Buffalo operations supervisor to be honored at annual Stars of Life awards in Washington, DC

Michael Arquette, an operations supervisor with American Medical Response (AMR) in Buffalo, was named one of 32 Global Medical Response (GMR) “Stars of Life.”

The program honors EMS first responders “who have completed extraordinary acts of service for their patients, colleagues, communities or the EMS profession.” Honorees from across the country will be recognized at the American Ambulance Association (AAA) “Stars of Life” Awards Ceremony, in Washington, D.C., from Nov. 5-8.

“This award is among the highest honors an EMS professional can receive,” said Eric Conley, operations manager for AMR. “Michael is a true hero. The level of care, expertise and compassion he demonstrated on May 14, 2022, one of the worst mass shootings that our nation has recently experienced, is utterly amazing. That day was tragic, and yet, there was Michael staying focused on caring for the victims of that shooting, making sure they got the care they needed while also protecting his fellow EMS professionals from having to witness more than they needed to see.”

Arquette responded to the call for last year’s mass shooting at Tops Friendly Markets supermarket in the east side neighborhood. The mass shooting resulted in the death of 10 people and injury to three others. He said he feels privileged to be honored as one of the 2023 “Stars of Life.”

“I’ll never forget that day: It was one of the most awful events I’ve ever experienced in my EMS career,” Arquette said. “I just remember taking a deep breath and going right to work, directing all my attention to providing emergency medical intervention to everyone I could who was affected by that disastrous situation. I don’t think of myself as a ‘hero,’ but as someone who was just doing my job in caring for my community.”

A press release stated, “Each GMR ‘Star of Life’ represents an incredible story of service and dedication in every area of the EMS industry, and is selected by their peers in an extensive nomination process.”

Nick Loporcaro, president and CEO of GMR said, “Our ‘Stars’ are all exceptional EMS professionals who are very deserving of this important recognition. They represent the thousands of GMR first responders who have committed to a profession of service to others. On behalf of all GMR team members, we send our sincerest congratulations and appreciation to all our 2023 ‘Stars.’ ”