Radford University Emergency Medical Services (RUEMS)
On RUEMS's 30th anniversary, I became the first female chief to take office. This meant that I had to outwork everyone in order to earn the agency's respect as an authoritative figurehead. Not only was it challenging to obtain leadership trust from my comrades, but I also struggled to earn respect from the police force and local fire and rescue agency. Very few women are represented in this line of work and I made it my duty to be heard for the success of my agency.
National Center for Biomedical
During the Summer of 2018, I participated in NCBRT's active shooter defense class on the campus of Radford University. Louisiana State University's NCBRT team joined Radford's team of first responders (Radford Fire and EMS, Radford Law Enforcement, Radford University Police Agency, and RUEMS) for a three day course to ensure quality communication between the rescue disciplines during difficult circumstances. As the chief of RUEMS, I had to communicate with leadership across agencies in order to guide my crew through mental and physical obstacles associated with a campus threat.
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