EMS Division Chief Retires After Over Three Decades in the Field

Juan Cardona – a member of the EMS community who’s had a global impact on EMS and has been described by peers as talented, humble, honorable, and innovative – has retired after a 30-year career in emergency medical services. 

Cardona – who serves on the EMS World editorial board – retired as Coral Springs, Florida’s EMS Division Chief, where he was part of the first response team in the 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shootings in Parkland, Florida. 

“Some of the innovations he’s accomplished and some of the long-term health care and mental health that he's provided to his staff frames his benevolence – always looking to care for his staff and for the community,” says David Page, National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT) instructor and International Paramedic Registry (IPR) chairman.  

Bruce Evans, NAEMT’s immediate past president, notes, “Juan Cardona’s service to South Florida and to the nation’s EMS reflects the character of a servant leader. He is a person who shows up and gives one of the most valuable contributions: the gift of his time. Chief Cardona brought a wealth of experience to the field of EMS. The lessons learned on mass casualty incidents and operations has much for us to contemplate. His retirement is not an end but a change where Juan will be able to bring his vast experience to the next generation.”

A Growing Passion for EMS 

Cardona immigrated to the U.S. from Columbia in 1992.  

“I was always interested in medicine, and particularly first aid, emergency care, any kind of accident, illness,” says Cardona. “I didn't have the opportunity to go to medical school even though I wanted to.” 

Cardona pursued his passion for medicine by starting off as an EMT and later becoming a paramedic with a private ambulance company. Long hours, limited pay, and limited benefits led Cardona to become a Florida-certified paramedic and firefighter. He began working in Coral Springs in 1997, rising through the ranks to become the EMS division chief. 

Cardona’s academic achievements include a bachelor’s degree in professional management with minors in fire science and EMS administration and a master of public administration degree. And in February 2013, Cardona obtained the title of Designated Infection Control Officer, using his knowledge to help combat H1N1, Ebola, and COVID-19. 

Throughout the years, Cardona has earned several certifications, authored many articles, and was recognized numerous times for his accomplishments. And in May 2015, Cardona worked with others in the Coral Springs/Parkland Fire Department to create the Community Paramedic Program, a program where experienced paramedics conduct house visits for patients who are either frequent EMS users, have special medical needs, encounter frequent falls, or are on post-hospital discharge. Cardona notes the nature of calls has changed over the course of his career. While cocaine abuse was a driving factor in many calls, now it’s opioid overdoses and deaths, suicide calls, active shooter events, and COVID-19 responses. 

Training has changed as well. 

“We never thought we’d be wearing a bulletproof vest to respond to a call,” Cardona says. “We learned very early on that the first care providers that are going to be in contact with those patients in an active shooter type of situation were most likely not going to be the paramedics. but the police officers, so we started training with them.” 

Combatting a Crisis 

While the 2014 Ebola crisis was a driving factor in changing protocols and adding stronger protective measures, Cardona notes those policies were customized to the new airborne threat of COVID, necessitating training through Zoom calls. 

“We have to be willing to continue to learn, adapt, and tap into resources, and collaborate with each other because who knows what the next threat is going to be?” he says, adding he has witnessed many technological advances that assist EMS workers in helping patients faster and in a more detailed fashion. But even with these advancements, the U.S. still has a paramedic shortage.

“There are parts of the country in which people have left EMS for good to get a job at a fast-food restaurant,” he says. “A lot of these people can’t make ends meet and end up having to switch professions. With all of the risks associated with the profession, a lot of people just don't want to do it anymore.” 

Coping with the Fallout of a Shooting 

Cardona says the Parkland shooting was the most difficult call in his career. Not only was it the biggest call, but it also had the largest number of victims.  

“We knew the day would come when we would have an active shooter event in our jurisdiction. And when it happened, we were ready and able to save the people that we could still save,” he says.  

But Cardona found this call to be incredibly challenging. 

“It's really difficult to go home the following day after you have been part of a crew that took care of a teenage person who had hung themselves due to bullying at school,” he says. “Those things stay with you forever. You tend to take those fears home. It’s very tough to know how to differentiate the fear of what happened at the call you were at and think that God forbid, that could happen in your own household.” 

At the time he was part of those responses, there were not the mental health resources available that are now, Cardona says. 

“Had I had those resources, it would have helped me process those calls a lot better,” he says. “But I still was able to complete my career.” 

“When the Parkland shooting happened, we were talking about his take on those events,” says Page. “He was very thoughtful not just about the response, but the importance of education right before the response and how that helped make sure the best care could have been provided. He also was thoughtful around his crews and how within the year, there had been a suicide and then somebody had died of cancer. In terms of knowing and caring for his community – also the people under his direction – he has gone above and beyond to implement better mental health and support for those folks.” 

EMT Efforts Around the Globe 

Cardona’s affiliation with NAEMT as a regional director and instructor as well as being fluent in Spanish has taken him throughout the U.S. as well as several countries in Latin America, Saudi Arabia, and Australia. 

In 2017, Cardona joined Page from the UCLA Prehospital Research Forum in an IPR project seeking to provide a worldwide standard for certification of prehospital and other medical care providers. Page – who has traveled worldwide with Cardona – notes, “There isn’t a better key contributor to Latin American efforts and international efforts in general.” 

“Juan has been one of NAEMT’s bridges to our brothers and sister EMS providers in Latin America,” agrees Evans. “He understands the people and has been driven to help raise the bar with training in South and Central America.” 

As EMS director, he ensured his crew had meals together, keeping business talk to a minimum. 

“After that, I would say no more business, let's just talk about family, travel, hobbies, or let's just be silly and laugh at ourselves and end the meeting with a smile,” he says.  

Cardona says his biggest joy has been raising three sons now in their 20s whom he says have grown into “wonderful young men who are very well-grounded, very smart, and caring people.” And his biggest joy has been sharing what he’s learned with others less fortunate in many parts of the world.  

“I didn’t know about the fire service in other countries until I started traveling and seeing it firsthand and see what others do with extremely limited resources, without the proper support, the political backing,” he says. “I always came back grateful for what I had at home in the U.S.” 

 Cardona says he’s enjoyed the camaraderie of those in the fire service. 

“We are one united family all over the world,” he says. “I've had the fortune of being in different countries where I happened to stop at a fire station and the moment I mentioned who I am, the doors opened up immediately. You have no idea how much you can influence somebody's career by welcoming them and showing them what you do,” he says, adding it inspires people to return to their agencies and affect change there. 

“It’s not a chapter that's closing,” Page says of Cardona’s retirement. “It's a new chapter that's opening with his service within NAEMT as a board member and affiliate faculty for different courses we offer. I’m excited to see what happens now that he's got more time and less constraints because he’s such a gift to all of us.”

Carol Brzozowski is a frequent contributor to EMS World.