November 01, 2023
Page 5
Paying Tribute to the Dedication of Heroes
National
recognition for well
deserved Local
EMS Professional
The American Ambulance Association
(AAA) will be celebrating the best and
brightest of EMS professionals during its
annual Stars of Life celebration on No-
vember 6-8, 2023. At this year’s event,
EMS professionals from across the United
States will be honored as the 2023 Stars of
Life including a local Metro West Ambu-
lance-Baker City employee. Receiving this
national honor and recognition will be Kris-
tina Ploeger, Operations Manager of Metro
West Ambulance-Baker City (which serves
the Baker/Huntington EMS service area).
The Stars of Life program pays tribute to
the dedication of these heroes while shin-
ing light on the critical role EMS plays in
our healthcare infrastructure. To serve as a
light for others during their worst moments
truly is Kristina Ploeger's passion and what
she has dedicated her life to. Her drive
stems from her humble upbringing which
instilled in her values that paved the way
for the person she is today. Kristina real-
ized at a young age what was truly import-
ant to her; family, health, and happiness.
In that spirit, Kristina launched her
healthcare career in 2002 caring for demen-
tia patients. A few years later, she started
volunteering as a Firefighter with Colum-
bia River Fire in St Helen’s, Oregon. It was
there that Kristina quickly realized she had
found more than a career—she found her
life’s calling. Kristina graduated with her
college degree and her Paramedic license,
and spent 17 years working for Metro West
Ambulance in Hillsboro, Oregon. Last year,
in search of a change of scenery, Kristina
and her family moved to Idaho where she
became a licensed real estate agent. A few
months later, when she learned that Metro
West had become the ambulance provid-
er in Baker County, Oregon, she couldn’t
deny her calling nor pass up the opportunity
to serve again as a Paramedic with Metro
West. Today Kristina serves as the Opera-
tions Manager and as a Paramedic at Met-
ro West Ambulance-Baker City serving the
Baker/Huntington EMS service area.
Kristina and her husband Paul, who is
also an EMT for the ambulance service,
keep busy with their family-together they
have 5 children as well as a daughter-in-
law and a son-in-law with many of them
serving in EMS/Fire and in the health care
industry. In her spare time, Kristina serves
as a part-time Firefighter/Paramedic for
Parma Fire in Idaho and both Kristina and
Paul serve with the Coast Guard Auxiliary
as Vessel Examiners.
During Kristina’s time in Washington,
our Star of Life recipient, accompanied by
executive hosts, will meet with her mem-
bers of Congress and congressional aides
to discuss legislative issues critical to
emergency medical services.
Kristina Ploeger, Operations Manager/Paramedic 2023 Star of Life
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