Central Ohio EMS Training recognizes our own Marsha Frontz, for receiving the NAEMT Education Service Award!!
Marsha Frontz, Clinical Coordinator at Central Ohio EMS Training, received the NAEMT Education Service Award for 2022! Marsha was one of five recipients to be awarded this prestigious award. Other recipients included Jeff White (USA), Oscar Figueroa (El Salvador), Peter Laitinen (USA), and Tomas Wetterling, MD (Sweden).
The Education Service award is overseen by the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT). The NAEMT was founded in 1975 and currently has over 75,000 members. The Education Service Award recognizes NAEMT faculty who have made outstanding contributions to NAEMT education through; the development or revision of course curriculums, the facilitation of new training centers, mentoring new instructors, and/or increasing student access to courses.
Marsha was specifically recognized by the committee with a letter stating, “You have clearly demonstrated your tremendous support and commitment to NAEMT education in so many ways. We deeply appreciate your efforts to bring NAEMT education to hard-to-reach areas in your state by working with educational institutions. You have excelled as an NAEMT Affiliate Faculty and instructor for PHTLS, AMLS, TCCC, and TECC. NAEMT is grateful for your leadership as the Kentucky state education coordinator.”
Marsha’s EMS journey officially began in the later part of 1980’s when she attended Eastern Kentucky University, graduating in 1989. However, EMS was not always her dream. As a younger child, Marsha wanted to be a veterinarian. That all changed during her senior year of high school. Her father fell from a tree sustaining serious injuries. The EMS crew that responded to the call, “just put him on a stretcher,” causing him intense pain. The EMS crew did not have access to pain medication and did not provide high-quality care on scene. This left a lasting impression, which caused Marsha to start asking questions and researching how pre-hospital care could be changed.
After graduating from Eastern Kentucky University, with her Associates Degree, Marsha began working with various EMS agencies. One of her first calls put her face to face with one of the deadliest bus crashes to date. Marsha answered a mutual aid call to the Carrollton bus crash site on Interstate 71. She describes the scene as chaotic, with people rushing around everywhere, helicopters circling the area, scared children being pulled from the bus, and grieving parents screaming. When it was all said and done, out of the 67 bus occupants, there were 27 fatalities. This, of course, left a lasting impression on Marsha. A few years after the crash, she participated in a “Truth or Consequences” presentation at a local school. This was an awareness program for impaired driving, drug use, etc.… After finishing her presentation, Marsha recalls walking out to the Carrollton bus display and encountering one of the boys who had been involved in the crash. The two shared their experiences and continue to remain in contact with each other. In fact, they occasionally still work together to bring awareness to the dangers of drinking and driving.
In 1994, Marsha began working as a flight medic for St. Joseph Care Flight, based out of St. Joseph Hospital in Lexington, Kentucky. She really enjoyed this job and gained a lot of experience in the five years she worked on the flight crew. Marsha laughingly remembers how the nuns, who worked in the hospital, would sign up to ride along on the helicopter. They would be dressed in their full habits and often would shock people when they disembarked from the helicopter upon arriving on scene. She admits that the nuns really liked night training. Helicopter pilots, generally former military aviators, would often do dip and dive maneuvers, which the nuns loved!
Marsha left the St. Joseph Flight Team in 1999 and took a job working in Georgetown, Kentucky with Scott County EMS. She was the Education Coordinator, Field Training Officer, and Assistant Supervisor. Marsha filled many vacancies in her 17 years of service in Georgetown. In fact, she spent a considerable amount of time assisting the local Toyota plant with their medical and training needs. When asked why she decided to leave Scott County EMS, and subsequently Kentucky, Marsha says that her husband decided to retire. They moved to this area to be near his family.
Shortly after moving to Ohio, Marsha was approached by Program Director Angie Hoptry to join Central Ohio EMS Training as Clinical Coordinator. During her time at COEMST, Marsha has helped students with all their clinical needs. She works closely with pre-hospital supervisors, hospital nursing supervisors and physicians to ensure students get high quality clinical experiences. She works with students to ensure that all of their clinical requirements are met, and documentation is completed on time. According to Angie, Marsha has worked hard and has been able to pave the way for several opportunities that had never been offered to Paramedic students in this area prior to her arrival. She is very well liked by everyone she works with and is a tremendous asset for the EMS program.
In addition to her work at COEMST, Marsha continues to work as the Kentucky State Educator. She has been instrumental in building a network of contacts, affiliates, and instructors for EMT education facilities across Kentucky and into southern Ohio. This is a challenging position that requires a lot of travel and time. However, she says that she really likes meeting new people and seeing new places.
While Marsha has loved her 33 years in EMS, her love of family soars above all else. She met her husband, Chris, at Eastern Kentucky University. Chris was enrolled in the EMC program. He began working at Lexington Fire before retiring and moving his family back to the Bellville, Ohio area. Marsha’s face lights up when discussing her family. She has two wonderful daughters, who are both finishing college and preparing to pursue their careers.
Marsha and Chris’s oldest daughter is Megan, who is studying Forensic Anthropology at the University of Tennessee. Megan enjoys, “anything to do with bones,” and looks forward to finding a challenging job after graduation. Makenzie is Marsha and Chris’s younger daughter. She is married and attending the on-line Pharmacy program through Creighton University. Makenzie to graduate next year.
When asked “What’s on the horizon,” Marsha says that she and Chris look forward to moving closer to their daughters in the future. She looks forward to spending more time with her family and traveling. However, she can’t imagine her life without EMS. She continues to love teaching, and often keeps in close contact with those who’ve made the biggest impacts on her life. She says, “It’s been a long journey, but it has gone quick.” Marsha offers the following advice, “If you get the opportunity to do something, always strive to do your best. If you see an opportunity, take it!”
