By J. Brian Ewing
The News & Record
GREENSBORO, N.C. — Julie Williams and her 5-year-old nearly died Sunday — six times.
Williams and a child mannequin were patients in what is arguably one the state’s most important contests, the N.C. Office of Emergency Medical Services annual paramedic competition.
Williams, who is an administrative secretary for the state office, portrayed an elderly woman suffering from heart failure while her mannequin child had accidentally overdosed. The scene was set in a ballroom at the Sheraton at Four Seasons but the detail put into the elaborate staging and props made it seem as though it were happening at a neighbor’s house.
“It’s a little frightening,” Williams said after the second team completed the scenario. “But it’s a good feeling to know that we have such well-trained EMS.”
Six teams competed Sunday, five won their regional competitions this summer. They were all looking to unseat reigning champs, Stokes County. Each team consists of two paramedics. All were sequestered before their turn and had no idea of what to expect.
Steven Ward, who with John Stroup made up the Mecklenburg County team, said the competition is more than just a chance to show off their training, it sharpens skills as well.
“It’s tough and realistic,” Ward said. “They throw the kitchen sink at us here, so when we get back to Charlotte it’s a breeze.”
The kitchen sink this year included not only the overdosed child, which was under covers in another room on the set, but a schizophrenic relative showed up while the medics tried to save the child and woman.
Drexdal Pratt, chief of the state Office of EMS, said the scenario is based on emergency situations that are becoming more and more common across the state, specifically the overdosed child. Pratt said the fact that each team performed well in spite of the difficult scenario says a lot about the state of EMS in North Carolina.
“It shows me, at the state level, that people really do want to help their neighbors,” he said.
Pratt said his office has seen a decline in the number of people interested in the paramedic field in recent years, but as unemployment has risen he said interest in the career has improved.
The winners of Sunday’s contest will be announced during the conference’s closing banquet Tuesday.
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