| Year Honored | |
|---|---|
| 2001 | |
| Honoree | |
| Michael R Elam | |
| Agency | |
| Georgia Baptist LifeFlight | |
| Agency City | |
| Sylvester | |
| Agency State | |
| GA | |
| Last Call | |
| 7/24/00 | |
| Cause of Death | |
| Medical Aviation Accident | |
| Biography | |
| A Life Flight medical emergency helicopter based at Baptist Hospital Worth County in Georgia fell from the sky July 24, 2000. The life of Michael Elam was cut short by the crash. He was aboard the helicopter which was scattered in a path of about 100 feet. The helicopter crew was returning to Sylvester from a transport of a critically ill patient to St. Joseph's Hospital in Savannah.<br /> <br /> Michael Elam was a paramedic with the Georgia Baptist Life Flight Service. He had begun his Emergency Medical Services career as a first responder and a volunteer firefighter with Worth County. He later became an EMT and went on to become a paramedic, graduating from Darton College in 1995. He served as a paramedic for both Worth and Dougherty Counties. Mr. Elam was a partner of the Critical Care Transport team for Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital. He worked in the Emergency Center at Phoebe and served as a paramedic preceptor for Darton College and was an ACLS and BTLS instructor and provider of NALS and PALS.<br /> <br /> Mr. Elam, 28, was a practical jokester with a contagious sense of humor. He was dubbed "Stick" in childhood, a name that stuck with him even into his adult life and he would use it in the place of his real name. He had left his job at Dougherty County EMS of five years to work in his hometown of Sylvester. Michael was such a devoted person to his career and Life Flight. "Once, when a sedative wouldn't calm a fearful 4-year old patient in flight, Elam unbuckled his safety belt and lay with the child until the child went to sleep," recalled paramedic Vern Carter. Michael was to become a father two weeks prior to his death. "Michael was really looking forward to that baby," said Dougherty County EMS Director Bobby Tripp. "He would have been such a wonderful father."<br /> <br /> Michael Elam is survived by his wife Kristi, a daughter Mckenzie, his father Michael Sr. and a sister, Allison Elam Peugh.<br /> <br /> Honored 2001 |
The United States Official National EMS Memorial Service
