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Surry County paramedics are the best of the best
Team wins international competition
Journal Photo by Jennifer Rotenizer
Barry McMillian (from left), Roger Horton and Robert Coleson showed their mettle in the two-day event.
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Published: November 20, 2009
Updated: 11/20/2009 12:30 am
MOUNT AIRY - Surry County paramedics Roger Horton, Barry McMillian and Robert Coleson have almost 40 years of experience among themselves.
Now they also share an international award for their work.
The three-man team won the International Trauma Life Support Paramedic Competition on Nov. 6 in Charlotte. They are North Carolina's second paramedic team to win the award.
"The award helps us in our jobs and keeps us sharp," said Horton, a paramedic for the Surry Emergency Medical Services for nine years. "The team has more knowledge and self-satisfaction that we have the knowledge to win something like that."
The Surry County team competed against teams from Palestine, Japan, Canada and two other U.S. teams in the two-day event.
John Shelton, the Surry County director of emergency services, said that he is proud of Horton, McMillian and Coleson. "They performed extremely well," Shelton said. "Anyone in this business has to have the heart and compassion to help others."
On the first day of the competition, the six teams completed two rescue scenarios. The Surry County team was one of three to advance to the second day of competition.
Real people portrayed the victims with injuries. However, the paramedics performed treatment procedures on computerized mannequins that indicated whether the treatments were done correctly, Coleson said.
The first rescue involved an elderly woman who had been trampled by reindeer at a petting zoo. The woman had extensive head injuries, a collapsed lung and broken ribs.
McMillian, a Surry County paramedic for 14 years, said that each team received points on how quickly it assessed the patient, identified the injuries and treated the patient.
Each team had 12 minutes to complete its task: getting the patient to the hospital as quickly as possible, Horton said.
The second rescue involved two bicycle riders who had collided with one another. One rider had a spinal injury and a damaged abdomen, while the other rider had a broken arm.
"We felt good about that first day," said Coleson, a Surry County paramedic for 16 years.
The final competition involved two girls injured by falling scaffolding at a construction site. One girl had an obstructed airway and internal injuries. The other girl had two deep cuts on her arms.
Horton said that the Surry County team treated the girls within the 12-minute time limit. Organizers didn't tell the competitors which team finished second or third.
McMillian said that the Surry County team competed against the Canadian paramedics and a team of paramedics employed by FirstHealth Regional EMS in Montgomery County, the North Carolina team that won the international competition in 2008.
The Surry County team was successful because it studied and practiced several days before the competition, Coleson said.
"It helps us be ready for anything," he said.
Horton said that scenarios used in the competition are similar to real-life rescue situations that they and other Surry County paramedics handle every day. They treat people injured in car crashes and hunting accidents.
The Surry County team plans to defend its title in November 2010 at the international competition in Reno, Nev., Horton said.
jhinton@wsjournal.com
727-7299
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