It was our honor to present this award to our nationally recognized Emergency Medical Technician nominee Mr. Phillip Polston. Below is Mr. Polston's nomination.

We would like to nominate Mr. Phillip Polston, Paramedic, for the Public Servant Award for Emergency Medical Technicians. Phillip has been with Lancaster County EMS since 1985. After 30 years of service, he continues to be a strong leader and motivator to all who work alongside him. Phillip is our First Responder Coordinator and Special Operations Coordinator. As the First Responder Coordinator, he is responsible for the coordination of training, record keeping, and continuing education for over 200 First Responders in Lancaster County, most of which are volunteers. As the Special Operations Coordinator, Phillip leads our EMS STAR Team (Specialized Training and Response Team) which consists of 15 medics who are trained in Tactical Combat Casualty Care, advanced rescue operations including High/Low Angle Rescue, Search and Rescue, and Swift Water Rescue. He is also involved in the planning and coordinating of multi-agency drills for Fire, EMS, Law Enforcement, and Emergency Management.

It was also an honor to recognize SGT Jeremy Lear for his work with the Lancaster Sheriff’s Office serving the citizens of Lancaster County, South Carolina. Below is SGT Lear’s nomination.

It is with great pride and appreciation that we nominate SergeantJeremy Learfor the VFW Law Enforcement Public Servant Award. During his 15+ years of service to the citizens of our state, Sergeant Lear has distinguished himself as an outstanding law enforcement officer and leader. In his current position as a patrol shift supervisor, Sergeant Lear’s leadership qualities and abilities have made a great difference in our agency. Sergeant Lear is perfect example of a servant leader. He strives every day to serve the citizens of our county and the men and women that are entrusted to his charge.