Here are the winners in the 2013 Health Care Heroes First Responder category.

FIRST RESPONDER-Honors a first responder whose performance is considered exemplary by patients, peers and other health care providers.

Larry Gurganious
TITLE: EMS
ORGANIZATION: New Hanover Regional Medical Center
WHAT THE NOMINATOR SAID: “Larry is the personification of a first responder. As a recipient of first responder services, we don’t remember the names and even the faces of the individuals helping us at the critical time. We do remember their professionalism, competence, ability to think quickly and their demonstrated compassion for our situation.
Larry is one of those dedicated EMS professionals who revives drug overdosed, stabilizes heart attacks, tells you a loved one has passed, calms you on the ride to the hospital and endures the physical wear and tear of lifting patients, etc.
Larry probably has a million stories where he or another EMS person has helped someone. However, he is probably upset with me for pointing him out since he would say it takes teamwork, and no one person is more important than another.”
– Charles L.Earny, CPA Earny & Company

Brent Guy
TITLE: Special operations paramedic
ORGANIZATION: New Hanover Regional
Medical Center
WHAT THE NOMINATOR SAID: “[Guy] goes above and beyond his regular duties as a paramedic.
With hundreds of hours of specialized training under his belt and positions on some of the elite emergency response teams in the regions, [Guy] is truly a health care hero.
This nominee is an exceptional paramedic, and his job performance is consistently praised by supervisors and peers alike. What sets him apart is his passion to always do more than what is required.
… He serves as a local instructor to EMT students and is one of the only two paramedics in our service who have completed the North Carolina ambulance strike team leader course, which designates him to lead a team of ambulances to disaster areas anywhere in the state.”
– Erin Balzotti, New Hanover Regional Medical Center media relations coordinator

Robert Smith
TITLE: Logistic coordinator Airlinks/ Vitalink/PCTS
ORGANIZATION: New Hanover Regional Medical Center-Airlink/Vitalink
WHAT THE NOMINATOR SAID: “[Smith] has spent his whole life in service to others. He has a way of putting everyone at ease.
I have seen him calm the most desperate patient or family member in the most dire of situations
… Not only is he a skilled EMT-I, but he also has that other factor that is essential to caring for people − compassion.”
– Carol Willey, Nash Health Care System, RN, case manager