Archer City Ambulance Director Receives North Texas Regional Advisory Council Oustanding Achievement Award

A Texoman man is awarded for his outstanding achievements during a surprise presentation at Vernon College in Wichita Falls.

That award comes almost a year after his life took a drastic turn.

While Pat Bryan was working as a paramedic in April of last year, a car crashed into his ambulance.

Now he's unable to walk, but he's not letting that get in the way of doing a job he loves.

A new decoration sits on Pat Bryan's shelf in his office in Archer City.

Something he says he wasn't expecting.

"Because I hadn't been on the truck a lot in the last year I didn't think people even knew what I was doing," he said.

Bryan's role in the ambulance service drastically changed on April 16^th while he was in an ambulance saving the life of a bee sting patient, when a car crashed into it in downtown Wichita Falls.

But that hasn't stopped him from doing his job, and doing it well.

"What he has done with the service before the accident and what he has done with the service after the accident he was very much deserving of the award," said Kim Whitsitt, the Archer City Secretary.

That award was the North Texas Regional Advisory Council Outstanding Achievement Award.

It's an award in memory of Al Garcia, a former Lieutenant with the Wichita Falls Fire Department who passed away in September.

"He was colorful. He was very entertaining had a lot of opinion and I liked him, I very much liked him," Bryan said.

Bryan says he is humbled to be honored in memory of a man that was so dear.

And while most of his work may be off the trucks, he says the award lets him know to continue to push forward.  

"It inspires me to keep going on the path that I'm on. I am constantly trying to improve this ambulance service, we are trying to get second crews, we are slowly expanding," he said.

Bryan's perseverance not only shows at work, but in his personal life too.

His goal after the accident was to walk again, and though he says he's hit some minor set backs since the accident he says he still hopes to be on his feet and one day be back on an ambulance again.