As a young child growing up in Chicago’s west suburbs, Lou Tornabeni loved ambulances, their sirens, speed and bravery birthed a dream of one day having his own ambulance company. At 18 years old he started as a medicar driver and worked his way towards EMT, dispatch and firefighter setting in motion what would become an illustrious career in EMS.
After 7 years of spearheading EMS, training, and overall operations at Elite Ambulance in Illinois, Lou set out to conquer his next chapter. Having noticed the growth and social media presence of Lifeline Ambulance, Lou was intrigued. What stood out most, was Lifeline’s social media posts, they weren’t about themselves (the company) rather primarily about their employees. “That was unique, I’ve worked at multiple ambulance companies and had yet to see such a focus on employees and their development. I wanted to dig deeper into what they do, how they do it and what makes them different.”
In May of 2020, Lou joined Lifeline Ambulance as Director of Operations in Illinois. Having worked at every level of EMS, Lou brings invaluable experience and knowledge to his new role. With a focus on expansion and refining day to day operations he’s most excited to meet and work with the Lifeline crews. “Lifeline is experiencing incredible growth and it’s about to get explosive! With growth comes more jobs, greater prosperity for employees and of course more patients to whom Lifeline can positively impact.”
When asked about his hobbies and passions the youthful excitement that began years ago in Lisle was evident: “I’d say I’m a huge EMS dork, it’s my passion, if I’m not working, I’m busy researching the latest in EMS tech and gadgets. I also enjoy cooking for family and friends, taking long road trips on the east coast and a big fan of craft breweries. My favorite is Three Floyds right over the border in Indiana, their burgers and beer are fantastic!”.
Welcome to Lifeline Lou! We’re excited to have you on our team and for what the future brings!