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Featured Image: Ricky Menendez, Cetronia Ambulance Corps; PA Stars of Life Award
The 13th Annual Pennsylvania Star of Life Event: Recognizes those who serve others in EMS
Allentown, Pa., September 9, 2019 – The 13th Annual Pennsylvania Star of Life Event was held on Saturday, September 7 at Northern Valley EMS in Coplay, Pa. The event is hosted annually by the Ambulance Association of PA’s – Pennsylvania EMS Provider Foundation which provides education grants to qualified applicants for the development of emergency medical providers. The PA Stars of Life Event was designed to allow EMS providers to recognize their star employee(s) during an evening celebration which honors them for their dedication and contributions in EMS.
This year, Cetronia Ambulance Corps chose Ricky Menendez as its Star employee for many reasons. Ricky, 38, resides in Whitehall, Pa. and started his working career in construction in his hometown of Brooklyn, NY. His passion for the EMS industry came from a co-worker on the job site who had been a medic on the side. Ricky chose to follow this path and attended EMT school in New York and hasn’t turned back since. “I consider myself an adrenaline junkie and I love helping people. Being put into emergency situations makes your thinking skills go into action and I thrive on that type of pressure. Cetronia Ambulance Corps has given me the opportunity to greatly expand on the experience needed to be the best Paramedic I can be. They have allowed me to help train new Medics and EMTs which greatly expands on my management skills that will hopefully lead to even more opportunities for me in the future,” said Menendez.
Ricky joined Cetronia Ambulance Corps in June 2006 as an Emergency Medical Technician. He later became a Paramedic in March 2016 and continued participating in employee groups as well as special teams. Ricky also serves as a part-time Paramedic for the City of Allentown.
Ricky has contributed significantly to the growth of advanced life support in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. He is a member of the Cetronia Ambulance Corps Mobile Stroke Unit team. This unit was the first of its kind in the state of Pennsylvania, allowing the crew to start high-level diagnostics onboard through the use of CTI and video and telehealth capabilities. Ricky happily received special training through Lehigh Valley Hospital in order to operate the advanced equipment used.
Ricky also volunteered to be part of community Paramedicine. He received additional training to do this and during the past year he has been going out to interact and treat patients in their home as part of the trial program.
Ricky joined the Strike and Bike Teams early in his career and has been deployed twice for Strike Team Operations. He took it upon himself to spearhead a fund-drive to raise money to help the victims affected by the flooding of Hurricane Harvey in Texas, which led to a hard earned donation to the Salvation Army’s relief efforts.
Cetronia Ambulance Corps has also assigned Ricky to the Rescue Task Force Team and he has been doing active shooter training to prepare for such tragedies.
Ricky also serves as a field training officer and has received very positive feedback on his role as a preceptor. “He goes above and beyond daily helping new recruits develop into exceptional providers, and thoroughly enjoys coming to work each day. One of Ricky’s treasured memories is working with the Miracle League in providing support for their youth program, which gives you a little insight into the type of compassionate employee Ricky has been,” said Chris Peischl, Director of Operations for Cetronia Ambulance Corps.
“The PA Stars of Life program has been an excellent way to recruit and retain employees in a world where many EMS agencies face challenges doing just that. We couldn’t be more proud of Ricky for his hard work and dedication to our organization,” said Larry Wiersch, CEO for Cetronia Ambulance Corps.
About Cetronia Ambulance Corps:
Cetronia Ambulance Corps is a nonprofit 501c3 organization. Serving our community since 1955, we proudly serve Lynn, South Whitehall, Upper Macungie, Weisenberg and Whitehall townships, as well as portions of Lowhill, Salisbury, Greenwich and Albany Townships, and the Borough of Coplay in Eastern Pennsylvania. Our mission is to be the leader in emergency medical services, transportation and community health resources.
Cetronia Ambulance Corps is one of the largest providers of ambulance services in Eastern Pennsylvania; employing 135 full- and part-time career associates, 20 active volunteers and boasting a total fleet of 41 vehicles, including 19 ambulances, 20 para-transit vehicles, a supervisor’s vehicle, and a special services unit. As the regional leader in High Performance EMS, Cetronia Ambulance Corps fields over 60,000 calls annually, covering an emergency service area that spans across 130 square miles, touching more than 226,000 people, and a non-emergency coverage area that encompasses five counties. Cetronia Ambulance Corps is proud to support the residents of the Greater Lehigh Valley and Pocono Mountains and remains dedicated to community involvement, outreach and education in the communities it serves.
Information and images provided to TVL by:
Kim Blichar
Director of Marketing & Public Relations
www.cetronia.org
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