Team members from the LifeFlight 1 base in Gallatin (on the right) were among the winners of the Region 4 award. (submitted photo)
The Children’s Emergency Care Alliance hosted the annual EMS Star of Life awards in May, honoring emergency medical services personnel across Tennessee who provide exemplary care to adult and pediatric patients.
During the ceremony, the Alliance presented 12 awards, with three of those honors bestowed on Vanderbilt LifeFlight crews: the Region 4 award, Region 6 award and the 2026 State Winner, which recognizes the most outstanding case in the state.
“We are honored to be recognized with these Star of Life awards,” said Sherri Dean, MHA, BSN, RN, Associate Nursing Officer for Vanderbilt LifeFlight. “This annual award ceremony really highlights the importance of every link in the chain of prehospital care. In all of these cases, our crews and our partners on the scene worked seamlessly together to create meaningful patient outcomes. Getting to see the team meet these patients and see their recovery is an impactful reminder of the important work our crews do every day.”
Vanderbilt LifeFlight also took a moment to honor and thank their fellow emergency medical personnel who responded to the Vanderbilt LifeFlight team members after the helicopter crash Nov. 8, 2025. Those EMS agencies won the 2026 Mutual Aid award, a specialized honor recognizing outstanding cooperation between multiple emergency response agencies.
“The Mutual Aid award presentation was deeply personal for every one of our crew members,” said Dean. “Seeing the individuals who were involved with responding to our team on November 8 was a poignant representation of how close knit the entire EMS community is in Tennessee. As a program, we are forever grateful to those agencies for choosing to answer the call that day and care for our crew as if they were one of their own. Thank you to everyone who was involved and awarded the 2026 Mutual Aid distinction.”
Each of the award presentations offered insight into the remarkable daily work of the Vanderbilt LifeFlight teams.
The Region 4 award was presented to Tim Morman, flight nurse practitioner, Sherry Drake, flight paramedic, and Russell Juart, pilot, from the LifeFlight 1 base in Gallatin; DeKalb County 911; DeKalb County EMS; DeKalb County Fire Department; and DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department, for their swift, lifesaving actions May 31, 2025.
When Levi, who was just one month shy of his 2nd birthday, was found in his family’s swimming pool face down, his dad immediately began CPR before calling DeKalb County 911. After about two minutes of CPR, Levi began coughing up water but was still unconscious. After confirming he was breathing, DeKalb County dispatchers sent the closest ambulance while the director of EMS for DeKalb County heard the call from his house and immediately responded.
The director arrived on scene and began assisting Levi alongside DeKalb Sheriff’s Officers Justin Base and Joe Pack before DeKalb EMS Critical Care Paramedics Brian Campbell and Rachel Checchi arrived on scene and rushed to assist their supervisor. With the closest children’s hospital over an hour away, the team requested a transport from Vanderbilt LifeFlight, and LifeFlight 1 from Gallatin was launched.
When the Vanderbilt LifeFlight crew arrived, they were delighted to see Levi alert and awake. Having been so well cared for by the crew on scene, Levi was stable with appropriate oxygen levels and ready for transport to Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt.
The Region 6 award was presented to Keela Dement, flight nurse, Samantha Smith, flight nurse, and James Campbell, pilot, from the LifeFlight 4 base in Mount Pleasant; Hickman County EMS; Centerville Fire Department; and Hickman County 911, for providing care to a critically injured patient Sept. 10, 2025.
When a crash-alert system on a cell phone alerted Hickman County 911, EMS, police and fire crews were immediately dispatched to the scene. Arriving just after 2 a.m., the crews found a dual tractor trailer off the roadway with the driver inside. The crews immediately began stabilizing the crash scene and working on extrication. After getting partial access to the injured driver, the crews recognized the difficulty of extrication, extent of injuries and long distance from the trauma center, and they requested LifeFlight 4 for air medical transport. After an extended extrication process, the LifeFlight crew provided care while the patient was transported to Nashville. Care was provided during transport to stabilize the patient, and the Vanderbilt University Hospital Emergency Department had a trauma bay ready to provide care just two hours after the crash.
The 2026 State Award recognized Landon Pupka, flight paramedic, Janelle Zehr, flight nurse and Joe Geottman, pilot, from the LifeFlight 5 base in Murfreesboro; Murfreesboro Fire Rescue; Murfreesboro 911; and Rutherford County EMS, for their swift actions after a motor vehicle collision April 22, 2025.
After a prolonged vehicle extrication, Crystal was 24 minutes without a pulse. Responders immediately provided care on scene. Realizing the severity of Crystal’s condition, the agencies on scene requested transport from the LifeFlight 5 base. Miraculously, Crystal achieved spontaneous circulation and was transported to Vanderbilt Health for trauma care. Crystal had a challenging recovery, including multiple surgeries and rehabilitation. She now lives independently and plans to return to work soon.
