Durham County Emergency Medical Services

03/06/2026

Please join us in welcoming Amari Devine to the Office of Emergency Services, Business Operations Division.

Amari stepped into her new role as Administrative Support Assistant on Monday, bringing with her six years of impressive and progressive administrative experience. Her background spans medical billing, compliance, and a proven talent for handling high-volume public interactions—whether over the phone or in person—with grace and professionalism.

In her new position, Amari will be the primary point of contact for the Fire Marshal Office (FM), lend her expertise to data analytics support, manage badging, and much more. We’re excited to have someone with her skill set as part of our team.

A true Durham native and proud mother of two, Amari enjoys spending quality time with her family when she’s not at work.

We can’t wait to see the great contributions she’ll bring to the important work we do in OES Business Operations.

03/04/2026

Today is Well Done Wednesday, where we spotlight exceptional work by our paramedics, AEMTs and EMTs. This week’s honorees are EMT Cody Davis, EMT Whitney Tezai, and EMT Recruit Jabriel Downey.

This crew was dispatched to help an elderly patient down the stairs to a dialysis appointment, as she could not walk and her apartment’s elevator was broken. However, the dialysis transport van never arrived, and the patient grew increasingly anxious. Realizing that the patient would be stuck outside in the cold with no way to get to her appointment, this crew worked with the patient and EMS supervisors to provide her with transportation to dialysis.

03/03/2026

Please keep our friends at the Durham Emergency Communications Center in your thoughts as they grieve their colleague.

03/02/2026

Please join us in congratulating AEMT Madeleine Ganz for successfully completing the FTEP process. She is 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 her for independent practice. Special thanks to Cpl. Smith, Cpl. Korm, Cpl. Lopez, and FTEP Coordinator Sara Houston for their contributions.

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

03/02/2026

03/02/2026

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 everyone!

03/01/2026

We extend our deepest sympathies to the family, friends and colleagues of Master Trooper Perry, who was killed in a motor vehicle collision last night in Durham.

Please keep the personnel who responded to this incident in your thoughts.

**UPDATE** Due to an outpouring of support and a multitude of those looking to help, a GoFundMe account has been established to help support the 9 month old daughter of fallen Master Trooper Steven Perry. Those looking to help can so so by visiting the provided link: https://gofund.me/32d0d6684

Member Line of Duty Death: Master Trooper Steven J. Perry

Dear Patrol Family,

It is with profound sadness and a heavy heart that I inform you of the passing of one of our own. Master Trooper Steven J. Perry has passed away from an on-duty traffic collision while working in Durham County. Initial indications are that early this morning he was struck head-on by a wrong-way driver while traveling on NC-147. The other involved driver is also deceased from the traffic collision.

Trooper Perry was a member of the 148th Basic Patrol School and has served Durham County throughout his nearly 7-year career. During this difficult time, our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends and fellow troopers who had the privilege of serving alongside him. We ask that you keep the entirety of his family and our Patrol Family in your thoughts.

We would like to thank the Durham County Emergency Medical Services, Durham Fire Department, Durham Police Department and the North Carolina Department of Transportation IMAP Division for their extensive assistance at the scene of this crash.

As further details become available and as a celebration of life service is planned, we will ensure that details are shared.

Please stay safe, take care of one another and keep the family in your prayers.

Warmest Regards,
Colonel Freddy Johnson Jr.

02/27/2026

Please join us in congratulating Paramedic Andrew Harris and EMT Ben Scott 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. Special thanks to Sgt. Patterson, Sgt. Mejia, Cpl. Byrd, Sgt. Tolley, Sgt. Schmidt, Cpl. Shaw, and FTEP Coordinator Sara Houston for their contributions.

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

02/25/2026

Today is Well Done Wednesday, where we spotlight exceptional work by our paramedics, AEMTs and EMTs. This week’s honorees are Paramedic Adam Crute and EMT Xochil Lopez, nominated by Division Chief Mark Oniffrey.

“Several weeks ago, this crew responded to an unknown problem to discover a patient exsanguinating from a laceration. Without the assistance of a first responder, and including time lost staging for PD, they skillfully provided hemorrhage control and initiated transport in less than 10 minutes on scene.

Immediately after clearing that call, they responded to assist the police department with a reported arm laceration. That call ended up as a patient suffering from gunshot wounds who was unresponsive and hypotensive. Again, they delivered rapid treatment and initiated transport in 6 minutes.”

02/24/2026

Are you looking for a fast-paced, challenging, and clinically excellent EMS agency to work for? Then Durham County Emergency Medical Services is the place for you!

We are looking for providers who will strive for excellence, provide the highest quality of care for the citizens of Durham County, and expect the same from their peers.

If you’re a credentialed EMT who is planning on upgrading your certification to AEMT or Paramedic this spring, we encourage you to apply under both your current certification level and your expected certification level in June.

Apply today at the links below:
Paramedic: https://bit.ly/Academy42MEDIC
AEMT: https://bit.ly/Academy42AEMT
EMT: https://bit.ly/Academy42EMT

02/20/2026

Congratulations to District Chief Max Patterson on his graduation from the UNC Charlotte EMS Management Institute!