Charleston County News Release
MEDIA CONTACT
Name: Jennie Davis, Charleston County Public Information Officer
Phone: 843.958.4012
Email: jdavis@charlestoncounty.org
Release Number: 2877
Date: April 24, 2008
See photo of Stacy Krausmann: http://www.charlestoncounty.org/newsimages/emsaward.htm
Charleston County EMS Paramedic Wins State Award for Selfless Act
Charleston County Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Paramedic Crew Chief Stacy Krausmann recently received the Curtis P. Artz Memorial Award at the South Carolina state EMS conference for taking heroic action to save a life.
The award was given for her actions on October 15, 2007. Krausmann, of Summerville, was off duty and returning home from a staff meeting when she noticed movement in her rear view mirror. She thought an accident might have occurred so she turned her vehicle around to see if she could assist.
Once parked, Krausmann could see that there was an unresponsive driver trapped inside a car. As she approached the car, it caught on fire. Assisted by an off-duty Summerville police officer, Krausmann pulled the woman from the burning car, saving her life.
One of the criteria for winning the state award is someone who chooses to act when “an option not to act could have been exercised.” This was the case with Krausmann’s actions in October.
“Ms. Krausmann is very experienced in the art of EMS medicine,” said Don Lundy, Charleston County EMS Director. “She is a very caring person and it is a blessing to have her on our team.”
Krausmann has worked for Charleston County since 2005 but has been certified as a paramedic for over eight years.
“I am extremely proud of our employees who act in extraordinary ways on a daily basis,” Lundy said. “This action is beyond extraordinary. Ms. Krausmann put herself in harm’s way to save another human being. It doesn’t get any better than that.”
Lundy was able to get Krausmann to attend the conference and be at the dinner to receive the award without her knowing about the presentation.
“Right up to the time when they started talking about the incident during the presentation, she still didn’t know she was getting the award,” Lundy said. “The look on her face was priceless. I love to surprise people, especially when it is well deserved.”
The Curtis P. Artz Award was established as a memorial to the outstanding role Dr. Artz played in the establishment of emergency medical services in South Carolina. It is awarded to those who “subject themselves to unusual risks in an effort to render urgently needed medical care in which the nominee accepted the risk for the sake of caring for the patient.”
SIDEBAR: CURTIS P. ARTZ AWARD
(Source: http://www.scemsnetwork.org/Awards.htm)
The Curtis P. Artz Memorial Award is presented only if there is a nominee who meets the specific criteria listed below. The award is not given based on the degree of blind risk taken by someone, but on a well thought out response to a medical emergency in the field where the situation at hand required extraordinary performance in order to save life, limb and/or eyesight and where an option not to act could have been exercised.
CRITERIA:
1. Does the situation or incident being cited deal with a person’s or group of peoples’ primary performance as an emergency medical care professional?
2. Do the actions of the nominee(s) exceed the normal expectations of others holding equivalent certifications and faced with a similar situation?
3. Did the nominee(s) subject himself/herself to unusual risks in an effort to render urgently needed medical care to the patient(s)?
4. Was the risk, if any, necessary in terms of the severity of the situation? In other words, did the nominee(s) assess the overall situation and then knowingly accept the risk for the sake of caring for the patient?
5. Is the supporting documentation adequate to confirm and substantiate the reason for nomination?
ELIGIBILITY: Any pre-hospital provider, EMT (all levels), dispatcher, first responder, registered nurses or physician in a pre-hospital setting.
NOMINATED BY: Anyone
WHO SELECTS RECIPIENT: Lowcountry EMS Board
AWARD GIVEN: Plaque
WHEN GIVEN: Annual Awards Banquet
Visit the Charleston County Web site at www.charlestoncounty.org for news, services and up-to-date information relating to Charleston County Government.