Committees / Teams
Employee involvement is crucial to an organization. For this reason Wake County EMS has several employee-driven committees:
Recruitment & Retention Committee
The Recruitment and Retention Committee works to find ways to enhance the quality of our recruitment process, to recruit new personnel to fill vacant positions and find ways to retain current personnel.
Continuing Education Committee
The primary purpose of this committee is to assist the Office of Professional Development with ongoing needs assessment on training-related issues. These include new employee orientation, training topics and the preceptor program.
Materials and Engineering Committee
The primary purpose of this committee is to ensure that employees have the necessary materials and procedures to deliver high-quality patient care in a practical and safe environment by recommending, evaluating and selecting equipment, as needed.
EMS SPECIAL OPERATIONS
In an EMS agency, “special operations” are those services provided to the community that are different from the “ambulance service” that is provided to other communities that do not have dedicated, professional, full-service EMS agencies. We recognize that “The difference between an EMS agency and any old ambulance service” is the provision of services that are different from ambulance response and transport, that are essential to protecting the health of the community, and that generally do not result in a “billable event.”
The Wake County EMS Division provides a wide variety of special operations services to the citizens of Wake County.
Contact: Assistant Chief – Operations Tony Crawford, EMT-P
MAJOR INCIDENT MANAGEMENT AND SUPPORT
Wake County EMS Division’s senior staff members are well-trained, experienced and certified in large-scale incident management. Division staff members regularly operate in a unified command environment with senior staff from the county’s numerous law enforcement, fire suppression, public health and emergency management organizations.
Each of the Division’s marked command vehicles are equipped with the necessary supplies and equipment (communications equipment, command boards, ICS vests, bullhorns, etc.) to manage a medium-sized incident. If the incident is larger than can be handled with these assets, EMS TRUCK 1 is available for response. This special-purpose vehicle is equipped to handle protracted incident management, mass casualty or responder rehabilitation duties.
For information on EMS TRUCK 1, contact: Division Chief Jon Olson, EMT-P
COMMUNITY SPECIAL EVENTS MEDICAL SUPPORT
Wake County EMS provides comprehensive support for the numerous large public gatherings that take place in our jurisdiction every year. For each event, a comprehensive assessment is conducted, in cooperation with law enforcement and fire authorities, and an Incident Action Plan is developed. That plan may include on-site EMS units, an EMS incident management team, EMS foot patrols, EMS cyclists, all-terrain vehicles, or other resources as appropriate. The North Carolina State Fair, which brings more than 100,000 people per day to Raleigh for a nine-day period each October, provides an annual opportunity to exercise our full spectrum of special events medical support capabilities.
Special Events Coordinator: District Chief Jason Nienow, EMT-P
TACTICAL EMERGENCY MEDICAL SUPPORT UNIT
Wake County’s TEMS Unit consists of specially trained and certified paramedics (up to six per shift, under the direction of a District Chief), who respond with and provide close-up support to the special operations units of Wake County’s law enforcement agencies, including
Members of the TEMS unit are experienced field paramedics who have passed an intensive clinical competence evaluation, completed nationally recognized TEMS training, met rigorous physical standards, passed a law enforcement background check, and been accepted by the law enforcement team commanders for service as a TEMS medic.
The TEMS unit received Wake County’s Garland H. Jones Award for Excellence in Public Service in 2006. Commissioner Phil Jeffreys, County Manager David Cooke and Deputy Manager Joe Durham were on hand to present a $500 award to the winners. Cooke saluted the "Men in Black" for their dedication in getting the team started. The team of specially trained paramedics support the Special Response Team from the City of Raleigh and the Special Enforcement Unit of the Wake County Sheriff's Office. Since going operational in July 2005, these individuals have supported 115 high-risk law enforcement operations. "Their competence, dedication to task and hard work have made them an asset to the entire Wake County Public Safety community and to the citizens of Wake County," Cooke said.
The presence of the State Capitol, as well as the activities of numerous local political figures, have caused the TEMS unit to develop a close and successful relationship with the U.S. Secret Service, which presented the EMS Division with a plaque in appreciation of the level of support provided to their dignitary protection efforts.TEMS medics accompanied the Sheriff’s SRT to the International SWAT Olympics, where the team placed seventh, and to the North Carolina SWAT Competition, where the team placed first in the state.
Team Leader: District Chief Henry Smith, EMT-P
Asst. Team Leader: Senior Field Training Officer Jason Wells, EMT-P
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS MEDICAL EMERGENCY RESCUE UNIT (HAMMER)
Wake County’s HAMMER Unit consists of specially trained and certified paramedics (up to six per shift, under the direction of a district chief), who have advanced skills in the management of hazardous materials emergencies, urban search and rescue techniques, and various additional technical rescue disciplines. These medics provide medical support to regional special response teams, including
Wake County’s HAMMER medics were the first in North Carolina to be trained to the FEMA “Urban Search and Rescue Medical Specialist” standard. The team’s capabilities are expected to expand in the disciplines of high-angle and low-angle technical rescue, swift water rescue, and fire scene rehabilitation.
Team Leader:District Chief Alan Foster, EMT-P or Division Chief Ryan Lewis, EMT-P
EMS CYCLISTS
When large crowds gather, getting to a patient can present special challenges. The EMS Division’s team of certified EMS cyclists brings advanced medical care with a special form of mobility that works in tight spaces and large crowds. Operating from a utility trailer, this unit has the capability of fielding three 2-person teams, each made of two paramedics and a complete kit of advanced life support medical equipment. This unique capability has proven its value at such unique events as the 2006 Stanley Cup series, when the home team, the Carolina Hurricanes, brought more than 30,000 people to the RBC Center for each game, or the 2006 reopening of Fayetteville Street, when 80,000 people crowded the six-block stretch of downtown for the gala celebration. The team is a regular feature in Raleigh’s parades, running events and cycling competitions.
Team Leader: District Chief Steve Gardner, EMT-P
SPECIAL OPERATIONS DEPLOYMENT
Two Wake County EMS Division units, EMT-3 and EMS-8, are designated as special operations units. These units are staffed around the clock with one TEMS medic and one HAMMER medic per shift. When their special capabilities are required, these units respond and provide their special support services.
HIGH-RISE FIRE REHABILITATION INITIATIVE
In 2007, with high-rise development happening throughout the City of Raleigh, Fire Chief John T. McGrath undertook to improve the Raleigh Fire Department’s ability to manage high-rise incidents. Part of this effort involved providing rehabilitation and rapid intervention medical services closer to the firefighting effort than had traditionally occurred in the city.
Building on the strong working relationship between RFD and Wake County EMS, Chief McGrath and Chief Kirkwood agreed that EMS personnel would be trained and equipped to provide rehabilitation and rapid intervention medical services at the fire Operations Command Post, located two floors below the fire floor. EMS paramedics will bring their lifesaving equipment, fluid resuscitation supplies, etc., with them and will establish close support for the firefighters, which will prevent them from having to descend and leave the building to complete rehabilitation or to receive treatment for any injuries they might suffer in the line of duty.