North Carolina Paramedics Take First Place In International Event

Main Category: Public Health
Article Date: 19 Nov 2008 - 6:00 PST

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A team of North Carolina paramedics won top honors Nov. 8 in a competition with five other teams at the 2008 International Trauma Conference held in Guanajuato, Mexico.

The team of Billy Eldridge, Shane Lisenby and Austin Nabet, all National Registry Emergency Medical Technician-Paramedics, was the first North Carolina team to make it to the competition finals in the seven years the International Trauma Life Support competition has been held. They are paramedics employed by FirstHealth Regional EMS in Montgomery County.

"To win a competition at this level is a tribute to the knowledge, skills and dedication of these paramedics," said Drexdal Pratt, chief of the N.C. Office of Emergency Medical Services. "The winning team sets an example for all in their profession to follow. We are very proud of their efforts."

Lisenby and Nabet are no strangers to high-pressured competitions. They won North Carolina scenario-based paramedic competitions held in 2002, 2003 and 2006 at the annual N.C. Emergency Medicine Today conference in Greensboro.

The annual ITLS competition featured six teams competing in the preliminary round. The teams included Illinois, Florida, North Carolina, Japan, Ontario and Mexico. The teams from Florida, Ontario and North Carolina advanced to the final round.

International Trauma Life Support is a global organization dedicated to preventing death and disability from trauma through education and emergency trauma care. ITLS was founded in 1982 as Basic Trauma Life Support. From its early roots as a local and regional trauma education course for EMS professionals, BTLS grew to have over 70 chapters around the world. In 2005, BTLS became ITLS to better reflect the scope of the organization.

Since its founding more than 330,000 EMS professionals have learned proven techniques endorsed by the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) and the National Association of EMS Physicians (NAEMSP.) During the previous year ITLS welcomed new chapters in Spain, Saudi Arabia and Croatia. The organization's 2009 conference is scheduled for Nov. 5-7 in Charlotte.

North Carolina Dept. of Health and Human Services
www.dhhs.state.nc.us