ST. GEORGE — A Dammeron Valley paramedic and first responders who rushed to the aid of those involved in a 22-vehicle pileup on Interstate 15 last summer have been honored by the Utah Department of Health.
All were recognized in a May 15 ceremony at Salt Lake City’s This is the Place Heritage Park.
Dammeron Valley Fire & Rescue’s Colleen Homer has been named as Utah’s Paramedic of the Year by the department’s Office of Emergency Medical Services and Preparedness.
At the start of 2021, Homer joined the Dammeron department as an EMS instructor. At the time, the department had only one emergency medical technician to cover a 110-square-mile area, but Homer has since built up her department to include three paramedics and 20 EMTs.
“Colleen responds to incidents as a paramedic and officer for the department but never misses an opportunity to teach,” David Litvak, deputy director of the Utah Department of Health, said in a statement. “Her patience and confidence have been exemplary on scene, and she creates a safe learning environment for the EMTs and the patient.”
One scene noted by Litvak was when Homer was lead paramedic in the response to a Dec. 27 fire that engulfed a bus in Veyo that had been converted into a home for a family of six. The father and two of the children were severely burned and one — the eldest daughter — remains in a hospital in Las Vegas as of Tuesday after 41 surgeries.
“Personnel benefit from not only Colleen’s skill in the classroom but her professionalism and competence on the incident scene,” Litvak said. “She inspires in her instruction and just simply leads by example.”
The Office of Emergency Medical Services and Preparedness also honored members of several emergency medical services, fire departments and law enforcement agencies in Millard and Beaver counties. They were awarded outstanding performance in a rural emergency medical incident for their roles during a 22-vehicle crash that left 10 injured and eight dead — including three residents of St. George — last July 25 on I-15 in Millard County
The members honored included those from the Utah Highway Patrol, Millard County Search and Rescue, Fillmore Fire Department, Millard County ambulance and Beaver County ambulance, among others.
“No training can fully prepare you for this type of incident and everyone pulled together for the greater good,” Litvak said. “The effect of the care and help on this scene changed people’s lives.”
High winds caused a blinding dust storm on I-15 at milepost 152 , between the Meadow and Kanosh exits, about 40 miles north of Beaver. The resulting pileup included five who died in one vehicle alone including Kortni Sawyer, 30, of St. George and two of her children, Riggins, 6, and Frankie, 2.
Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2022, all rights reserved.