SUMTER, S.C. — A fresh look is coming to Sumter County Emergency Medical Services (EMS). The department is trying to recruit and retain employees while boosting morale to better serve the community
“Change is always good,” Sumter resident Lori Flemming said in reaction to seeing the new vehicles, which she called “more appealing.”
“It's an eye-catcher,” Sumter County EMS Chief Kent Hall explained, “If you ride down the street, you know, that's different. So that's what we want. We want to be different.”
Hall says the new orange and gray design is a big difference from the traditional white and blue design, which Hall says Sumter has had for over 20 years. Hall says he got his start with Lee County EMS before he started working for Sumter County EMS in 2005. When he became chief this past April, Hall said he wanted to make a change.
“The biggest thing is we wanted to change the culture. You know, you can get stagnant in your ways. You can get very complacent in your ways and we wanted to get caught up with the time so to speak,” Hall explained. “And to do that there was a lot of things that had to change. The professionalism and how we portray ourselves in the community was huge for me. So we put everybody back in the button-up style shirt. We went more and focused a lot on our training and trying to make sure our crews were doing the right thing.”
Making these outward appearance changes is one of the first steps in changing the culture, Hall said.
“One of the biggest things that I personally wanted to do is create a very diverse department. I wanted a department where anyone regardless of race, sex, belief, would want to come to work. They say, ‘Sumter County, that's where I want to work,” Hall detailed. “I want new people to come into this profession. I want to put more EMTs on the road, not just for Sumter. You know, yes, Sumteris who I work for and that’s who we want to benefit, but it's the profession of EMS in general. We want to attract more people in our profession. We want to make it as attractive as nursing some of the other programs that really get a lot of attention. We want that attention put on EMS.”
It’s an effort to recruit and retain more employees. Right now, Hall says the department has 58 staff members out of 70 total positions. Ideally, Hall hopes to have 88 full time employees.
“When I first started, I'm going to be honest with you, I was one of two African Americans that started here and now we have a total of about eight,” Lt. Col. Kyle Stuckey said. “It’s very different than when I first started. I'm happy. I think we have a very diverse group and we're sort of now the melting pot of EMS and I love it. I think it's what was needed.”
As the department’s training officer, Stuckey is in charge of the new hires. He says in his eight years working at the department, there’s been a lot of change toward a more diverse culture, which he says helps better serve the community.
“Because the community is diverse. I mean, we go to a plethora of different people. I mean, we go to people from different backgrounds, people from different places. So having that diverse group is more welcoming,” Stuckey said. “You want something that's more open and welcoming. Also, it brings different mindsets into play with the community. I mean, that's what we're about. We're about community.”
“We're definitely trending in the right direction, but we still have a long way to go,” Hall added. “This generation now is so intelligent, yet their voices don’t get heard. And to me that's important. If we're going to treat patients in this environment in 2024. we have to be diverse. If we want to grow and be the service that we’re capable of being, I need to hear from those young people who grew up differently than I did, who experienced different things, who know more about technology, and all the different situations and pressures that people are going through. I need to know that stuff because I didn't experience growing up. So to me, that’s important.”
In addition to re-designing the uniforms and outside of the vehicles, Hall says they’re also working to make sure the ambulances have the best technology, and an updated inventory of medications for paramedics and EMTs to use.