News

Chris Farley
Critical Care Transport EMT
Boston Medflight

Boston MedFlight was fortunate to hire Chris in February 2020. Although he had worked in EMS in the Merrimack Valley since 2011, he clearly explained to us that he wanted to assure he had the experience and knowledge necessary before moving into critical care transport with Boston MedFlight. Chris was a standout EMT providing BLS 911 emergency services to Lawrence General Hospital prior to BMF and he has continued that performance ever since.

Almost immediately after Chris completed training and orientation with Boston MedFlight, we were confronted with the COVID pandemic onslaught. Chris helped develop our COVID protection and decontamination protocols and assured all our crews were adequately trained. Not a showy guy, Chris is the quiet professional who can always be counted on to ensure quality patient care. He maintains a spotless safe driving record, cleans the trucks without anyone asking, inspects his vehicle thoroughly, writes up discrepancies and does all the daily work expected of an EMT professional. It is the things he does beyond the job description that make him a Star. He motivates his crew when the shift gets long; he assists the nurse and paramedics with restocking and decontaminating the vehicles; he provides bedside care and support for our patients, and their family members; and readily offers his time to cover open shifts or reposition vehicles for maintenance.

Few would know it, but Chris began his working life as a professional baseball player. Pitching in the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees and St. Louis Cardinals organizations, Chris spend nearly ten years in the minor leagues before an injury led him to a second career in healthcare. And he chose his second career wisely. His friendly, unassuming demeanor exudes caring confidence that makes him popular with our patients, families and crews.

Chris is the whole package: a talented healthcare provider, a dedicated employee, a caring individual, and a friend to his coworkers. He is truly deserving of the Star of Life award and recognition.

Fred Jeffries
Critical Care Transport Paramedic
Boston Medflight

Fred Jeffries, EMT-P, came to Boston MedFlight in January 2011 as an experienced flight paramedic. Fred had spent years learning and perfecting his critical care transport skills working for helicopter air ambulance providers in Northern California.

Fred immediately adapted to his new environment and the wide scope of critical care Boston MedFlight provides to our region. After only a few years on the line as a shift paramedic, Fred volunteered to become a preceptor and eventually clinical educator for Boston MedFlight. As an educator, Fred has the tremendous responsibility to educate and orient new clinical staff. He often takes new hires from general nursing or trauma care nursing experience to critical care expertise. Additionally, through his personal interest in safety, he has taken on the role as our crew resource management trainer, understanding and teaching that essential communication link between the aviation and clinical professionals.

Many people see problem areas, but Fred is the person who sees the problem and takes action! Fred recognized a lack of familiarization and safety training for clinical staff flying in our turboprop airplane. This lack of familiarization caused a hesitance for crews to transport patients in this vehicle. Tackling the problem head on, Fred developed a training syllabus that addressed many areas of concern, taught safety procedures and included hands-on simulation, inflight to gain acceptance by the crews. His training program has been a model for our other vehicle indoctrination program.

Fred Jeffries is a talented clinician and educator, a caring healthcare professional and truly deserving of the Star of Life award and recognition.

Erica Bulshey
Advanced EMT
County Ambulance

Erica joined County Ambulance Service as a Basic EMT in 2008 after serving as a volunteer first responder with the Florida Fire Department beginning 2001. She became an Advanced EMT in 2011 and is currently studying to obtain her paramedic certification.

Erica has always been known for her willingness to help under any circumstances but has really made her mark during the pandemic. She was one of the original members of the County Ambulance COVID response team. Erica has taken a lead role on the team helping coordinate the many testing operations and most recently assisting with our vaccination site efforts.

When not at work caring for those in need or one of our many testing/vaccinations sites Erica enjoys her greatest hobby - being a "fur" mom to her three dogs (Jax, Sadie and Luna)!

We at County Ambulance are proud to call Erica a star!

Stacy Caterina
MIH Paramedic
Cataldo Ambulance

Like many in EMS, Stacy got her start after a traumatic incident. Her father,a State Police officer, was killed in a motorcycle accident. It was a Lynn Fire Rescue paramedic that suggested EMS as a career option for her. Starting as an EMT with Cataldo eleven years ago, changed her life. The recipient of a paramedic scholarship, Stacy has become a seasoned clinician who now supports other paramedics and has recently gone on to become a MIH paramedic, furthering her dedication to caring for those in need.

When she’s not in uniform as a paramedic, Stacy Caterina still uses her time to support others. One place you might find her is training local fire departments on the use of autism-friendly techniques. Raised in Lynn and living in Peabody, she has always been focused on supporting her community. In part due to her efforts, local fire rescue teams now integrate these new skills in support of the autism community. She has also raised thousands of dollars to support impoverished families in Lynn, and regularly rallies fellow EMS colleagues to support shelters, DCF and Head Start programs.

The parent of an autistic child, a full time mom raising four children and juggling a busy schedule, Stacy always has time to share her energy and enthusiasm for her patients and her community. She has had significant challenges to face, and through each she has found a way to create something of value, enriching other people’s lives in the process.

Chris Bargmann
Paramedic
Northern Berkshire EMS

After many years in another industry Chris Bargmann wanted a career where he could serve people in a more caring and compassionate role. Receiving his EMT certificate in Minnesota in 2013 he then relocated to Western Massachusetts where he worked for Action Ambulance (2016-current) primarily out of the Hadley Fire Department location. He took a short break to recover from open heart surgery then decided he wanted to do more in his EMS role. He continued to work full time at Action while going to school to receive his Paramedic License. With that in hand was offered an opportunity to work at the esteemed Northampton Fire Department (2020) as a Fire/Medic while still helping at Action Ambulance when needed.

He was honored to be working with Northampton Fire but was offered a position with the non-profit organization Northern Berkshire EMS (2020-Current) in North Adams where he could continue his career of caring directly for patients as a medic. The family feel of NBEMS was a much better fit him and he remains there today caring for the people of North Adams Massachusetts.

Chris is one of the most caring providers around. he is a true representation of what it means to be a Paramedic/healthcare provider. His willingness to learn, hardworking mentality and his integrity help to inspire others around her. Many seek Chris out as a mentor due to his easy going and calm demeanor. Nobody is ever a bother and Chris is very easy to speak with. When he is not cleaning the station or washing his truck, Chris has been found helping others study for exams both in EMS and Nursing. It is with that; we are honored to submit Paramedic Chris Bargmann for the Star of Life award.

Antonio Velazquez
EMT
Patriot Ambulance

Antonio "Tony" Velazquez began his career at Patriot back in November 2009. He took after his Father who spent 30 years working as an EMT. Tony excels at providing compassionate care and comfort to all of his patients, often putting a smile on their faces with his humor. He is a great mentor to new and seasoned employees. He is also an amazing Grandfather to his 4-month-old grandson. We are proud that he is a part of the Patriot family!

Camron Kennedy
Paramedic
Patriot Ambulance

Camron Kennedy came to Patriot Ambulance in January of 2020 after spending 2-1/2 years in Louisiana as a critical care Paramedic. His knowledge and experience came right along with him - making him a great mentor to his co-workers. Camron's positive attitude and willingness to help others is truly inspiring. His patient care is second to none. We are proud that he is a part of the Patriot family!

Mark Davenport

EMT
Spaulding Rehab Hospital Ambulance

Mark Davenport has been with Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital Ambulance Service since 2016. He brings an energy and drive with him every day that is unmatched. Mark is continually looking for opportunities to improve himself and his knowledge, his clinical skills and his ability to provide outstanding patient care. It was his energy and drive to succeed that made him a natural choice to help the department in our COVID-19 response. As the network was preparing to begin receiving COVID patients that were in need of post-acute care, the department needed to develop policies and practices that kept provider safety at the forefront without compromising the ability to care for patients. Mark helped to develop all our safety protocols and train all department staff. During the COVID pandemic, Mark served as our Safety Officer and made it his personal goal to keep our staff safe. The safety program that Mark developed went far beyond the written procedures and created an environment where the EMTs and Paramedics that were transporting COVID patients felt safe and secure that their safety was of the utmost priority. In the early days of the pandemic response, Mark's efforts and work in developing and implementing our safety program, helped reduce provider stress and anxiety, allowing them to focus on patient care while knowing that he had their back and was watching out for them. We thank Mark for his dedication and commitment to keeping our crews safe and are proud to call Mark Davenport our 2021 Massachusetts Star of Life.

Glen Timmons
Mobile Healthcare Paramedic
Spaulding Rehab Hospital Ambulance 

Glen has been with Spaulding Hospital Ambulance Service since 2018. From the moment he joined the organization, Glen continually goes above and beyond to provide the highest levels of clinical care and professionalism. He is seen a leader and role model by his peers and is well respected across the network. Glen's decades of experience and drive to succeed made him the ideal clinician as the department began operating a mobile healthcare program as part of the COVID-19 response. Since our mobile healthcare program launched last spring, Glen has been the primary clinical provider for the program. His clinical knowledge, dedication, and passion and commitment to the program and the patients we serve continue to drive the program forward, advancing the care we are able to provide and has been the critical key to the success of our mobile healthcare program. Whether he is comforting a patient in need, helping out a staff member or advocating for what he believes in, Glen always gives it all he has. We are extremely grateful to have him as part of the team and are proud to call Glen Timmons our 2021 Massachusetts Star of Life.

Todd Beaudet
EMT
Atlantic Ambulance

Todd has been in EMS for the past 26 years as an EMT serving the City of Lynn—a City that he is absolutely attached to. His ability to treat all patients with respect, no matter how disrespectful they may become is astonishing.

On April 3, 2020, Todd was rushed to the hospital by his co-workers for difficulty breathing. It turns out that Todd was COVID positive and that he contracted COVID through one of his patients a week earlier. Todd was on a ventilator for 42 days, and then in a Rehabilitation Hospital for another 46 days. Todd has not fully recovered from this illness and will not be able to work on the road in a position that he is absolutely committed to.

Did Todd give up? The answer to that question is no, he is not giving up. Todd is happy to be alive to be able to spend time with his family, and he will be returning to EMS in June as a full time Dispatcher. If you ask Todd, he is grateful for the opportunity to return into any role in EMS. This outlook on life, especially after what he has been through, is not a trait found in many individuals. Todd is truly one of the best EMS has ever experienced.