LifeMed Alaska Announces the Winners of Their Heroes of the Last Frontier Contest

ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Dec. 21, 2017 - PRLog -- To celebrate the launch of their service in Petersburg, Alaska, air medical transport provider LifeMed Alaska created a contest for Alaskan first responders, calling it "Heroes of the Last Frontier." The contest was a campaign to show appreciation for Alaska's heroes, including a Facebook campaign and over $3,000 in prizes to be split between a first responder from Alaska and a first responder from Petersburg. Today, LifeMed announces the winners of Heroes of the Last Frontier.

Heroes of the Last Frontier received an overwhelming amount of positive feedback on Facebook, trending with the hashtag #AKHero. Friends and family of Alaska first responders shared the inspiring stories of heroes from across the state to the LifeMed page. Over 500 heroes were nominated for the contest, the winners chosen at random from the entries. Among those entries were Engineer/Paramedic Matt Deatherage from North Pole, Alaska and Volunteer Firefighter/ETT Devren Bennett from Petersburg.

Matt Deatherage is the Statewide winner. Matt is a full-time employee of the North Pole Fire Department. An adrenaline junkie, Matt got himself in trouble in school because he always wanted to do "exciting things," which often resulted in unwise decisions. When his counselor had him job shadow at the Kenai Fire Department to curb some of his adrenaline, Matt was hooked. At 17 years old, he graduated from high school as a certified ETT. Out of high school, Matt went to school to become an EMT. He finished paramedic school at 19. So began Matt's career as a first responder, serving with a couple different search and rescue helicopter companies before finally landing at the Fire Department. Commenting on the contest, Matt says: "There were a lot of people who entered this contest. I'm sure all of the other applicants were great--I didn't do anything to deserve this. I'm shocked and so grateful to be lucky enough to be nominated and to win."

Devren Bennett won for Petersburg. Devren has been a volunteer with the Petersburg Fire Department for 9 years. He received his ETT certification 3 years after volunteering. Devren also runs the Junior Firefighter Program. He juggles his service with the Fire Department with managing a local electronics repair shop, which he owns. Devren decided to become a firefighter because he had some time available and he wanted to give back to the Petersburg community. He stays for the invaluable skills he learns--such as throwing ladders and vehicle extrication--as well as the relationships and camaraderie he develops. He appreciates the opportunity he has to teach young adults in the community fire basics--everything from fire science to forcible entry. "I enjoy challenging myself and others," says Devren, "and there is no better place to do that than fire service."

If you would like to read more stories of Alaskan first responders, visit LifeMed's Facebook page at Facebook.com/LifeMedAlaska.

ABOUT LIFEMED ALASKA

LifeMed Alaska is the only Alaskan owned and operated air medical transport provider, offering 24/7 critical care services throughout the State. For just $49 per year, Membership with LifeMed covers your entire household, ensuring that you have zero out-of-pocket expenses for medically-necessary air or ground transports provided by LifeMed. Membership is activated immediately upon receipt of the completed enrollment form and payment. Join today!