Local emergency medical technician and Rush City Fire Chief Bob Carlson was honored by the Minnesota Ambulance Association at the State Capitol on April 10.

Life Link III named Carlson, of Rush City, a Minnesota Star of Life for his leadership in the field of emergency medical services and his dedication to his community. Carlson has worked as an EMT with Life Link III in Minneapolis for over 15 years. During this time he has also served as the fire chief in Rush City. His managers at Life Link III named Carlson a Star of Life for his dedication to the well-being of his community and his continual advocacy for excellent patient care and safety.

The Minnesota Ambulance Association honored Carlson with events at the Capitol and at an awards ceremony held in St. Paul. While at the Capitol, he met with State Senator Rick Olseen and State Representative Jeremy Kalin to discuss some of the issues facing the field of emergency medical services, including recruitment and retention, reimbursement and general funding. Minnesota Ambulance Association President Buck McAlpin believes the Stars of Life play a valuable role in representing the field of emergency medical services. "The professionals honored as ‘Stars of Life' provide not only a valuable service to their communities, but also to the industry, by representing EMS at the state level," stated McAlpin. "They are a vital part of our work with our legislators to gain further support for the important service this industry provides."

Sponsored by the Minnesota Ambulance Association, the "Stars of Life" program recognizes and congratulates outstanding personnel in the EMS field. Professionals recognized as Stars of Life spend a day at the state capitol talking about EMS issues with their state legislators. The program honors these hard-working and dedicated professionals, and also serves to educate members of the state legislature about issues facing the industry of emergency medical services.

Comment from chip culbertson, 7/5/07

I would like to see more good articles like this. It helps to balance out all the bad.