NASHVILLE, TENN – EMS and emergency first responders were recently honored as part of the Children’s Emergency Care Alliance of  Tennessee (CECA TN) annual Star of Life Awards ceremony.
The Star of Life Awards honors the accomplishments of EMS personnel across the state of  Tennessee who had shown exemplary lifesaving care to adult and pediatric patients. The ceremony reunites the EMS teams with the patient that they saved, and it gives the patients an opportunity to publicly thank the team that saved their life. Emergency responders see people on their worst day, responding to calls that forever change lives. However, they rarely know the outcome of that patient once they are transferred to the next echelon of care. Therefore, this event gives them the opportunity to see the direct impact of those efforts.
One recipient is selected from each of the eight EMS regions in Tennessee, along with an overall state winner. This year, CECA TN partnered with the Project ADAM representatives in Tennessee to present a new award called the Project ADAM Heart Hero Award. This award was given to a school program that was involved with Project ADAM who demonstrated the skills they learned in a real-life emergency. Project ADAM is a national program that educates teachers and school staff on how to respond to sudden cardiac arrest. To learn more, go to their website: https://www.projectadam.com/
The EMS agencies are presented a stone star award and each member of the EMS team involved in the rescue receives a certificate and a Star of Life lapel pin that is worn on their dress uniform. Each patient also receives a certificate of new life showing their bravery and resiliency to commemorate their, often long and challenging, recovery journey.

This year the ceremony was held on May 4 in Lebanon, Tennessee. The 2023 winners included:
Region 1: Greene County / Greeneville EMS, Highlands Emergency Air Rescue & Transport, Greene County 911
Region 2: Sevier County EMS, Dollywood’s Splash Country Aquatics, Dollywood’s Splash Country Safety/First Aid, Pigeon Forge Fire Department
Region 3: Bradley County EMS, Bradley County Fire & Rescue, Life Force Air Medical
Region 4: UT Lifestar, Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office, Cumberland County Fire Department, Crossville/Cumberland County Emergency Management Agency, Crossville/Cumberland County Emergency Communications Center
Region 5: Williamson Health EMS, Williamson County Rescue Squad, Williamson County Fire & Rescue, Williamson County Sheriff’s Department, Williamson County Emergency Communications
Region 6: Maury Regional Medical Center EMS, Columbia Fire & Rescue
Region 7: Gibson County EMS, Gibson County Fire Department, Gibson County Sheriff’s Office, Tennessee Highway Patrol, Vanderbilt LifeFlight, Gibson County Emergency Communications
Region 8: Memphis Fire Department, Truck 17, Memphis Fire Department, Unit 24, Memphis Fire Department Communications

Project ADAM Heart Hero Award: Sumner County EMS, Station Camp High School Response team
State Award: Knoxville County Rescue, Rural Metro Fire, Knoxville Fire Department, AMR Knox County, UT LIFESTAR
CECA TN is a non-profit organization that provides pediatric-specific education and resources to EMS, first responders, and hospital emergency department staff across Tennessee. CECA TN is part of the National EMS for Children (EMSC) program. To learn more or to inquire how to get involved, please check out their website: www.cecatn.org.