Gilmer County Fire Rescue is looking for candidates interested in apply for EMS Division Chief. 

 Gilmer lo

Division Chief
Emergency Medical Services
Job Description 

Major Function

This is a professional, division lead and senior level management position of a highly responsible and visible nature dealing with departmental and public health and safety. Responsibilities include the administration and management of the Gilmer County combination Fire/EMS department. This individual must be highly motivated, self-directed, and work independently. The position reports directly to the Deputy Fire Chief.

Essential Functions

The following description describes the principal functions of this job but should not be considered an all-inclusive listing of work requirements. This individual may perform other duties as assigned, including working in other functional areas to cover absences or relief, to assist with peak work periods, or otherwise to balance the workload of the department.

  • Displays strong leadership qualities within the fire rescue department, be a self-starter and highly motivated. Must have excellent organizational skills, show attention to detail, and be professional in performing the duties of the EMS Division Chief.
  • Provides direction to fire/EMS personnel in the administration of the EMS division along with related training.
  • Develops and implements continuous quality improvement (CQI) programs by reviewing all patient care reports in order to analyze EMS effectiveness, system trends, and needs in order to ensure EMS division effectiveness.
  • Assists in researching and developing protocols, policies, and procedures for continued EMS improvement and compliance.
  • Advances the EMS division through appropriate training by planning and coordination of EMS continuing education programs with material to ensure compliance with required education hours.
  • Manages EMS Ambulance licensure requirements and other related certifications in accordance the Georgia Office of EMS/Trauma requirements and maintains records related to licensure and certifications.
  • Ensures all medical equipment on ambulances and fire apparatus are appropriate and in good working order.
  • Ensures that medical supplies are at an appropriate inventory level.
  • Knows understands, and appropriately updates the Georgia Office of EMS/Trauma operational plan.
  • Assists the Deputy Chief and or the Battalion Chief with the management of day-to-day operations related to EMS as needed.
  • Oversees and manages reports related to EMS operations to include Patient Care Reports.
  • Takes a leadership role and serves as primary department contact overseeing any patient care related issues.
  • Ensures that medical care providers are properly licensed, and credentials are up to date.
  • Performs duties of HIPPA Compliance Officer, Privacy Officer, and Infection Control Program administrator.
  • Acts as primary liaison between Gilmer County Fire Rescue and ambulance billing vendor (MEDCORP EMS).
  • Staff an ambulance at the Paramedic level in the event of staff shortages.
  • Acts as Liaison between Medical Director and Gilmer County Fire Rescue personnel.
  • Serves as Liaison for any EMS related issues between Gilmer County Fire Rescue and Georgia State and local regulatory agencies, local hospital staff/administration, other EMS/fire agencies, air medical transports, medical equipment suppliers/vendors, training centers, citizens, any other agency/individual associated with pre-hospital care.
  • Participates in Northwest Georgia EMS Advisory Council for Region 1.
  • Provides guidance for routine/specialty/critical care transfers, multi-casualty, and special events.
  • Assists with vehicle/equipment procurement within budgetary guidelines.
  • Deals with public inquiries and concerns related to EMS.
  • Provides EMS training to all department personnel.
  • Assists with preparing plans that outline the EMS operating procedures to be used in response to disasters.
  • Performs various other duties as assigned by the Fire Chief.

Minimum Requirements

  • 5 years field experience as a Georgia and or National Registry licensed Paramedic.
  • 15 years of combined EMS/Fire experience.
  • NPQ FF-II
  • NIMS certification 100, 200, 300, 400, 700, 800
  • Advanced Cardiac Life Support
  • Basic Life Support
  • Pediatric Advanced Life Support
  • Georgia EMS Instructor OR NPQ II Fire instructor OR Georgia P.O.S.T. Instructor OR equivalent
  • Documented leadership progression up to the rank of Lieutenant or greater.

Preferred Requirements

  • National Registry Paramedic
  • Critical Care Certification (CCP-C, FP-C)
  • Instructor in ACLS, BLS, PALS, CPR
  • Associate Degree in Emergency Services Management or a related field.
  • NFA- Management of Emergency Medical Services
  • NFA- EMS: Quality Management
  • Georgia EMT Coordinator
  • Haz Mat Technician
  • Progressive leadership roles up to or beyond Battalion Chief level.

Download the job description here.

Download the application here.

Applications can be submitted to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Applications are due by March 5, 2023.

ron buchheit

It has been Gilmer County Fire Rescue's desire to transition to a new and progressive medical director that specializes in Emergency Medical Services. We are excited to introduce Dr. Ron Buchheit, MD as our new Medical Director.

The primary role of a medical director is to approve an EMS protocols, provide medical oversight, assist with directing and facilitating training for the Department, provide guidance to EMS personnel, and keep EMS protocols up to date with changes in the medical field. Dr. Buchheit comes to us with a specialty in Emergency Medicine, Prehospital/Disaster Medicine, and Emergency Medical Services. He is the Medical Director for Erlanger's Prehospital and Disaster Medicine and serves as the Medical Director for Region 1 of the State Office of EMS, which includes Gilmer County. Dr. Buchheit also has extensive experience serving as a Medical Director for EMS agencies in Georgia, Tennessee and North Carolina.

With this new partnership, Gilmer County Fire Rescue is in the process of updating all EMS protocols to be aggressive and broad, allowing us to deliver the highest level of care for our community. The following benefits will be seen with this transition.

  • A hands-on Medical Director
  • In service training on ALS/BLS protocols
  • Updated and more aggressive protocols
  • Increased accountability for our paramedics
  • Updated training on ALS trending practices in the field
  • Improved quality and level of service to our community
  • A medical Director that will advocate for our employees
  • Review patient reports on critical calls (Quality Assurance Program)
  • Provide a neutral party regarding conflicts with local receiving hospitals
  • 24/7 access to the Medical Director for patient care and protocol questions

 

What started as an ambitious endeavor for Gilmer County Fire Rescue, has finally become a
reality as of August 01, 2022. In an effort to increase the staffing for our fire rescue
department, we took the approach of training our own firefighters and EMT’s entirely in house
and using our own state certified instructors. This process has a twofold affect, first we recruit
local home-grown candidates with ties to their community, and secondly, we are able to train
our recruits operationally in the way we need them to function on EMS scenes and on the fire
ground.
The non-certified recruit program came to life in late 2021 as we launched our first Company
Officer Development Academy (CODA) for our future Lieutenants. While we were actively
training the future leadership of our department, command staff were quietly, but diligently
working behind the scenes to launch our first ever non-certified academy. Through a lot of
hard work, planning, determination, and logistical magic, we secured a start date for our non-
certified academy.
In early June of 2022, we advertised via the local newspaper and social media regarding our
upcoming opportunity to receive free fire and EMS training while at the same time being
compensated to attend training. We held 2 well attended open house events on June 9 and
June 14. Between both of the open house meetings, we generated 32 applications for our 15
non-certified positions. Through a process of background checks, driving records, physical
agility testing, and in person interviews, we finally identified our 15 candidates to start the
program.
The non-certified program started on August 01, 2022 with the candidates attending training 40
hours a week. The Firefighter I and II portion is scheduled for completion on December 02,
2022. Upon completion of Firefighter I and II, the class will immediately transition to EMT-Basic
and then onto EMT-Advanced. The EMT-Basic and Advanced program is scheduled to conclude
at the end of April 2022. In early May of 2022, the now certified candidates will transition to a
regular 24-hour shift and supplementing our current staffing of fire rescue employees.
We are very optimistic that our non-certified academy will be great success for Gilmer County
Fire Rescue and the citizens that we serve. We are very pleased with our outstanding
Instructors, as well as the progress the candidates have made up to this point. We are very
thankful to our county commission for the support that they have given this new program, and
with continued support and funding, we hope to launch a second academy sometime in 2023.

This time of year, we see an uptick in outdoor burning. It's important to know the risks associated with outdoor burning to help keep you and our community safe. 

Click here for a fact sheet from the Georgia Foresty Commission about changes to the state outdoor burning notification system.

You can also learn more by checking out the information on outdoor burning on our website.

Welcome to the new Gilmer Fire Website!