Mount St. Mary's Hospital's EmStar ER to salute local EMS personnel

The EmStar Emergency Department of Mount St. Mary's Hospital and Health Center will recognize local emergency medical service professionals at an award's dinner on Wednesday, May 25, at the Niagara Falls Country Club.  The dinner will begin at 6:30 p.m.

Sponsored by Mount St. Mary's Hospital and the BEA Group, the group of physicians that staff the hospital's EmStar Emergency Department, the dinner is being held in conjunction with the hospital's recognition of National EMS Week. Dr. Lloyd W. Brown, chief of the department of emergency medicine/EmStar, is the organizer of the event to salute EMS excellence.

"The initial treatment provided by the EMS professionals is extremely important and often life-saving," Brown said. "We are proud to be associated with the EMS teams that provide the first-responder care to individuals before they are in our care." 

"This is an opportunity for us to say 'thank you' to these dedicated professionals and community volunteers," said Judith A. Maness, president and CEO of Mount St. Mary's Hospital and Health Center.  "We appreciate their service and want to draw attention to their excellence."

Niagara County Sheriff James Voutour will address the gathering.

Awards to be presented include:

• Lewiston No. 2 Volunteer Fire Co.:  Shawn Cecula, Sandra Johnson, Ed Zimmerman and George Green for efforts that saved a 27-year-old male in respiratory arrest;
• Niagara Falls Fire Department - truck No. 1/shift No. 1: Capt. Gary Carella, firefighter Brian Patronski, firefighter Bernard Lucantonio and firefighter Frank Cacciatore, for saving a victim from a house fire;
• Douglas White, EMS captain of the Ransomville Volunteer Fire Co., for extra effort in service to the community;
• Robin Zastrow (president) and Fred Ohlson IV (AEMT-CC) of Tri-Community Ambulance, and Bruce Mack of Frontier Volunteer Fire Co., for quick response to a call for a heart attack
• Edward Rivers, paramedic of Rural/Metro Medical Services, for response to a man with chest pain; and
• Niagara Falls Fire Department Capt. Thomas Colangelo, Capt. Jeffrey Frazier, firefighter Brian Patronski, firefighter Thomas Tedesco, Lewiston No. 1 Volunteer Fire Co. and Upper Mountain Volunteer Fire Co., for saving a heart attack victim.

More than 100 people are expected to attend.