We are committed to improving patient- and provider-focused EMS care delivery and building community resilience across Wisconsin. As the only Level 1 Trauma Center in south-central Wisconsin, we lend our significant experience in prehospital medical direction, protocol development, and quality management to Dane County Emergency Medical Services, Midwest Medical, and Wisconsin’s Healthcare Emergency Preparedness Program.
The physician is one member of a team that includes firefighters, paramedics and other first responders. We do our best work when we understand and value each person’s critical role.”
– Associate Professor Michael Lohmeier, MD, EMS Section Chief
Dane County EMS
The Dane County Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Division helps to coordinate, advise, and oversee local EMS programs within the County. Beginning in 1973, the division has cooperated with emergency medical professionals to deliver the best care to its citizens. The Dane County EMS organization is comprised of 25 different EMS services that utilize the 5 different hospitals located within the county.
The Dane County Emergency Management system is not just limited to “lights and sirens” response. Emergency management in each department countywide involves the work a community does to prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies. This can be seen as the work to prevent / mitigate risks and hazards in their community, prepare for unavoidable risks and hazards, respond by organizing, coordinating, and supporting emergency response in their community, and assist their community with recovering from an emergency.
Dane County EMS Protocols:
The Dane County EMS Protocols are intended to provide and ensure uniform treatment for all patients who receive care from EMS Agencies and Providers participating in the Dane County EMS System. These protocols apply exclusively to agencies responding via the 9-1-1 System within the County. Any other use must receive prior approval from the Medical Director of Dane County EMS. The protocols are the direct result of countless hours reviewing evidence-based guidelines, historically proven treatments and the best practices of EMS Systems recognized as leaders in the nation.
View the Dane County Protocols documents
The protocols have been extensively reviewed not only by the Dane County EMS Office, but by the Dane County Medical Advisory Subcommittee and representatives from all aspects of the local medical community. They are intended to create a seamless and consistent treatment plan across provider levels, and have been evaluated for applicability as well as internal consistency. We strive to meet or exceed the standard set by the top EMS Services in the nation.
New to this year’s publication of the Dane County EMS Protocols is the online interactive protocol book. This was created with all of our EMS providers in mind to create an easily accessible and useful version of the protocol book to fulfill their needs on and off duty. On-Line Medical Control is available for consultation and assistance with patients, scenarios or presentations that do not fall within the scope of this document.
Dane County Medical Advisory Board
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.
Dr. Lohmeier is board-certified in emergency medicine and EMS and brings a wealth of knowledge in prehospital medicine to the role. He has served local EMS agencies for more than a decade through collaborative efforts including pandemic response, protocol development, on-scene physician response, EMS education and training, and mass casualty and disaster preparedness.
Tactical Emergency Medical Services
The Madison Fire Department’s Tactical Emergency Medical Services (TEMS) Team is a group of 12 Paramedics who have been trained specifically to accompany the Madison Police Department Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team when they are deployed to high-level risk calls such as high-risk warrants, standoffs, etc. Members of our team work hand in hand with the Police and this cooperative effort gives both Departments better knowledge of how the other operates, and what to expect at an incident.
TEMS medics are able to provide immediate medical care to an injured person at the “last point of cover” which means we are trained to move further into a given incident yet still be protected by the SWAT team. TEMS assists MPD in the monitoring of their personnel and are also able to provide medical knowledge at the scene to assist in decision-making processes, based on a patient’s potential needs.
Dr. Megan Gussick currently serves as Medical Director for the Madison Fire Department Tactical EMS Team.
Midwest Medical
The Midwest Medical Transportation company has grown from a small Nebraska based company to a multi-state operation with 30+ ground ambulance stations located in 8 states, 100+ ambulances, 40+ wheelchair vans. Their commitment to growth has not wavered and looks to continue the growth through M&A as well as organic growth into the future. Midwest Medical is proud of their home-built communications center that is central to dispatch and allows them to leverage real-time data to create efficiencies, recognize gaps, and study trends to prepare them for what comes next. The leadership team at Midwest Medical is committed to excellence in everything they do. This team collaborates on initiatives to bring the best products and services to our clients. Midwest Medical is partnered with UW Health to provide ground transportation for the UW Health Neonatal, Pediatric, and Adult Critical Care teams.
Wisconsin Healthcare Emergency Preparedness Program
The EMS Section has served as Medical Advisors for the Healthcare Emergency Readiness Coalition (HERC) for the South Central Region (SCWIHERC) since its inception in 2014. This program is funded by the Office of Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) through the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.
Comprised of 14 counties, the SCWIHERC combines the knowledge and resources of all healthcare agencies in the region to provide coordinated preparedness and response capabilities to citizens throughout the region. The coalition includes 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 hope to prepare an all-hazards response plan that would protect the public and stabilize the system 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.
