Awards Committee
Recently as one of my added duties as an operations supervisor I have been tasked by Greg to head up the Awards Committee. We have in the past had this, but it has faded away for various reasons. In January of 2007 I accumulated a list of people that had an interest in serving on this committee. The response was great however I am limited to having only a limited number of staff on it. I have gotten with Greg and with him selected the current members for various talents they have.
* Richard Dearing EMT - Richard is a very hard working EMT and is very goal tasked. He also has good computer skill which will help in the tracking and organization of the committee.
* Clay Branham Paramedic - Big Clay …. Well enough said! Really Clay is the guy I can count on to get the word out. He is a positive person and is well respected.
* Jannie Brown Paramedic – Jannie “Bug” Brown well she is a approachable person, well liked and very organized. She has many skills in organization and she serves on the Honor Guard and from my knowledge has served well on it.
* B. Cook EMT/Dispatcher – Barry is my Dispatch connection. He can provide a different view other than a street view. He also has many, many, many years here at MEMS. His vast knowledge of MEMS and its History will be a great asset. He also is at Sta. 1 and he will be very accessible to others.
*T. Ford Paramedic – Tom has been at MEMS for several years and he has past experience with Law Enforcement and Fire. He will be beneficial in other aspects awarding Fire, and Law Enforcement with awards we might honor them with.
* J. Branham Paramedic - Jalana is the medic everybody can talk too. She always has a smile and projects a positive view on most things. I look to her to beef up and get the crews on board with this project.
* Tim Huelett - Tim is our Lay Person to give the committee a broader look at what we are seeing. For Medics some things are small to us, but for someone who does not work in the field small things to them can mean more.
Know what does this all mean?
Our work environment evolves around praise and criticism. Both are important on how we develop into who we are at work. We have employees who always are up for another call, never ever complain and are happy with what they have. Me, I am not one of these people….. I like many others rely on positive feedback, and criticism. I use to let the criticism bother me, eat at me, and make me always negative. However with age and some life changes I take that now and learn from it. People criticize for a reason. It sure does feel good to get a pat on the back or some form of recognition that we can outwardly show that we have done a good job. Some awards are like battle scars of what we have done while at the company. For me the AA 1420 Crash, the Katrina Ribbon to me are proud battle scars for me, and a part of MEMS history.
What is the goal of the Awards Committee? We want to ensure the employees and others have a way to submit fellow employees or others for awards and even just a pat on the back. We will also look at by standers that have done the heroic or provided a compassionate moment to one of our patients. Your involvement is crucial to the success of this. As you see things or hear things, bring it to one of the committee members attention. Our job is to gather the info, confirm, it and figure out what is the best way to award this person. More information will be available after we have our first meeting within the next couple of weeks.
Kenneth Ekenseair
