Staying In Touch

     I try to get out in the field at least once a month to meet face-to-face with the readers of EMS Magazine. Among other things, we discuss the critical issues you face every day and talk about ways in which EMS Magazine can help you overcome those challenges.

     Recently, I had the pleasure of meeting with Dan Williams, chief of EMS for Wisconsin. Dan has held this position for the past two years. Previously, he was director of emergency services for Door County, where he was the supervisor of the county EMS service, the emergency management office and the county 9-1-1 center.

     Dan started his EMS career in 1972 as an EMT-Basic/firefighter, working as a volunteer for a small fire department. In 1977, he became licensed as a paramedic in the first group licensed at that level in Wisconsin. Dan worked as an EMS instructor/coordinator at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College for eight years in Green Bay and left that position to become the EMS director in Door County.

     Currently, Dan manages the EMS system for Wisconsin and is responsible for licensing and regulating 455 ambulance providers, more than 15,000 licensed EMTs at five different levels, and over 14,000 first responders and first responder groups.

     When asked about critical issues in the industry, Dan sees a growing need for greater awareness of legal issues, staying on top of advances in field procedures, and being aware of personnel policy and procedure practices. At his current level, he also sees the need to better package management solutions in a quick, reader-friendly format.

     To that end, EMS Magazine is using more callouts and charts in our articles, breaking up longer articles by topic, and clearly labeling our features and columns for quick reference. In addition, our sister publication, EM Product News, will concentrate on presenting specific buying and budgeting information.

     We hope you enjoy the design changes we are making to enhance your reading experience, and I look forward to meeting with more of you on my monthly field trips!