Members of Erlanger’s LIFE FORCE air ambulance crew were recognized last week for their efforts in the rescue of Susan Cenkus and her son, Luke, who were critically injured last April during a bear attack in nearby Polk County. Richard Taylor, area coordinator for the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, presented certificates to the LIFE FORCE team during an annual meeting of emergency rescue personnel at the Chattanooga Choo Choo Conference Center.
The special awards ceremony honored Daniel Jones, Mark Shipp and Tim Perry, along with Mr. Taylor and Christy Westmoreland, with Erlanger’s Disaster and Medical Operations Center. LIFE FORCE flight nurses, Paula Stulce and Jim Fox, also acknowledged by Mr. Taylor for rendering “critical care in the air” to Mrs. Cenkus, were unable to attend the recognition ceremony.
During the presentation, Mr. Taylor commended LIFE FORCE 1 and 2 during the April 13, 2006 rescue mission, thanking the crew not only for their medical care, but also for “their willingness to scan the area looking for Susan’s missing daughter, Elora," who was fatally injured in the bear attack. This effort, he told conference attendees, “speaks volumes for the humanitarian things they do.”