Crafton Hills College Heroes Honored at 2024 California EMS Awards - Crafton Hills College

Publish Date: July 20, 2025

Mike Smith

Courageous. Committed. Ready. Dependable. These words define California's 86,000 certified EMS providersโ€”individuals who dedicate their lives to saving others. Each year, a few are honored for exceptional bravery and service.

At the 2024 California EMS Awards, held June 4, 2025, by the State of California-Emergency Medical Services Authority, six outstanding Crafton Hills College representatives were recognized for their remarkable contributions to the field.

  • ๐‚๐ก๐ข๐ž๐Ÿ ๐Œ๐ข๐ค๐ž ๐’๐ฆ๐ข๐ญ๐ก โ€“ ๐ƒ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฎ๐ข๐ฌ๐ก๐ž๐ ๐’๐ž๐ซ๐ฏ๐ข๐œ๐ž ๐Œ๐ž๐๐š๐ฅ

Chief Mike Smith, a Crafton Hills College alumnus and Foundation Board member, has dedicated over 40 years to advancing EMS, from responding to the 9/11 disaster to advocating for legislative changes. He continues to support EMS education and students at Crafton Hills College.

  • ๐‘๐ข๐ฏ๐ž๐ซ ๐‚๐š๐ฌ๐ง๐ž๐ซ โ€“ ๐Œ๐ž๐๐š๐ฅ ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐•๐š๐ฅ๐จ๐ซ

A recent graduate of Crafton Hills College's paramedic program, River Casner sustained severe burns while rescuing individuals from a burning vehicle. His bravery underscores the life-saving commitment of Crafton Hills College-trained professionals.

  • ๐‘๐จ๐›๐ž๐ซ๐ญ๐š ๐•๐š๐ฅ๐ž๐ง๐œ๐ข๐š โ€“ ๐ˆ๐ง๐ญ๐ž๐ซ-๐’๐ž๐ซ๐ฏ๐ข๐œ๐ž ๐„๐Œ๐’ ๐‘๐ž๐œ๐จ๐ ๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐Œ๐ž๐๐š๐ฅ

Roberta Valencia, a Colton Police Officer, heroically rescued a severely burned child from a house fire, personally transporting him to emergency care. Her actions highlight the strong connection between law enforcement and EMS. She is also married to a Crafton Hills College EMS instructor.

  • ๐๐ข๐œ๐จ๐ฅ๐ž ๐‚๐š๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ๐จ โ€“ ๐„๐Œ๐’ ๐‚๐ซ๐จ๐ฌ๐ฌ

A graduate of Crafton Hills College's paramedic program, Nicole Castillo is a dedicated paramedic and EMS educator who has mentored numerous students. She continues to demonstrate exceptional leadership and resilience in the field, shaping future EMS professionals.

  • ๐’๐š๐ซ๐š ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ง๐œ๐ก๐จ-๐Œ๐จ๐ซ๐ง๐ข๐ง๐  โ€“ ๐Œ๐ž๐ซ๐ข๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ข๐จ๐ฎ๐ฌ ๐’๐ž๐ซ๐ฏ๐ข๐œ๐ž ๐Œ๐ž๐๐š๐ฅ

A longtime educator at Crafton Hills College, Sara Broncho-Morning has been instrumental in training EMS professionals through the college's Mobile Intensive Care Nurse program. Her 30+ years of experience have significantly impacted EMS education and training in the region.

  • ๐๐ซ๐จ๐จ๐ค๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ง๐ง๐ž ๐‚๐จ๐จ๐ฉ๐ž๐ซ โ€“ ๐‹๐ข๐Ÿ๐ž๐ฌ๐š๐ฏ๐ข๐ง๐  ๐Œ๐ž๐๐š๐ฅ

A current Crafton Hills College student and participant in the Cal Fire Yucaipa work experience program, Brooklynne Cooper performed CPR and used an AED to revive a collapsed gym member while off duty. Her quick thinking and dedication to emergency response reflect the excellence of Crafton Hills College's EMS programs.

These honorees exemplify Crafton Hills College's commitment to preparing students for impactful careers in EMS.

For more information about the event or Crafton Hills College's EMS programs visit www.craftonhills.edu/ems.'