Brevard County Fire Rescue, Health First’s David Schmitt Honored With EMS Awards

By  //  July 10, 2015

Florida Emergency Medical Services awards

On hand to accept this prestigious award for Brevard County Fire Rescue was Fire Chief Mark Schollmeyer, Medical Director Dr. John McPherson, Assistant Chief Brad Hall, Stephanie Cotton, Francesca Basinger and Orlando Dominguez. (BCFR image)
On hand to accept this prestigious award for Brevard County Fire Rescue was Fire Chief Mark Schollmeyer, Medical Director Dr. John McPherson, Assistant Chief Brad Hall, Stephanie Cotton, Francesca Basinger and Orlando Dominguez. (BCFR image)

ORLANDO, FLORIDA – Brevard County Fire Rescue and David Schmitt of the Health First Training Center were honored with 2015 State of Florida Emergency Medical Services awards on Thursday evening in Orlando.

Brevard County Fire Rescue was selected as the 2015 State of Florida Emergency Medical Services Provider of the Year and Schmitt, Supervisor and Lead Instructor of the Health First Training Center, was  recognized as the Emergency Medical Services Educator of the Year.

The awards were presented in conjunction with State EMS Advisory Council meetings and the EMLRC’s 41st Annual Clinical Conference on Emergency Medical Services.

On hand to accept this prestigious award for Brevard County Fire Rescue was Fire Chief Mark Schollmeyer, Medical Director Dr. John McPherson, Assistant Chief Brad Hall, Stephanie Cotton, Francesca Basinger and Orlando Dominguez.

“We wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you to everyone who made this possible,” said Chief Schollmeyer to his troops.

Mark Schollmeyer
Mark Schollmeyer

“Your unselfish commitment to EMS is the reason we were selected. To our dispatchers, fleet, logistics, finance and training team, thank you for for being the glue that makes things happen behind the scenes. To all the Brevard County Fire Rescue men and women who day-in and day-out provide outstanding patient care to our Brevard County citizens and guests this award belongs to you.

“Your unwavering commitment to quality patient care is what sets our EMS system apart from the rest. You are truly the finest group of EMS professionals in Brevard County and now, the State of Florida.”

Schmitt is a longtime EMT-Paramedic and an experienced advanced provider and instructor in the delivery of acute care, resuscitation and stabilization of the sick and injured.

 David Schmitt
David Schmitt

“We are very proud of David for being named EMS Educator of the Year,” said Paula Just, Chief Human Resources Officer for Health First.

“Thanks to his leadership and dedication our Training Center helps train thousands of first responders and members of our community in life-saving skills that make Brevard County a safer place to live and visit.”

The 2015 statewide EMS awards were sponsored by the Emergency Medicine Learning and Resource Center (EMLRC), an Orlando-based learning consortium.

For 25 years, the EMS section has honored outstanding Florida EMS organizations and individuals who make a positive impact on local EMS throughout the state.

 Dr. John Armstrong
Dr. John Armstrong

“I am pleased to recognize the efforts of Florida’s EMS professionals who work tirelessly to save lives every day through state-of-the-art pre-hospital care,” said State Surgeon General and Secretary of Health Dr. John Armstrong.

“Congratulations to the statewide EMS award recipients for demonstrating service excellence and teamwork in their communities.”

2015 State of Florida Emergency Medical Services Winners Included:

• EMS Provider of the Year: Brevard County Fire Rescue

• EMS Educator of the Year: David Schmitt, Health First Training Center

• Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) of the Year: Tsambika (Sam) Aysh, Sunstar Paramedics

• Paramedic of the Year: David Torsell, Alachua County Fire Rescue

• EMS Nurse of the Year: Sara Webb, Sunstar Paramedics

• Larry S. Jordan EMS Hall of Fame: Cory Richter, Indian River Fire Rescue

• Marilyn Crook EMS Pioneer: Daniel McNeil, Sunrise Fire Rescue Department

• Friend to EMS: Rick Leary, County Administrator, Putnam County

• Raymond H. Alexander, MD, EMS Medical Director of the Year: J. Bracken Burns, Jr., D.O., Medical Director for TraumaOne Flight Services at UF Health Jacksonville

• 911 Public Safety Telecommunicator of the Year: Jeanne Shadaram, Lee County PST

• Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMSC): Rosanne Conliffe, Shands at UF

• Video of the Year: Sunstar Paramedics

• Photo of the Year: Lifeguard Ambulance

For more information about the Excellence in Emergency Medical Services award program, please visit EMLRC.org

FLORIDA-EMS-580-1
The 2015 statewide EMS awards were sponsored by the Emergency Medicine Learning and Resource Center (EMLRC), an Orlando-based learning consortium. For 25 years, the EMS section has honored outstanding Florida EMS organizations and individuals who make a positive impact on local EMS throughout the state. (Image for SpaceCoastDaily.com)