FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, March 28, 2006

BALTIMORE , MD -- Heroic, life-saving efforts in the wake of Hurricane Katrina have won the men and women of Acadian Ambulance Service one of the most coveted honors in the emergency medical services field. At the EMS Today professional conference and trade show in Baltimore, Md. Saturday, the 2006 James O. Page Leadership Award was presented “collectively” to the company's employee-owners by JEMS, the Journal of Emergency Medical Services.

A.J. Heightman, editor-in-chief of the magazine, said the award “encourages EMS personnel and EMS agencies to deliver quality service, gain the respect of their colleagues in the field of EMS and fight to do what's in the best interest of patient care and EMS in their community.” Heightman said this “was never more evident than during the wake of Hurricane Katrina, when the efforts of the Acadian Ambulance family made national news for their assistance in saving the lives of thousands.”

Acadian Ambulance Service Chairman and CEO Richard Zuschlag, who accepted the honor on behalf of the men and women of Acadian, said the award was made even more meaningful “because it is named in honor of one of the legendary figures in emergency medical service, the late Jim Page. Jim was a friend and supporter of Acadian Ambulance Service over the years.

“As publisher of JEMS, he lifted us into the national spotlight early in our history with the editorial observation that ‘Acadian may well be the best ambulance service in the U.S.' His intimate knowledge of the company was enhanced when he appeared as guest speaker at our 2002 Paramedic Luncheon. At that time, he told our employee-owners and guests that Acadian qualified as ‘America's most innovative and reputable EMS organization.' He added that that ‘of all the EMS companies in the U.S., there is none better than Acadian'.

“Jim's name on it makes the JEMS award, which is one to be deeply treasured, even more rewarding,” Zuschlag continued. “On behalf of our remarkable EMS family, I offer deep gratitude to those who selected our people for this honor. I think back over the performance of our men and women during the crisis following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and realize fully how deserving they are of this great honor.”

Heightman said the award recognizes individuals or agencies who exhibit the drive and tenacious effort to resolve important EMS issues or bring about positive change in an EMS system, often at great personal or professional sacrifice. This year, he said, all the men and women of Acadian Ambulance Service are being recognized “for their heroic efforts under some of the worst conditions in U.S. history as a result of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.” The review committee, he said, “recognized the efforts of the Acadian staff who dealt with great sacrifices, personal and professional, at a time when many of them had already lost everything.”

Heightman said it was particularly noteworthy that Acadian's administration offered, without hesitation, all of its resources for the unprecedented medical evacuation efforts, not knowing if they would ever be reimbursed. The company's employees, he said, many of which lost their homes and all of their personal possessions, “put in more than 43,000 hours of overtime in the first five weeks immediately following Hurricane Katrina.”

Most importantly, Heightman said, Acadian Ambulance employee-owners' actions “resulted in EMS system operational changes that cut through bureaucratic red tape and significantly improved the delivery of care and patient evacuation.”

In nominating the men and women of Acadian for the award, Public Relations and Marketing Coordinator Julie Mahfouz said personnel from every area of the company “all banded together to take action that resulted in operational changes on a national level to save lives during the disaster of the century.” This included, Mahfouz said, “breaking the rules in order to save lives first and worry about red tape later.”

Acadian literally used all of its resources, she said. More than 200 ambulances, seven helicopters, and a staff of more than 2000 employees worked together in a positive spirit of unity and dedication.

In addition to extensive written documentation, the committee that chose the men and women of Acadian for the award reviewed a dramatic video detailing the heroic efforts during the crisis.

A $1,000 cash award accompanies the honor. “That,” Zuschlag said, “will go to our Acadian Employee Hurricane Relief Fund, to assist those who not only performed so well to help storm victims, but who also suffered severe property losses of their own.”

Zuschlag, who was honored as a runner-up for the 2006 Inc Magazine Entrepreneur of the Year Award for his leadership during the hurricane catastrophe, said “Nothing in my career has been more inspirational and uplifting than the caring, heroic performances of these men and women who wear the Acadian Ambulance uniform. I feel richly blessed to be associated with them.”

Acadian, founded in 1971, is the nation's largest privately owned ambulance service. Owned by its 1,930 employees through a nationally recognized ESOP program, the staff includes 884 nationally registered Paramedics, 25 Intermediate Nationally Registered Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT) and 552 medics certified as Basic NREMT. There are also more than 70 registered nurses and a support staff of almost 300.

The company serves 3.4 million people in a service area of 23,402 square miles, operating from 106 stations and utilizing 205 ground ambulances, seven air ambulance helicopters, and four fixed-wing airplanes. Contract Medic Projects are currently serving in 86 offshore projects around the world.

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