Honorees

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Year Honored
2011
Honoree
Sharon Falkner
Agency
Air Ambulance Stat
Agency City
Amarillo
Agency State
TX
Last Call
7/4/10
Cause of Death
Medical Aviation Accident
Biography
She was known as Fort Davis' paramedic. Sharon's dedication to EMS, her community, and her family was evident in all she did. She received her EMT and paramedic certification in Fort Davis; she attended Texas A & M to become a tactical medic, and served on a tri-county SWAT team. She organized and established what is now known as one of the top small-town EMS programs in West Texas when she took over as director of the Jeff Davis County EMS program in 1997, a position she served on for nearly a decade.<br /> <br /> Sharon gave back to the community in so many ways; volunteering in her free time with the "Mountain Medics" as her unit became known. She never forgot her roots in EMS and instructed many members of the EMS community. People she mentored described the passion she would instill on them in the manner she taught and how she treated all she encountered. Originally from Midwest City, Oklahoma, she was a loving wife and mother that would "light up" when she spoke about her sons and family.<br /> <br /> When Sharon fulfilled her dream of becoming a flight medic, her coworkers at Air Ambulance STAT would refer to her as the "mother of us all" and commented on how she never would complain or even take a sick day.<br /> <br /> Sharon Falkner, 49, was killed in the early morning hours of July 4, 2010, when the twin engine Cessna 421 she and fellow crewmembers, Ted Caffarel and Tracy Chambers, were operating in crashed shortly after taking off en route to Midland International Airport. The plane crash-landed after leaving the runway and went over a ridge, caught fire and exploded. All on board including the patient and her husband were killed.<br /> <br /> Honored 2011<br />