Maui paramedic to be honored at Stars of Life Awards Ceremony in Washington D.C.

David Kingdon, a paramedic with American Medical Response Maui County, has been named one of 33 Global Medical Response Stars of Life. The Stars of Life program honors emergency medical services professionals who have completed extraordinary acts of service for their patients, colleagues, communities or the profession.

“This award is among the highest honors an EMS professional can receive,” said Mona Arcinas, operations manager, AMR Maui County. “David Kingdon is being recognized for his outstanding leadership as a first responder on the front lines of the devastating fires on Maui in 2023. David took it upon himself to act as Medical Incident Commander. He worked tirelessly in uncertain conditions to ensure that patients were triaged, treated and transported safely to healthcare facilities, and that his own team members remained safe as well. He exemplifies what it means to be a Star of Life.”

Kingdon said he is honored to be one of the 2024 Stars of Life. “This was, and continues to be, a devastating event for our community in Maui,” he said. “There are reasons to be hopeful, however, especially having witnessed the convergence of on and off-duty emergency personnel, community members, and the outpouring of support from around the world in response to the firestorm. It’s on behalf of the Maui community and our emergency services team that I will be accepting this award.”

Stars of Life were selected by their peers in an extensive nomination process. Honorees from across the country will be recognized at the American Ambulance Association Stars of Life Awards Ceremony in Washington, D.C. from Nov. 10-13.