- Home
- Departments
- Public Safety
- Fire Department
- Emergency Medical Services (EMS)
Emergency Medical Services (EMS)
In 2020, the Terrell Fire Department (TFD) was designated an Advanced Life Support (ALS) First Responding Organization (FRO) by the Texas Department of State and Health Services. This upgrade from our previous Basic Life Support (BLS) FRO designation was facilitated in 2019 by the addition of nine firefighters. These new personnel, hired through FEMA's SAFER Grant, were required to posses a paramedic certification prior to employment, directly enabling the department to advance its certification level.
As an ALS FRO, the TFD is equipped and trained to perform a range of advanced lifesaving procedures. These include intubation, intravenous (IV) access, intraosseous (IO) access, drug administration, and advanced cardiac monitoring and defibrillation. TFD has actively collaborated with its contracted EMS provider and transport agency since 2015, to ensure the highest level of EMS care is provided to its citizens.
It is our mission to provide the highest quality of Emergency Medical Services to the citizens of Terrell. This mission will be carried out through continual quality assurance oversight, identifying data driven trends to identify and/or develop community outreach programs, ensure the most progressive “in-house” training is provided to all service delivery members and by ensuring the most up to date, well maintained equipment is provided/accessible for the delivery of service.
To support the Department’s ALS designation attained in 2020 and to progressively meet the Department’s mission of providing the highest quality of Emergency Medical Services, the EMS Manager assignment was proposed and approved in 2024. This assignment consolidated the roles and responsibilities formerly shared by three shift-assigned “EMS coordinators” into a single, Captain rank administrative position with over-all EMS oversight, quality assurance, training, inventory, public outreach and liaison responsibilities.
Captain Josh McKenzie has been assigned to this position and possess the following attributes, licensed Paramedic and holds an Associate of Applied Science degree in Emergency Medical Technician from Trinity Valley Community College. Captain Mckenzie has over 20 years of emergency medical service and has attained certifications as a Flight Paramedic (FP-C), Critical Care Emergency Medical Transport Paramedic (CCEMT-P), Tactical Paramedic (TP-C), and is a certified instructor through the Texas Department of State Health Services (TDSHS), American Heart Association (AHA), and National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT).
All members of the Terrell Fire Department are regulated by the Texas Department of State Health Services (TDSHS) and approved by the Fire Chief and Medical Director to function within the Department’s Emergency Medical Services. TFD is a registered CE Education Provider under the Texas Department of State Health Services (TDSHS) and provides “in house” monthly continuing education classes to all its members. All training is taught at the highest certification level, Paramedic.
The Texas Department of State Health Services (TDSHS) requires 144 hours of Continual Education (CE) every 4 years for those certified at the Paramedic (EMT-P) level and 72 hours every 4 years for those certified at the Emergency Medical Technicians Basic (EMT-B) level to maintain active certification. TFD ensures that all members meet and/or exceed these requirements.
With over 100 years of accumulative experience in emergency medical services, TFD members are dedicated to providing the highest level of emergency services possible to the citizens of Terrell.