmower accident. Ireland, who was 2 years old at the time, had to undergo two below-the-knee amputations. Horne assisted in transferring Ireland to the Bayflite crew, showing top-notch emergency response skills while responding with the highest level of calm and competence under such an emotional situation. Since the accident, Ireland has had a successful road to recovery and is walking well with the help of prosthetics.

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The Star of Life awards recognize the nation’s top ambulance service professionals, including paramedics, EMTs, dispatchers, customer service representatives and other operations personnel. The 2014 awards honored 82 professionals in the EMS industry.

“James and Jay truly exemplify what the Star of Life award represents,” said Mark Postma, Chief Operating Officer of Sunstar Paramedics. “We are thrilled to have them recognized among the nation’s best emergency medical service professionals, as they both play an integral role at Sunstar and in the community.” 

About Sunstar Paramedics:

Sunstar is the 911 ambulance transport service for all Pinellas County residents, employing 550 local residents, and responding to around 500 calls a day. Highly awarded and accredited, Sunstar utilizes state-of-the-art equipment and software, and (along with parent company Paramedics Plus) is an innovator of the industry’s best practices. Sunstar’s people are heavily involved in Pinellas communities, focusing largely on public safety programs for the public and for schools.

Sunstar is also a recipient of the Florida Governor's Sterling Award, the state’s most prestigious award recognizing “role models for organizational performance excellence.” More info at SunstarEMS.com.     

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