WHAT YOU’LL
FIND IN THIS
ISSUE:

Sunstar Lightning Game

Wellness Picnic to be
Rescheduled

Crème Brulee

Northside Hospital
@ POST
M O N T H L Y
E M P L O Y E E
N E W S L E T T E R
F E B R U A R Y
2 0 1 5
Congratulations Recipients of the
2015 Commissioner Morroni Award of
Excellence in EMS & First Response
Patient Follow-up Form

Ranchero Mobile Home
Park

Suncoast Hospice Parking
Reminder

Save the Date for EMS
Week 2015

December ROSC

Unit AC / Heat Settings

SWAT Attends SOMA
Conference

Post 539 Parking Alert

Feb On-Line CME and
Mark Postma, CEO, (le ) and Pinellas County. Commissioner John Morroni (right) pose with Paramedic Joshua Brumwell and EMT Julia Watson a er the commissioner’s 20th Annual Awards Luncheon on January 30th at the Hilton Carillon Park. January Make-Up Dates
December 2014:
Responses = 17,569 Transports = 13,916 Miles Driven = 282,831 SUNSTAR PARAMEDICS
12490 ULMERTON RD
LARGO, FL
33774
727.582.2090
ST. PETERSBURG—A number of local heroes accepted awards during Pinellas Commissioner John Morroni’s Apprecia on Luncheon for Emergency Personnel January 30th at the Hilton St. Petersburg Carillon Park. The 2015 Apprecia on Awards recognizes excep onal dedica on and eﬀorts above and beyond the call of duty on behalf of the ci zens of Pinellas County. On April 6, 2014, Paramedic Josh Brumwell and EMT Julia Watson no ced an individual si ng on the ledge of I-375. They had just completed a pa ent transport to St. Anthony’s Hospital and were on the interstate to get fuel, when they no ced this person in an unsafe posi on, near traﬃc. Josh and Julia stopped their truck to check on the pedestrian and found out almost immediately that she was depressed and was contempla ng jumping from the interstate’s ledge. A er conversing calmly for a few minutes, the crew was able to persuade the pa ent to sit inside their unit un l St. Pete PD arrived on the scene. Due to Josh and Julia’s a en on to detail that a ernoon, this pa ent was safe and cared for. Friday’s 20th’s annual luncheon con nued Commissioner Morroni’s tradi on of honoring the men and women who serve as emergency personnel. The sold out event of 530 supporters raised more then $48,000 with a majority of the benefits going to the Pinellas County Sheriﬀ’s Police Athle c League. $10,000 of the proceeds was gi ed to the widow of Tarpon Police Oﬃcer Charles Kondek. WWW.SUNSTAREMS.COM
INSIDE THIS ISSUE: May 2015 In-House training dates are now available. Reserve your seat today! @ POST
PAGE 2
Post Office
Mark Postma,
Chief Operating Officer
As of this wri ng, Paramedics Plus has oﬃcially submi ed our proposal to Pinellas County to answer the Request for Proposal (RFP) for Ambulance Services. Over the past six months, our team here in Florida, with assistance from our co-workers in Texas, Oklahoma, California and Indiana, has worked diligently in preparing this proposal. We believe that we have submi ed a bid that preserves the quality pa ent care that Pinellas County ci zens have come to enjoy over the past ten years. We also believe our proposal secures the wages, proposed wages and benefits that you have worked to earn over the past years with our organiza on. In past RFPs, other companies that have won have reduced wages for ALL employees to help meet the financial goals of the company. We have done just the opposite. We entered into a three-year agreement with our union employees at a cost of $2.5 million over the contract period. We provided a $1.00 per hour raise which we believe is the largest increase ever provided in the history of Sunstar. Addi onally, there will be an across-the-board $.50 per hour raise plus 2% for EACH of the next two years. This agreement between the IAEP and Paramedics Plus has increased our costs to provide the excep onal service that each of you provides to this county. By doing so, our company put our employees and pa ents first, knowing the possibility that our overall bid may be higher than other companies who will respond to this RFP. But it was the right thing to do. Over the next few months, we ask for your support for our organiza on, the well-being of all employees and the future of Sunstar Paramedics. Thank you for your hard work over the past months as we have seen record breaking transport numbers. If you have any ques ons, feel free to contact me at [email protected]. @ POST
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Crème Brulee
Valentines Day is just around the corner, and whether you
have someone you want to impress, or just want to satisfy
your own sweet tooth, I have the perfect dessert for you:
creme brulee. Ordinarily this dish is heavy on calories and
fat grams. My lightened up version comes in at under 170
calories, and only 6 grams of fat. It's the perfect way to
cheat on your diet and get away with it!
(Note: This is best made the night/morning before you
intend to eat it, to allow the custard enough time to set.)





1 1/2 cups 1% milk
4 egg yolks
1 oz orange liqueur
1 tsp vanilla extract, or one vanilla bean
3 Tbsp cane sugar, plus 1 Tbsp for later
Heat your oven to 300f. In a medium saucepan, warm the
milk until just steaming, and remove from the heat. In a
medium bowl, combine the egg yolks and 3 Tbsp sugar,
and beat until pale yellow. Add 1-2 Tbsp of milk into the
egg mixture and mix. This will warm the eggs to avoid
cooking them in the bowl. Add the rest of the milk, then
add the orange liqueur and vanilla, and combine. Divide
the mixture between four 4oz ramekins, and place them
into a deep baking dish. Place the pan into the oven, then
fill with hot water up to just below the top of the ramekins. Cook for 45 minutes. The center will still wiggle at
this point. Remove and allow to cool to room temperature, then place in the refrigerator until cold. When you're
ready to serve, divide and sprinkle the remaining tablespoon of sugar over each one. There's two ways to caramelize the sugar: under the broiler in your oven, or with a
kitchen torch. Either way, heat until the sugar has
browned. Allow to cool, top with some berries, and serve!
Hope you enjoy!
Approximate
Nutrition
Information:
168 Calories
6g Fat
6g Protein
Welcome New Employees
Sunstar Paramedics extends a hearty welcome to the following employees who completed the January 2015 Orienta on: Chelsea Allison EMT Andrew Berger EMT Nicole Clemente EMT Philip Colella EMT Jonathan Hall Paramedic Jus n Hoﬀman EMT Aaron Kyle EMT Anthony Mar ni Paramedic Carlos Or z EMT Kevin Pride IT . 2
B
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8
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The Wellness Picnic has been rescheduled for Saturday, February 28th from 11am—1pm! Enroll now to start earning credits towards your day oﬀ. Email Michele Hamilton @ [email protected] or Kathy Jonas at [email protected] for details. Employee BBQ—THUR. FEB. 12th 1100-1900 PAGE 4
PAGE 4
Have ques ons about your pa ent’s outcome? Northside Hospital Emergency Department will be providing pa ent follow-up to crews if requested. The form (le ) will be available to you in the ER. Just fill it out with the requested informa on and place it in the box. A follow-up le er will be sent to you via Sunstar Paramedics. DeVore, Evan M.
Moon, Jamie
Fazio, Robert S.
Pawlowski, Andrew
Hernandez, David
Bailey, Bryn
Leo, Austin M.
Holyfield, Harry
Marrs, Andrew S.
Jackson, Trevor
Ramos, Reinaldo X.
Ross, Nicholas
Schletz, Doug A.
Stanley Jr., Robert
Wathen, Clinton M.
Ranchero Mobile Home Park
con nues to be a frustra ng challenge for responding crews. Inside street name markers are close to the ground, on the right side of the road. Lot numbering is inconsistent. Here are some ps to navigate the park: 

Load the map from the Tablet MHP guide to quickly iden fy inside streets. Ask the communicaons center for inside rou ng. They may have up-to-date informa on such as construc on or road closures. Please use the Ulmerton Rd. entrance. Although the Belcher Rd. gate is usually open from 06:00 – 23:00, it not a guarantee. 
Lots 2000 – 2299 are located to the east as you enter the park from Ulmerton, on a named inside street. 
Lots 100 – 1399 are located to the west of the park, on numbered streets. To access the numbered streets, enter oﬀ Ulmerton Rd. and bear RIGHT at the split (Lake Dr.), and then take the next RIGHT (Lake Ct). This will take you to 10th St. once you cross the bridge. 
Our EMTs and Paramedics provide the best possible care to the ci zens of Pinellas County. In pa ent surveys, ge ng to them quickly is very important. We can accomplish this by using all of our tools. Wise, Joshua K.
Peterson, John C.
Conroy, Helen R.
Douglass, Matthew G.
Messier, Jay S.
Buchanan, Peggy A.
Delgado, Christopher W.
Melzer, Jason
Semon, Andrew M.
Velez Jr., Francisco
McHugh, Francis
Seda, Joseph
Kannenberg, Christopher
Lacina, Kimberly
Johnson Jr., Christopher D.
Hornaday, Daniel
McKnight, Michael J.
McManus, Bruce
Sireni, Eric J.
Lopes, Chris
Wunderlin, Daniel J.
Abdallah, Mariam
Moody, Jeremy
Evans-Townsend, Michael
Minary, David
Schomp, Richard
PARKING REMINDER!!!
With the addi on of parking and ambulance access on the east side of the Mid-Pinellas Care Center in Pinellas Park (formally Hospice Woodside), Hospice is reques ng that ambulances exclusively use the “Magnolia” entrance on the east side of the building for all transport needs. The front circle of the building has been reserved for families and visitors. Please understand that the front entrance becomes inaccessible if there is an ambulance parked in the area. MONTHLY EMPLOYEE NEWSLETTER
PAGE 5
The January 2015 CARE PLUS Award goes to
David Sims and Ken Skaggs
David Sims and Ken Skaggs deserve to be recognized for a rare call that most
only hear about. We read about these calls, understand and know what to do
when the call occurs, but actually receiving the call and performing so well is
something to be recognized. David and Ken were dispatched and responded to
a 30 year old female with imminent delivery and 36 weeks pregnant. R41 requested E41 to assist but our crew arrived on scene in less than 4 minutes from
dispatch and transported another 1 min 15 sec later to Morton Plant. The crew
quickly discovered that the mother had a prolapsed cord and twins that were
breach. Within the minute on scene time, the crew was able to gown up, appropriately hold the prolapsed cord off allowing oxygenated blood to continue to circulate to the baby, and provide
treatment to the mother. Upon arrival to Morton Plant, the crew bypassed the ER and went straight up to the OR
where a C-Section was initiated immediately, even prior to the crew leaving the OR. David and Ken went available
and transported back to Morton Plant where they had the opportunity to visit with mother and babies. The twins
were 5 lbs each and a healthy boy and girl. The crew also found out that this was a surrogacy and the parents
had left for TN one day prior and were unable to be reached in the mountains. The surrogate mother and twins
were doing fine and an excellent Christmas gift for the biological parents when they returned from TN. Great job to
David and Ken for excellent team work, quick and immediate treatment and transport and recognizing a critical call
that can be life threatening for mother and babies.
Other nominations this month were; Craig Gesterling, Jay Horne, Todd Brooks. Dusk Gosney, and
James Kozeluh.
Honor Guard Team Con nues to Grow Please join us in welcoming Paramedic Michael Gardner to our Honor Guard Team. Michael comes to us from Charleston SC where he started his EMS career in 2005. He has represented his previous organiza on at public events/ parades and led their Special Events Team. Michael brings much enthusiasm for represen ng EMS and Sunstar Paramedics! NATIONAL EMS WEEK IS
May 17th—May 23rd !!
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Congratula ons to Jason Rios (Supervisor) and Cindy Williams on their engagement. Jason proposed to Cindy on New Year’s Eve right a er they rang in the New Year. Jason and Cindy met here at Sunstar in 2002 and are planning for a January 2016 wedding. We are so happy for the both of you! Congratula ons to Darlene Florkowski on the birth of her second grandchild (right). Darlene’s son Jason and his wife Katherine welcomed Rylan Jeﬀrey Davidson on January 3, 2015 at 2223. He weighed 6lbs. 8 oz. Mom and baby are home and doing well. His middle name is a er Jason’s twin brother Jeﬀrey. Jeﬀrey had named his son who is now 15 months old Wya Jason a er his twin Jason. Some other exci ng news for the Florkowski family. Darlene’s son Trey (Ronald III) was awarded “All County” kicker for Hernando County. This is a huge achievement for Trey because he was tackled in a game on Halloween and knocked unconscious, receiving a broken nose and lacera ons requiring plas c surgery. As a result of the concussion and other injuries he missed the last four games of the season, (his senior season). Trey s ll had the highest points in the county to place and receive the honor. Trey was also 8th in the country for overall points including running backs and wide receivers. Trey also won awards for scholar athlete. Way to go Trey and congratula ons. Congratula ons to Roy Coosey (EMT) and wife Jessy on the birth of their first child. Their son Rhys (le ) was born on January 6, 2015 at 1820 at Trinity Medical Center. He weighed 5 lbs. 6 oz. and was 18.5inches long. Mom, dad and baby Rhys are all home and doing well. We are so happy for you all. Congratula ons to Jacob Mohr, son of Jackie Driggs (PBS). Jacob par cipated in the 2015 City Wrestling Challenge on January 10, 2015 and won 1st place. This tournament is for Public and Private schools in St Petersburg. Jacob is a senior at Boca Ciega High School and this is his 3rd Win, Second win for the 145 lb. weight class. He needs 8 more wins to break the school record and have his name permanently aﬃxed in the gym. Way to go Jacob!!! Another proud moment for the Funderburk family. Kala, Daughter of LeRoy Funderburk, who a ends FSU, competed in the Auburn Invita onal in Birmingham Ala. on January 16, 2015. Kala won the 400-meter dash in 54.42 seconds. Beyond the victory Kala laid down the ninth-fastest indoor me in program history. FSU’s women’s team including Funderburk also placed third in relay with a me of 3:45:92. On January 24, 2015 the team traveled to Lexington KY. Kala dropped a new life me best of 53.64 marking the third fastest performance in Seminole history. It also moved her to No. 9 in the NCAA rankings. Way to go Kala! Have a special milestone to share? E-mail Leslie at [email protected] and include a photo if you have one.
No milestone is too big or too small!
Communications Center
Please join us in congratulating the following employees for
achieving EMD of the month for December 2014:
ZÉÄw [xtÜà VÄâuAAA
DECEMBER 2014 ROSC Nick Bean:
100% with 5 calls evaluated Brent Jackson & Jeﬀrey Higdon Chris Cutcliff:
100% with 8 calls evaluated Nathan Reach & Zeke Lever (X2) Bob Lanoue:
99.80% with 36 calls evaluated Joshua Hoover & Ma hew Cyr Cheryl Meyers:
100% with 26 calls evaluated Thomas Lightkep & Kevin Gleim Joe Schopper:
100% with 18 calls evaluated Chris Taylor:
100% with 8 calls evaluated Richard Wallace:
100% with 6 calls evaluated We would also like to recognize the following employees with
top EMD scores as well, though did not meet all of the qualifications for EMD of the month:
Charles Williams & William Skinner Joshua Works & Jonathan Robinson Nicholas Chris ani & Brian Card Thomas Lightkep & Pamela MacKaravitz Charles Yanucil & Patrick Klemba Frank McHugh & Reinaldo Ramos Pat Klinger:
100% with 7 calls evaluated Franklin Hawkins & Payton Royal Jennifer Leondike:
100% with 3 calls evaluated Jus n Barcinas & Troy Loggins & Kenneth Meyer Ken Tickett:
99.20% with 4 calls evaluated David Garcia & David Bryan & Holly Gillespie Francisco Gimenez & John Swimm Please join us in congratulating the following employees for
achieving Channel A of the month for December 2014:
Felicia Preston & Mark Fournier & John Skidmore Eric Fayad:
100% with 12 calls evaluated Tabietha Manes & Nadine Bull Tony Guzzardo:
100% with 11 calls evaluated Richard Crawford & Ma hew Cyr Jessica Kessel:
100% with 11 calls evaluated Jon-Michael Farris & Alyssa DeFilippo & Ariel Andrade Mike Stevenson:
100% with 16 calls evaluated Jason Bihlajama & Benjamin Dyck & Randall Yandek Stephanie Alves & Bradley Gray Please join us in congratulating the following employees for
achieving Channel SSC of the month for December 2014:
Bob Lanoue:
99.69% with 8 calls evaluated Andrew Semon:
100% with 8 calls evaluated We would also like to recognize the following employees with
top Channel scores as well, though did not meet all of the
qualifications for Channel SSC of the month:
Helen Conroy:
Pat Klinger:
99.00% with 5 calls evaluated 100% with 8 calls evaluated Brian Bacco & Ian Black & Anthony Otron Mark Fahringer & William Frydrych Christopher Smith & Raymond Iris & James Kozeluh Michael Breen & Jason Melzer Jonathan Kessel & Kenneth Skaggs Franklin Pemberton & Christopher Quinn Lacy Sims & Alex Pajil Drew Lynch & James Beaupierre Ross Pinney & Evan Devore & Michael Gardner The fourth Quarter 2014 SSC’s are:
EMD:
Bob Lanoue
Channel A:
Mike Stevenson
Channel:
Mike Keesler
(Please excuse any omissions. If you had an ROSC and you don’t see your name, contact Kimberly Lacina.) PAGE
Are you running your rear air condi oner in the winter me? Every GMC/Chevrolet ambulance has a secondary condenser fan and evaporator mounted underneath the child seat compartment. This system produces addi onal cooling capacity to support the high temperatures in the summer me. This system is controlled by the right temperature control knob located on the dash above the am/fm radio. When the knob is turned to one of the first three or last two se ngs, MAX a/c (snowflake); a/c (snowflake); Face/Feet; Feet/Defrost; or Defrost mode, the condenser fan/evaporator is running and producing cold air. You can hear the system running underneath the truck when the system is on. When the knob is turned to the other two posi ons, Face or Feet mode, the system is not running and not producing cold air. During cold days when the secondary condenser fan/evaporator is running it is oﬀse ng heat that is being pushed into the pa ent compartment from the primary hea ng system causing the air in the pa ent compartment to be cooler rather than warmer. In either Defrost mode the condenser fan/evaporator system is running to help remove moisture from the inside air which clears the windshield fog. Give it a try for your own benefit. Turn the control knob to one of the first three posi ons and listen for the condenser fan to turn on. Then turn the knob to one of the last four posi ons and hear the condenser fan turn oﬀ For the Ford trucks, the right knob above the radio manages the heat versus a/c mode. Use the posi ons to the right of “OFF” for heat and le of “OFF” for air condi oning. Contact the Fleet department should you need addi onal informa on regarding your climate control system. For heat in the winter you need to be using the Face or Feet se ngs on the controller. Temperature comfort is controlled by the middle knob while air flow is controlled for the le fan knob. Following this procedure will not only improve hea ng in the pa ent compartment but it will also save wear and tear on the secondary air condi oning condenser fan/evaporator and be in be er opera ng condi on when the hot days return. Use the Defrost modes only when necessary. Please use Channel
DELTA for ALL delays
you encounter while out
in the field, not just
bed delays.
SWAT TEAM ATTENDS SOMA CONFERENCE
On December 8th-11th, Sunstar's SWAT Medics were invited back for a third me to the SOMA Conference (Special Opera ons Medical Associaon) at the Tampa Conven on Center. The team assisted the instructors from CONTOMS with a demonstra on of diﬀerent oﬃcer rescue techniques for the Medical Directors Course. During the rest of the week the team a ended mul ple classes related to Tac cal EMS and had a booth set up on the exhibit floor displaying gear and sharing informa on with other Tac cal Medic Teams from around the country. These teams are either forming or looking at ways to improve their team. This was the last year the conference will be in Tampa and the staﬀ of SOMA and CONTOMS have invited the team to a end at it's new home in Charlo e, NC in May of 2016. PAGE 9
MONTHLY EMPLOYEE NEWSLETTER
STAR CARE: Employees Recognized in JANUARY Mallory Arnold
Ian Curran
Stacy Dunham
Bradley Gray
James LaFemina
Christian Sharp
Matt Asquith
Frank Hawkins
Timothy Hintze
Pam Mackaravitz
Tim May
Steve Neville
Kaylie Takach
5
5
5
5
5 5
6
6
6
6 6
6
6 Chuck Walker
Chris Wallace
Jazmin Bartlett
Kimberly Armitage
Jacob Cvetan
Doug Frost
Kevin Rosoff
Kenneth Skaggs
Caitlin Collier
Mark Fournier
Kevin Kozlowski
Larry Marshall
Peter Pappas
6 6
8
10
10
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10
10 11
11
11
11 11
Ben White
Brian Dobkin
Ashley Haggard
Leroy Funderburk
Stephen Philpot
James Walker
Robert Lanoue
Jason Bihlajama
Heinz Foertsch
Craig Gesterling
Christopher Collins
Charlie Gose
Richard Romanek
11
12
Hank Geiter
17
Darlene Florkowski
18
Jessica Kessel
20
Joshua Salter
20
13 Jose Sanchez
20
14
Michael Townsend
20
15 Jacqueline Vazquez
20
David Baier
21 John Skidmore
21
Jon Baldwin
22
Anthony Brower
23
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***POSTING 539 ALERT*** Please do not post behind the Racetrack gas sta on along the fence! We have received complaints from the residents . December Patient Signatures: 80% OR HIGHER!
Charles Akes Michael Barber Chip Bodine Colin Brooks Giovanni Ciancio Richard Crawford Preston Drewitz Robert Drzewiecki Ashley Figueroa Italo Gamarra REMINDER:
81.20% 88% 83.40% 81.10% 100% 100% 83.50% 84.30% 85.80% 100% Craig Gesterling Kim Hieneman Ma Houghton Stan Hya Trevor Jackson Gina Jerelds James Lafemina Chris Lindau James Lockhart James Marshall 89.80% 89.50% 82.80% 81.30% 100% 85% 87.30% 81.30% 90.40% 82.40% Jamie Moon Stephen Philpot Robert Sco Jared Sorensen Nashan Tiwari James Walker Clinton Wathen Charles Williams Ed Wilson Danny Wunderlin 87.50% 80% 83.90% 81.30% 83.40% 83.40% 89.20% 80% 100% 82.70% Please DO NOT enter or depart a hospital via the main lobby. We are receiving complaints about crews entering hospitals via the main entrance with pa ents or depar ng through the hospital lobby with pa ents. This is PROHIBBITED! Your pa ent comes first. Please keep their privacy and dignity in mind and use the ER ambulance doors every me. PAGE 10
@ POST
** JANURY MAKE-UPS ** Caption describing
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describing
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