Durham County Emergency Medical Services

Today is Well Done Wednesday, where we spotlight exceptional work by our paramedics, AEMTs and EMTs. This week’s honorees are Paramedic Arianna McCartney and EMT Melena Franks, nominated by Lt. Brandon Pittman.

Lt. Pittman writes, “This crew was dispatched to a medical call by 911. While en route, dispatch notes updated saying that the patient wanted to throw himself off a bridge. The address was at an apartment complex, but they noted that there was an individual on the other side of the guardrails at a bridge. Dispatch notes updated that the patient was on the move and no longer at the apartment complex. Arianna and Melena rapidly recognized that this was the individual and noted he was in distress. They stopped the ambulance and grabbed the patient, restraining him from jumping off the bridge.

Due to the massive amount of rain from Hurricane Debbie, the river was swollen and water was moving rapidly. Thanks to Arianna and Melena's rapid interventions, they were able to restrain the patient long enough so that additional help could arrive, secure the patient with a rope, and safely move him from danger.

I wanted to say thank you and recognize their selfless actions that potentially saved someone who was in crisis and needed help.”

Today is Well Done Wednesday, where we spotlight exceptional work by our paramedics, AEMTs and EMTs. This week’s honorees are Paramedic Sarah Waycaster, EMT Jacob Byrd, Paramedic Arianna McCartney, EMT Melina Franks, and LT Scott Beamer.

Crews were dispatched to a report of a person down. Once on scene, they were able to see an unresponsive patient inside of the residence, but the door was locked and chained from the inside. Knowing that time was of the essence and that the person inside of the home needed immediate medical care, the EMS crew made forced entry into the home and were able to quickly access the patient and provide life-saving care.

Kudos to everyone involved

Please join us in congratulating Paramedic Cynthia Carrillo, EMT Jenny Eguiza-Gomez, EMT Will Hofheimer, and EMT Andy Kuo (not pictured) for successfully completing the FTEP process. They are now cleared for independent practice within the Durham County EMS System.

We appreciate the hard work and dedication of our FTOs, shift leadership, education staff, and FTEP coordinator in preparing them for independent practice. A special thanks to Senior Medics Patterson, Schmidt, Tomkoski and Tolley; FTOs Boothe, Cuozzo, Jones, Korm, Lopez, McDonald, Stattel and Thomas; and FTEP Coordinator Sara Houston for their contributions.

Congratulations, and we look forward to your continued growth and success in Durham County!

Today is Well Done Wednesday, where we spotlight exceptional work by our paramedics, AEMTs and EMTs. This week’s honorees are Lt. Brandon Pittman, Paramedic Montay Smith, AEMT Rickey Isom, Paramedic Gavin Martin and EMT Brianna Fisher. Earlier this year, these crews responded to a lengthy, complex psychiatric call that spanned shift change. Special kudos to Lt. Pittman for building a rapport with the patient and helping to defuse a tense situation.

We've been without By the Numbers for the past few weeks, as we tried to figure out an error that was causing us to be unable to accurately report our high-acuity and low-acuity transport times. Since we're still working on that, we've decided to temporarily take those fields out of By the Numbers and throw in a few new statistics. In addition to the average calls per day, total transports, total non-transports and busiest day of the week, you'll also now see the number of calls on our busiest day and the busiest hour of the day. Sorry for the break, and hopefully we'll get the high-acuity and low-acuity response times back working soon!

UPDATE: Geon King-Parriett has been located and is safe. Mariah King is in police custody.

They were located in the 2200 block of South Roxboro Street.

************************************************An amber alert has been issued for Geon King-Parriett.

Geon King-Parriett is a 9-year-old, Black, Male, approximately 4 feet 10 inches tall, weighing 100 pounds. He was last seen wearing an all black in color, hoodie and sweat pants.

The child is believed to be with: Mariah King.

Mariah King is described as 33 years old, Black, Female, 5 feet 4 inches tall, weighing 140 pounds. She was last seen wearing gray sweat pants and a black crop top.

If you see him call 911 or Durham Police’s front desk at 919-560-4427. If you have any information regarding this case, you can contact either Corporal I. Harton at 919-560-4440 x29332 ([email protected]) or Corporal T. Althaus at 919-560-4440 x29438 ([email protected]).

Today is Well Done Wednesday, where we spotlight exceptional work by our paramedics, AEMTs and EMTs. This week’s honorees are EMT Kaz Moore, Paramedic Cynthia Carrillo, AEMT Matthew Matunis and Cpl. Matt Tolley.

While off duty in a different county, EMT Moore witnessed a serious motor vehicle accident. They realized the severity of the circumstances and stepped in to provide medical assistance until first responders arrived.

Paramedic Carrillo, AEMT Matunis and Cpl. Tolley went above and beyond to help a patient who had unexpectedly given birth outside of the hospital. In addition to providing care for the mother and child, they changed and dressed the other minor children in the residence before requesting another unit to help transport the family.

Kudos to all involved!

Please be careful when driving through low-lying areas today! Our crews have assisted on several water rescues so far, including this fully submerged vehicle off of Durham-Chapel Hill Boulevard, photographed by EMT Kaz Moore. Fortunately, all occupants were rescued due to the quick actions of bystanders. Turn around - don’t drown!

Today is Save Sunday, where we recognize the medics, AEMTs and EMTs who were involved in cardiac arrests with sustained ROSC (return of spontaneous circulation) during the previous week. Great job!

Congratulations to Paramedic Donald West, who has been promoted to Corporal effective Monday, July 22. Corporal West will remain on his longtime shift of A-nights. Best of luck in your new position!

Today is Well Done Wednesday, where we spotlight exceptional work by our paramedics, AEMTs and EMTs. This week’s honorees are Paramedic Nizar Bejaoui and EMT Harvey Thomas.

Lt. Scott Beamer writes, “Here we have the crew of Medic 3 assisting a wheelchair-bound citizen back to his apartment after his wheelchair mysteriously stopped working. Mind you, his apartment was about a half mile away and right after this photo was taken, a heavy downpour occurred. In the end, the crew and the citizen made it safely to his apartment, a little wetter than they were, and all parties were satisfied.”

Kudos to Nizar and Harvey!

A Heat Advisory is in effect again today for much of central NC outside of the Triad. Heat indices of 105 to 109 will be possible. One last day of dangerous heat is expected tomorrow. Try to limit your time outdoors, and take frequent breaks and drink plenty of water.

Please join us in welcoming Corrina Young to the Durham County Office of Emergency Services! Her official title is Business Operations Office Assistant. but she's been deemed our Director of Impressions, as she will be the first person you see when you visit OES Administration.

Corrina began her journey with OES on Monday, July 8th. She has professional experience in corporate, local government, and nonprofit organizations. She enjoys creating innovative solutions and learning new skills to implement in different environments.

In her role, Corrina will be utilizing her skill set for inventory management, record retention, data entry, accounts reconciliation, and much more!

Additionally, Corrina enjoys meeting new people and learning. She is a discerning foodie, though “dancing squid” is where she draws the line.

Please say hello if you happen to stop by OES Administration!

We want to welcome Allison Branch to our OES MIH/CP Team!

Allison is our new Peer Support Specialist. She began with us on Monday, July 8.

Allison will be working with Community Paramedics to help manage information and referrals with our substance use patients, especially those who experience an overdose from opioids. Her primary work will be to keep in touch with patients we have treated with MOUD, buprenorphine. She will be a support for them and help them to not only get into treatment but address other things that will help them be successful in their recovery. She will also be working to ensure we keep track of and follow up with patients who overdosed but were not enrolled in our MOUD program.

Allison has a lot of experience working with EMS in her history and has already started settling in. Please welcome her to the team!

Today is Well Done Wednesday, where we spotlight exceptional work by our paramedics, AEMTs and EMTs. This week’s honorees are Paramedic Christopher Gaudreault and EMT Christopher Tammenga.

This crew responded to a man having an anaphylactic reaction to numerous bee stings. The patient was barely breathing with a weak pulse, and was close to going into cardiac arrest. Chris and Chris were able to quickly prioritize and perform the most critical interventions to treat this condition. The patient was feeling much better on arrival at the hospital and was able to go home a short time later.

Remember, summer is bee and wasp season! If you or someone you love is allergic to stings, please make sure you have an Epi-Pen handy wherever you go.

A heat advisory is in effect for Durham County today until 8 p.m.

Our Durham County Library Main, South & Southwest Regional locations are designed as cooling centers for everyone to get inside & cool off during normal Tuesday business hours of 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Learn more about our libraries here: DurhamCountyLibrary.org

Welcome to a slightly delayed due to House of the Dragon Save Sunday, where we recognize the medics, AEMTs and EMTs who were involved in cardiac arrests with sustained ROSC (return of spontaneous circulation) during the previous week. Great job, everyone!

Durham County EMS is now hiring!

Applications are now open for Paramedic, Advanced EMT, and EMT positions with Durham County EMS.

With great pay and benefits, state of the art equipment and training, and innovative, leading-edge protocols, Durham County EMS is the place you want to be!

Don’t delay – applications are only open for September’s Academy 38 until July 9.

Apply today at the links below:

Paramedic: https://bit.ly/Academy38Paramedic
AEMT: https://bit.ly/Academy38Advanced
EMT: https://bit.ly/Academy38EMT

Today is Well Done Wednesday, where we spotlight exceptional work by our paramedics, AEMTs and EMTs. This week’s honorees are EMT Nicholas Desjardin, Paramedic Madisyn Horn, Lt. Tony Horton, and EMT/Admin Assistant Amy Campbell.

Madisyn and Nicholas were dispatched to a naked man in a busy area of downtown. The man stated he had been beaten up and robbed of all his possessions.

While Madisyn and Nicholas treated his medical complaint, Tony arrived with a backpack full of clothes and other supplies that EMS keeps on hand for homeless patients. The supplies were curated by EMT/Admin Assistant Amy Campbell, who has supervised The Backpack Project for several years.

Kudos to everyone involved in helping this gentleman out!

Durham County EMS is now hiring!

Applications are now open for Paramedic, Advanced EMT, and EMT positions with Durham County EMS.

With great pay and benefits, state of the art equipment and training, and innovative, leading-edge protocols, Durham County EMS is the place you want to be!

Don’t delay – applications are only open for September’s Academy 38 until July 9.

Apply today at the links below:

EMT: https://bit.ly/Academy38EMT
AEMT: https://bit.ly/Academy38Advanced
Paramedic: https://bit.ly/Academy38Paramedic

Durham County EMS is now hiring for September's Academy 38!

Applications are now open for Paramedic, Advanced EMT, and EMT positions with Durham County EMS. With great pay and benefits, state of the art equipment and training, and innovative, leading-edge protocols, Durham County EMS is the place you want to be!

Apply today at the links below:
EMT: https://bit.ly/Academy38EMT
AEMT: https://bit.ly/Academy38Advanced
Paramedic: https://bit.ly/Academy38Paramedic

Today is Well Done Wednesday, where we spotlight exceptional work by our paramedics, AEMTs and EMTs. This week’s honorees are Paramedic Justin Totten, AEMT Janae Sanders and Paramedic Amy Thomas.

Justin and Janae responded to a severe pediatric trauma on a busy night. They were able to quickly treat and transport the patient with a less than five minute scene time.

While they were in the emergency room transferring patient care, Amy, who was at the hospital after an unrelated call, began cleaning up and restocking their ambulance without being asked. She then further assisted this crew by obtaining patient information and entering it into their patient care report, which allowed Justin and Janae a breather to decompress and process their experience.

While not all calls have a positive outcome, small moments of caring and compassion like this can make a big difference for providers. Well done to all!

Durham County EMS is hiring for Academy 38!

Applications are now open for Paramedic, Advanced EMT, and EMT positions with Durham County EMS.

With great pay and benefits, state of the art equipment and training, and innovative, leading-edge protocols, Durham County EMS is the place you want to be!

Apply today at the links below:
EMT: https://bit.ly/Academy38EMT
AEMT: https://bit.ly/Academy38Advanced
Paramedic: https://bit.ly/Academy38Paramedic

Promotion alert! We are proud to announce four EMS promotions today. Cpl. Michael Kiehart and Paramedic Tony Horton were promoted to Lieutenant effective June 10. Lt. Horton has transferred to B-Nights, while Lt. Kiehart remains on A-Nights.

Paramedic Craig Schmidt was promoted to Corporal effective June 24. He will remain on B-Nights.

Paramedic Collier Reeves was promoted to Community Paramedic and will transfer to B-Days, officially effective August 5. They will be filling the vacancy left by retired Community Paramedic Phil Keene.

Congratulations to everyone on their new positions!