UW Health EMS Consortium
Our EMS faculty provide primary medical direction to the UW Health EMS Consortium, an integrated network of seven paramedic agencies representing the majority of the emergency medical services in Dane County, as well as portions of Green and Rock Counties.
We have developed and led many initiatives since the consortium was established in 2009. Our focus is dedicated to medical control, standardized protocols and operating procedures, continuity of communications, quality management and case review, and advanced education and training. Additionally, we provide 24/7 on-scene physician response and partner with UW Health to offer realistic field and in-situ simulation training.
Our faculty also lead the Consortium QA Committee in partnership with front-line paramedics. The committee develops and reviews quality performance metrics, reports monthly on protocol adherence and patient outcomes, develops QI-based education, and is built around Just Culture principles.
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City of Madison Fire Department
Medical Director: Megan Gussick, MD
Assistant Medical Director: Jesse Jamieson, PA-C
The City of Madison Fire Department (MFD) is a nationally recognized leader in providing emergency services. MFD has 14 fire stations around the Madison area, with nine stations having 24/7 paramedic level ambulance staffing. MFD is an active leader in EMS, as well as several specialty teams including Hazardous Material, Lake Rescue, and Heavy Urban Rescue. Supplementing the emergency services, MFD provides progressive, cutting-edge fire prevention and community education programs.
All MFD firefighters are licensed as Wisconsin Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) to partner with their paramedics on significant medical calls and provide initial care at most incidents. In addition, MFD has more than 90 firefighters licensed as State of Wisconsin paramedics.
Annually, emergency medical calls comprise more than 70% of MFD’s overall emergency response. MFD provides service to the City of Madison, Town of Blooming Grove, Town of Burke, Village of Shorewood Hills, and Town of Madison. MFD was the first paramedic-level provider in Dane County, the second largest fire service in the sate, and one of the oldest programs in the nation.
Belleville Area EMS
Medical Director: Michael Spigner, MD, NRP
Belleville EMS is the primary 911 EMS provider for approximately 5,800 residents of a 75-square mile district spanning Dane and Green counties. It operates two ambulances at the Advanced EMT level, responding to around 400 emergency calls each year from a single station in the Village of Belleville. Their team consists of more than 35 dedicated EMS providers who serve the Belleville community and surrounding areas.
Belleville EMS continuously gives back to their community through activities like Public Safety Night, Belleville Pool Lifeguard training, and providing scholarships to qualified high school students.
Brooklyn Fire & EMS
Medical Director: Michael Spigner, MD, NRP
The Brooklyn Fire & EMS District is a professional Fire and Emergency Medical Services provider for citizens of Dane, Green and Rock Counties in South Central Wisconsin since 1906. Their more than 50 volunteer firefighters and EMTs respond to nearly 300 calls each year for a population base of approximately 3,500.
Fitch-Rona EMS
Medical Director: Michael Mancera, MD
In 1985, Fitch-Rona became the first EMT-Intermediate service in the state of Wisconsin. Today, Fitch-Rona EMS paramedics are among the most highly trained and dedicated found within south-central Wisconsin. Their primary coverage area includes the cities of Fitchburg, Verona, and the Verona Township, but they also provide paramedic intercepts to other EMS services in south and southwestern Dane County.
They provide an aggressive approach to EMS including incorporating the latest technology into their services and training as well as delivering high quality emergency prehospital care.
Fitch-Rona EMS consists of three stations that house full-time paramedics 24/7. They respond to approximately 4,500 calls annually.
Middleton EMS
Medical Director: Michael Mancera, MD
Middleton EMS is the exclusive 911 advanced life support ambulance provider for the City of Middleton, Township of Middleton, and a portion of the Township of Springfield. Middleton EMS is staffed at the paramedic level.
They are highly engaged with their community. Their service provides countless contributions to the community such Car Seat Check, Bicycle Check, and frequent visits to the local schools for educational and safety trainings.
Sun Prairie EMS
Medical Director: Michael Lohmeier, MD
Assistant Medical Director: Michael Horowitz, PA-C
Sun Prairie EMS has served the City of Sun Prairie, and currently also serves the village of Marshall, and towns of Bristol, Medina, Sun Prairie and York since 1977. Over their 45 year history, they have grown from a volunteer service to a full-time career agency, capable of providing the highest level of prehospital emergency medical care 24/7.
Sun Prairie EMS responds to nearly 4,000 calls annually and serves a population of over 50,000 in northeastern Dane County.
Waunakee Area EMS
Medical Director: Michael Lohmeier, MD
Assistant Medical Director: Michael Horowitz, PA-C
Waunakee Area EMS is a highly trained and dedicated emergency medical service providing 911 medical care to over 20,000 citizens in the villages of Waunakee and Dane and the towns of Westport, Springfield, Vienna and Dane. They operate at the paramedic level.
Regional Medical Direction
Our EMS faculty directly support prehospital oversight throughout south-central Wisconsin, including at the county and state level, through medical direction, education, advocacy, and quality management initiatives. We strive to ensure the highest quality medical care can be provided wherever a medical emergency occurs.
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Dane County EMS
Medical Director Advisory Board Representative: Michael Lohmeier, MD
Dane County’s Emergency Medical Services Division has helped coordinate, advise, and oversee local EMS programs within the county since 1973. Dane County EMS is comprised of 25 emergency medical services that utilize the five different hospitals located within the county, as well as four outside the county.
Dr. Michael Lohmeier serves on Dane County’s inaugural Medical Advisory Team for emergency medical services. The movement to joint Medical Advisors from single Medical Director oversight focuses on providing excellent evidence-based care, meeting the needs of the community and local medical providers, and doing so as efficiently and effectively as possible.
The joint Medical Advisory Team reflects the collaborative nature of our EMS community. The EMS agencies in and around Dane County continue to support and elevate one another in the interest of better patient care.
Dane County Sheriff's Office
Medical Director: Ryan Newberry, DO, MPH, EMT-P
With a proud history of over 175 years of service, the Dane County Sheriff’s Office is a community-based law enforcement agency of over 450 sworn staff and over 120 professional staff. It is the fourth largest Sheriff’s Office in the State of Wisconsin, serving over 565,000 residents in a county with more than 60 cities, villages, and towns.
Berlin EMS
Medical Director: Craig Tschautscher, MD, MS, DRTM
The City of Berlin Emergency Medical Services consists of EMTs, AEMTs, and Paramedics responding to between 1,800-2,000 calls for service annually. The City of Berlin EMS has three separate stations located in Berlin, Green Lake, and Princeton, that provide Advanced Level Paramedic care to Green Lake County and portions of Waushara County.
Southern Green Lake County Ambulance
Medical Director: Craig Tschautscher, MD, MS, DRTM
Southern Greal Lake County Ambulance (SGLCA) is an Advanced EMT agency that responds to an average of 400-550 calls for emergency medical services annually. Their territory includes the City of Markesan, Villages of Kingston and Marquette, and the Towns of Green Lake, Mackford, Manchester, Marquette, and Kingston. They are staffed by Paramedics, AEMTs, and EMTs.
UW Health Med Flight
Medical Director: Andrew Cathers, MD, DRTM
As a unified Division of Prehospital Medicine, several faculty physicians have expertise in both ambulance and helicopter emergency medical services. UW Health Med Flight is proud to be partners in emergency critical care and transport with fire and EMS programs and surrounding hospitals in Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan and Minnesota.
University of Wisconsin Athletic Department
Medical Director: Ryan Wubben, MD
The UW Athletics EMS system helps to ensure the health and safety of both athletes and fans at UW sporting events, particularly Wisconsin Football games. Dr. Wubben coordinates with an interdisciplinary team of professionals, including sports medicine, security, and local EMS services and hospitals.
Wisconsin Healthcare Emergency Preparedness Program
We have served as Medical Advisors for the state’s Healthcare Emergency Readiness Coalition (HERC)* for the South Central Region since its inception in 2014. SCWIHERC combines the knowledge and resources of all healthcare agencies in the region to provide coordinated preparedness and response capabilities to citizens. The coalition includes 14 counties: Adams, Columbia, Dane, Dodge, Grant, Green, Iowa, Jefferson, Juneau, Lafayette, Marquette, Richland, Rock, and Sauk counties.
The coalition aims to unite all aspects of medical care in preparation for large-scale disasters, such as flooding, tornadoes, communicable disease outbreaks and acts of terrorism. By providing leadership to EMS, hospital-based care, skilled nursing facilities and pharmacies, we help prepare an all-hazards response plan that would protect the public and stabilize systems of care should the unimaginable occur. We have worked with regional partners to expand Area and Regional Medical Coordinating Centers and develop plans for a scalable, flexible response to nearly every emergency.
*This program is funded by the Office of Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) through the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.
Dane County EMS Protocols
We established the first uniform, evidence-based protocols in Dane County to standardize high-quality care delivered by EMS agencies and providers operating within the Dane County EMS district. Our protocols meet or exceed standards set by the nation's leading emergency medical services.
The protocols can be easily accessed online via an interactive PDF. We are also available to provide 24/7 on-line medical control for consultation and assistance with patients, scenarios or presentations that fall outside the scope of these standard protocols.
Tactical EMS
Dr. Megan Gussick serves as Medical Director for the Madison Fire Department's Tactical EMS team of specialty-trained paramedics who provide care in high-risk situations where there is an increased likelihood for law enforcement, civilian, or suspect casualties. This group assists the Madison Police Department's Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team.
Dr. Ryan Newberry serves as Medical Director for the Dane County Sheriff's Office, where he works closely with a team of on-call Tactical Medics who are licensed paramedics in the county.
Physician Response Vehicles
Our physicians provide EMS agencies across Dane County with on-scene medical oversight and consultation, specialized procedure ability, educational outreach, and quality assurance 24 hours per day, seven days a week. Established in 2014, our ALS-equipped physician response vehicles are staffed by a dozen EMS and flight physicians who bring with them 15 board certifications and over 80 years of collective medical experience.
Our two response vehicles are equipped with warning lights, sirens, and specialty medical equipment. These vehicles (BADGER-1 and BADGER-2) have been called to high-profile emergency events throughout the region and assist with physician outreach to the local paramedic community. In 2022, we coordinated with the UW Health Clinical Simulation Program to acquire a new mobile simulation training ambulance (BADGER-3) to offer advanced field simulation training opportunities to our physician trainees and emergency first responders in our community.