On Thursday evening, the Chester County EMS Council held its annual awards banquet at the Red Clay Room in Kennett Square, PA. The award banquet brings together all EMS providers in Chester County during National EMS Week May 15th to May 21st for awards that are given out to those deserving responders who were there in time to help those when they needed it most. On this evening, several EMS responders from the area received recognition for their services, but we would like to take a minute to tell you about one of Thorndale's own.

FF/EMT Regina Solecki, along with her team, received the “Life Saving/Clinical Excellence Award” for her response on the night of November 20, 2015 while working for Keystone Valley Fire Department, Ambulance 8. The definition of this award is a patient was in imminent danger of death, appropriate ALS and/or BLS interventions and treatments were rendered and the patient was transported to the hospital and subsequently discharged from the hospital without physiological impairment. Regina received this award as a result of her services provided that night, where the patient would have otherwise passed without immediate intervention of care.

On November 20, 2015 at 12:35am, Keystone Valley Fire Department and Medic 93 were dispatched to Rt. 10 in front of 151 N. Church St for a 2 vehicle accident with entrapment. Chief 8 Gatercole arrived onscene and confirmed entrapment. Upon arrival of the rescue truck and ambulance the pick-up truck with entrapment caught fire. Officer Discher, Sgt. Moran, (Parkesburg PD) and Fire Chief Gathercole, rapidly extricated the patient. Ambulance crew placed the patient on the stretcher and took the patient to the ambulance for safety and assessment. Patient was found to be on fire. BLS crew put the patient's burns out and began treating the patient's burns and other injuries until ALS arrived to begin ALS interventions. BLS interventions assisted in containing the burns and injuries and positively impacted the outcome of the patient.

This is not the first time that Regina has received awards of this caliber. She has received a “Clinical Save Commendation” last year where her efforts revived a cardiac patient that later made a full recovery. The Thorndale Volunteer Fire Company is proud to have Regina as one of its members. She serves as a firefighter, EMT, and membership secretary for the fire company and sits on other committees as well as being a past training officer. She is currently the EMS Career Staff Supervisor for the Keystone Valley Fire Department and an EMT for the Elverson-Honey Brook Area EMS team. Congratulations again Regina!