Commitment to Excellence

The National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT) and EMS World Magazine, in conjunction with Advocates for EMS (AEMS), the National Association of EMS Educators (NAEMSE), and the National EMS Management Association (NEMSMA), established the National EMS Awards of Excellence program to recognize outstanding achievement in the EMS profession.

EMS World Magazine Volunteer Service of the Year sponsored by Firecom: Morris Minute Men EMS

   EMS World Magazine's Volunteer EMS Service of the Year Award, sponsored by Firecom, and Paid Service of the Year Award, sponsored by Ferno, recognize outstanding performance by an EMS service. Each winning agency received a $1,000 award stipend, plus travel, lodging for three nights and registration for EMS EXPO 2010, where the award was presented at the opening keynote ceremony on September 29 in Dallas, TX.

   Most of us date modern EMS back to the early 1960s, but the Morris Minute Men (and women) have provided superior emergency care to the residents of Morris Township and Morris Plains, New Jersey, since 1941. Over the years, they say, their uniforms, ambulances and personnel have changed, but their dedication to the community has never wavered.

   With an average 75 to 100 active members, Morris Minute Men EMS volunteers are at the station 24/7, 365 days a year. In fact, there are usually two to three complete crews on hand waiting to staff the four ambulances, first responder/multicasualty command SUV or rescue truck. Most duty nights, every available bunk bed is filled with 10 volunteers on duty and ready to respond to 9-1-1 calls.

   In addition to serving a population of approximately 27,000, the Minute Men provide mutual aid to seven adjacent towns and beyond, and medical services to a high number of county facilities, including two correctional facilities, a youth shelter, the county public safety training center, numerous parks and recreation areas, five elder nursing facilities, a homeless shelter, three ice rinks, a battered-women's shelter, numerous schools and colleges and multiple corporate headquarters. They also cover two high-capacity commuter train stations and the Morristown airport.

   Several Minute Men volunteers are current New Jersey EMS Task Force members, and the group has been designated as strike team leader for Morris County. The Minute Men are located in one of 45 urban areas in the U.S. that the Department of Homeland Security has designated as "critical" due to population density and infrastructure, and are one of six designated as "highest risk" Tier 1 Urban Area Security Initiative jurisdictions, which they keep in mind during planning and training.

   On top of providing medical and rescue services, the Minute Men work to educate the public about various medical topics through venues like an EMS Expo at a local charity bike ride, CPR and first aid classes, and involvement with the local hospital association. Minute Men members often go to schools, churches and community picnics to give ambulance tours and answer questions, and construct a haunted house at Halloween, complete with a haunted ambulance, left-over body parts and living-dead CPR manikins.

   Last year, the Minute Men completed an effort to meet and exceed all OSHA safety, training and equipment requirements and were certified by an OSHA inspector as fully compliant, which is unusual for a volunteer squad. The Minute Men also became the first volunteer squad with a New Jersey Office of Emergency Medical Services-inspected ambulance, which is required only of paid services. They have also converted their patient care reports to electronic entry, so all calls are logged with the state for review and statistical compilation.

   Squad members are offered a huge array of continuing education options. Their building is just down the street from the local training academy, and all volunteers are encouraged to attend classes. Their website has links to several online CEU sites, training presentations and a "Topic of the Month" supplied by the squad's first lieutenant. The lieutenant also provides annual compliance training to all members, who are required to become EMTs as quickly as possible. The squad has recently established an experienced physician as its dedicated medical director to review electronic charts, review calls at the monthly meeting and make decisions about agency protocol.

   According to Tiffany Willshaw, who nominated her squad for the award, "When you look at our walls and see the photos of past active members and the old Cadillac and Packard ambulances, then go to our meetings and hear the examples of leadership, dedication and skill our members demonstrate on a regular basis, it's easy to see that we are not only continuing our 69-year tradition of excellence, but we're progressing into the future."

   "It's always nice to be recognized," adds Minute Men's president, Linda Omaggio, EMT. "Any time volunteers are recognized is a pat on the back for all the hard work that we do, and that all volunteers do. It's a wonderful honor."

EMS World Magazine Paid Service of the Year sponsored by Ferno: Charleston County EMS

   Charleston County (SC) EMS might not be one of the largest agencies in the country, but it's certainly one of the busiest and most progressive.

   With a staff of 144, the agency provides service to the entire county's population of 315,000, covering 1,100 square miles. CCEMS operates 15 ALS transport and three prime-time ALS transport ambulances from a state-of-the-art dispatch center. In 2009, they responded to 50,000 requests for service. All CCEMS employees are certified as SC EMT or paramedic (75% of them National Registry), and all are ACLS, BTLS and hazmat operator-certified. All dispatchers are EMD-certified. Some noteworthy innovations include:

• Developed a tri-county, multi-hospital committee involving three governments and four different hospitals to improve cardiac care. A 12-lead project improved door-to-cath time from 120 minutes to less than 40 minutes county-wide.
• Developed the first RSI program in the state. CCEMS was the first agency to pilot the program that is now a state-wide initiative.
• All medical protocols are developed and reviewed by paramedics and EMTs before going to the medical director.
• The agency has developed several programs, including a student exchange that allows paramedic students from Britain to come to the U.S. for their ride time; a grant-funded medical Spanish course; and an incident command school.

   The agency developed an EMS training program to improve recruitment efforts and diversity in the workplace. Trainees begin in supply and learn the system from the ground up. After 1 year, they attend EMT training, which is paid for by the department, and, after completing a job application and interviews, they are "hired" to begin work on the street. The tri-county committee secured funding for and implemented an EKG transmission program that allows faster transmission of data and can be used for disaster format, coordinating transportation to area facilities in the event of an MCI or other major incident. The department also initiated a new GPS system to route 9-1-1 calls for the quickest response, and owns and operates a county-wide 800 MHz system that allows total interoperability for all public safety agencies, including campus EMS systems, state, federal and local municipality partners.

   CCEMS employees are heavily involved in the workings of the agency, as evidenced by employee-designed ambulances, an employee-developed field training officer program, and development of medical and trauma protocols. In addition to its ambulance fleet, the agency has a TEMS team that is fully integrated with law enforcement, and a non-motorized bike team and motorcycle team for use in large-scale public events. District supervisors used as independent duty medic units respond to critical calls as additional resources, as well as to non-emergent calls where transport may not be necessary. CCEMS secured funding for equipment and developed training and protocol for implementation of CPAP treatment; developed hypothermia training and protocol for cardiac arrest patients; and developed and implemented RSI training and protocol.

   The importance of CCEMS employees to their employer is reinforced daily through worker safety and well-being programs. For its outstanding work in back-injury prevention, CCEMS received the National Association of Counties Achievement Award in Risk Management for Strain Injury Reduction after the department reduced worker's compensation costs by over $1 million. As part of the employee "thank you" program, positive letters are rewarded with gift cards and other items for crew members, and they are acknowledged publicly during in-services. Employees are equipped with all needed safety gear for work, including vests, boots, helmet and appropriate bunker gear. The wellness program provides free annual comprehensive health screenings, and an awards committee recognizes annually an EMT and paramedic of the year.

   In spite of its successes, Charleston County EMS occasionally struggles like everyone else, says EMS Director Don Lundy. "The economy has taken its toll the last few years on a lot of agencies, and it can't help but wear on people to see the effects on our patients and some of our families," he says. "Even though we all try to do the best we can do every day, it's always great once in a while for somebody outside the circle to say, 'Yep, you've got it.' Winning the Gold Award is absolutely awesome. Our folks make us look so good with all the work they do."