Star EMS

01/01/2026

Happy New Year and Happy Launch Day.

The cell phone video below, courtesy of Randy Byrne and Scott Kolpasky, captures our early-morning deployment as Star EMS officially begins providing primary 911 ambulance services for the City of Troy.

Just four short months ago, we were honored to be awarded this contract. Since then, an incredible amount of behind-the-scenes work has taken place to ensure we were fully prepared on day one. We’d like to sincerely thank the City of Troy for their trust and partnership. We’re proud to serve your community.

Our HR team was met with an overwhelming response from experienced EMTs and paramedics eager to join Star EMS. While there may be many new faces, these are seasoned EMS professionals who share our passion for taking great care of people. We’re proud to welcome each of them to the team.

Our operations and fleet teams traveled across the country to secure and prepare six new response vehicles, including four custom ambulances from High Ground in Indiana, an additional unit from Saskatchewan, and a fully outfitted F-150 Echo unit from Wisconsin. From there, supervisors, fleet, supply, and leadership worked side-by-side to equip every unit with the lifesaving tools our crews rely on every day. Buying ambulances is only the beginning, outfitting them properly is where the real work happens.

We also strengthened our billing department, adding experienced EMS billing specialists to ensure timely claims processing and knowledgeable support for patients and families.

We’re grateful to the State of Michigan inspectors for working with us on short notice, and to the Oakland County Medical Control Authority, where Star EMS has proudly been a member in good standing for 23 years. Their oversight and commitment to excellence help make initiatives like this possible.

While we’re excited to expand into a new community, we want to reassure our current partners and communities: our commitment to the first-class service you rely on has never been stronger. These investments strengthen our entire organization and benefit every community we serve, today and in the future.

Thank you to everyone who made this possible, and thank you for taking this journey with us.

Best wishes for a happy, healthy 2026.

12/17/2025

Happy Holidays!

12/15/2025

Congratulations to Tim Hamrick who is retiring after 40+ years in EMS.

It's bitter sweet for us at Star EMS because Tim is a talented paramedic, an excellent mentor, and a genuinely good human being. We will miss seeing him at work but we are also very happy for him, as he has big plans for travel and adventure in his retirement, too.

As a matter of fact, Tim has a viral TikTok channel (THAM) where he shares stunning travel and diving videos. His last shift was just three days ago, and he has already made his way down to FL with his family.

Congratulations on your retirement, Tim. We look forward to living vicariously through your content creator adventure videos, and we wish you the best of everything that this next chapter in your life has to offer!

Thank you for making Star EMS your home for the second half of your career!

12/15/2025

12/14/2025

Here's a story that always puts me in the Holiday spirit:

For as far back as I can remember, at least two decades, our coworkers join together and adopt a family for Christmas. Before that, we did another program where we adopted two dozen kids and shopped for items on their Christmas list.

We are so very grateful for the generosity of our coworkers. Without them, we wouldn't be able to make this kind of magic happen. So thank you to everyone at Star EMS who participates. Your kindness warms our hearts and makes me proud.

And then.... there's our lead Elf, Amy McLaren, the glue that holds this entire thing together.

Its a huge undertaking to make this heartfelt effort a reality. In short, there's the actual assignment of a family, the crowd sourcing of money from employees and managers, the gift buying, wrapping, organizing, and finally delivering all the items by the deadline. Amy, does all of this.

When you ask Amy how she got involved and why she makes this her mission each year, she humbly says, "Lisa was amazing at this before she died, and I wanted to continue her tradition-her good work-her legacy".

Lisa was a dispatcher at Star EMS and led this program initially. When Lisa passed away suddenly and unexpectedly (we miss her every day), this program and all the kids who counted on it, found itself without its leader.

Thats when Amy stepped up, and stepped in, in a big way. "I was grieving the loss of my friend and I couldn't just let what she did go away", said Amy in an interview, 10 years ago. "No child on our list was going to wake up Christmas morning, and not have a gift." And that was that. Not only did Amy take over the project, but we know her friend and co-dispatcher, Lisa would be proud of how its grown, and the job Amy is doing.

These stories do our hearts good. I will forever be proud of the folks that are Star EMS.

A special thank you to our friends at the CARE House of Oakland County for inviting us to be part of their gift giving program.

Merry Christmas.

12/12/2025

https://vimeo.com/1138944850/47a9d91658?fl=pl&fe=sh

Please enjoy this heartfelt message of thanks from Fabian Fregoli, MD, Chief Medical Officer and President, Trinity Health Oakland. As we celebrate this season…

12/04/2025

Where winter fun meets holiday cheer!

44TH HOLIDAY EXTRAVAGANZA
IN DOWNTOWN PONTIAC ON:

SATURDAY, DEC.6TH

Everyone is warmly invited to partake in a fantastic series of events celebrating beloved holiday traditions.

The festivities include:

• A 5K Elf Run
• A fun-filled “Run, Little Elf” youth run
• A lively holiday parade
• The Winter FUN Festival
• A special visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus
• A petting farm
• Pony rides
• Climbing walls
• A delightful s'mores station
• And much more!

Additionally, attendees can enjoy face painting, a photo booth, community painting, and arts and crafts indoors at El Piqasso Art Café.

The Flagstar Strand Theatre will also host Mrs. Claus’s Sweet Shop.

Following this delightful event, there will be an engaging post-event for the youth, featuring a holiday screening of The Polar Express, complete with a hot chocolate buffet, hot dogs, beverages, and ice cream, starting at 3 p.m.

The floats have started arriving already!

11/26/2025

As previously mentioned, big things are happening!

We’re excited to share a behind the scenes look at our trip to pick up our newest fleet additions; Four brand-new Type II ambulances, one Type III, along with a decked-out F-150 Echo unit.

As we are preparing to launch service in a nearby city under a new 911 contract in January 2026, we’re investing in the very best equipment to support our crews and communities.

Our Director of Operations, Charles Hughes, traveled to all corners of the country evaluating different ambulance manufacturers. In the end, High Ground Conversions stood out. Not just for their quality craftsmanship, but for how well they listened.

We asked for a custom interior layout, and their engineers went straight to work. They reconfigured the traditional bench seating into two rotating, reclining captain’s chairs, a change that improves comfort, enhances safety, and creates valuable working room inside a Type II unit.

And here’s the impressive part: changing those specs meant they had to re-crash-test the ambulance to ensure crew and patient safety. That’s a huge commitment, and High Ground delivered.

While we’re excited to expand into our new service area, we want to reassure our current partners and communities: our dedication to providing the first-class service you rely on has never been stronger. This investment benefits all the people we care for… present and future. We are grateful that you are taking this journey with us.

Stay tuned… big things roll out January 2026!

10/30/2025

Halloween is just a day away, and we're celebrating by sharing pictures of our dispatch dog and billing department dog in their adorable costumes.

Gizmo, our dispatch dog, is dressed as a mail carrier, and it's impossible not to smile when you see him. This little guy may be fierce when he's protecting his home, but he's a quiet gentleman in the dispatch office.

Benny, our billing department dog, is a shy pup with a big heart, and he's rocking a lion costume this year. When he's not snuggled up in his cozy bed under his person's desk, he loves to cruise around on the boat or lounge in the sun on the dock.

Happy Halloween, everyone! We'd love to see your EMS dogs or support animals in costume, share your photos with us. Cheers! Huron Valley Ambulance Rapid Response EMS Hart EMS Medical and Event Services Superior Ambulance Medstar LifeFlight Universal Ambulance

10/20/2025

Keeping the family, friends and the entire Springfield Township Firefighters in our thoughts and prayers while they navigate and process this unimaginable loss.

Firefighters from the department were called out shortly after 10:03 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 19, for “a report of a traumatic injury after “something had just bl

09/26/2025

Recently, Star EMS Paramedic R.J. Lennis and EMT Alex Schlutow responded to a 911 call at a private residence.

Moments before the 911 call was initiated, the (young person/patient) complained of chest pain to (family) and collapsed to the floor.

The assisting fire department arrived on scene first, and began CPR. With the use of an AED they delivered an initial SHOCK, that brought the persons heartbeat back into a normal heart rhythm. (This is why early accesses to an AED, Automated Defibrillators is important).

Now, with Star EMS's Advanced Life Support unit having arrived on the scene, as these extremely critical medical emergencies go, the patient lost the heartbeat again. But, now, the quick actions of the Star EMS crew, delivering another/immediate SHOCK with the LifePak Cardiac Monitor & Defibrillator, the heartbeat returned, and the patient regained some consciousness, enough to be confused and start fighting against the advanced airway that was put in place to breathe for the patient (this may sound bad, but it is actually a very good sign).

On the way to the hospital, with lights and sirens, the paramedics performed a 12-lead EKG, which showed the patient was having a significant heart attack. Through technology, this EKG was shared with the hospital, from the back of the ambulance, allowing the hospital to be ready and waiting.

After admission to the hospital, and receiving WORLD-CLASS healthcare services/procedures (right here in our own backyard), we are very proud to report that this relatively young patient was later discharged home, with cardiac rehab services and will go on to resume a normal, active life.

We share this because we are immensely proud of these moments. The crew was recognized by the Oakland County Medical Control Authority (the agency that provides oversight to fire department ambulances, and professional EMS agency ambulances, like Star EMS) for their achievement in excellent patient care.

Join me in congratulating R.J. and Alex. Their training, experience, and rapid delivery of emergency medicine was a contributing factor in this patient's survival.

This is just one example of why our EMT's, Paramedics, and EMD Dispatchers do what they do, everyday.

Great Job RJ and Alex.

Note: Alex is carrying on his father's legacy (his dad was a paramedic for over 40 years) and RJ is both a fireman and a paramedic instructor, with decades of experience.

09/19/2025

It was a beautiful weather day and a full course at today's Highland/Commerce Golf Outing. Happy to support this charity event and the Fire/EMS professionals who work at these two township fire departments! It was a lot of fun for great cause!