OREM -- Events last year weren't typical for emergency response workers. The 365 days of 1999 brought numerous challenges.
There were public shootings, massive traffic accidents, a growing number of violent road rage incidents, avalanches -- even a tornado.Mighty challenges, indeed. But not too mighty for the medical, fire and emergency crews in Utah trained to do their jobs, said Jan Buttrey, director of the Bureau of Emergency Medical Services.
"We had several incidents that were more than remarkable," said Buttrey, who spoke in Orem Monday at an awards ceremony for EMS personnel.
"This was the year of the unexpected and the unthinkable," she said. "We proved we can operate efficiently as a seamless, statewide system."
Buttrey commended the 18 different agencies from Lehi to Sandy for "outstanding performances under extreme conditions" when a tornado touched down in Salt Lake City. One man was killed and dozens injured.
She also lauded those who saved lives "in a combat zone" when Sergei Babarin, a Russian immigrant who had stopped taking medication for a mental illness, opened fire at the LDS Family History Library.
In addition, she applauded the paramedics who started out to deal with "a single car rollover" involving Alta High School students that actually involved three vehicles and seven patients.
Scott Williams, deputy director of the Utah Department of Health, said by the time news cameras and reporters arrive on at a disaster scene, those who have actually saved lives are usually gone.
Williams helped give a "Heroism of the Heart" award to the helicopter ambulance team that transported a critically ill toddler from South Carolina to Utah during the Independence Day weekend.
Springville's ambulance association also was honored for recognizing and insisting a young accident victim be immobilized. If the paramedics had not been properly trained and realized the potential dangers, 1-year-old Kelby Sessions could have been permanently paralyzed, said Williams.
Instead, she's fully recovered.
Price dispatcher Sherry Hammond received honors for keeping her composure during a stressful shift that included a call from a 5-year-old boy who saw his father shoot his mother and then himself.
Roy's fire department was honored for caring for a pedestrian hit and badly injured by a semi-tractor trailer truck. The rescue personnel needed only 13 minutes before they had the male victim headed to the hospital.
In the Fruit Heights area, a group of bicyclists were hit by a truck driven by a drunken man. Three were seriously injured and were saved by agency employees who knew what to do immediately.
"My injuries were such they should have left (me) dead in 10 minutes," said Brian Carlson, who lost a leg in the accident. "Instead, I've returned to a career I love, I've married, and I'm alive."
Also honored were Deanna Wolfe, Nurse of the Year; Teresa Child, Dispatcher of the Year; Michael Kilfoyle, EMT of the Year; Mansoor Emam, Physician of the Year; and Marty Wilson, Instructor of the Year.
Paramedic Eric Froerer, who lost an arm in a farming accident, was also honored as Paramedic of the Year for his courage and determination shown in returning to fly air rescue helicopters.
E-mail: haddoc@desnews.com