Southside Fire and EMS Chief Executive Officer Chuck Kearns was recently invited to attend and participate in a nationwide Trauma System Strategy Conference in Washington, D.C. The conference took place January 24-25 and brought together a group of notable trauma surgeons and professionals committed to improving the future of trauma and emergency health care in the U.S.

Conference participants provided strategic direction on the creation and implementation of a National Trauma Action Plan which encompasses four major elements: trauma systems development, military/civilian workforce and training, expanding trauma related research, and data integration and outcome measures. Invited attendees were a wide-ranging group of stakeholders who represent each of these domains.

As SSFD’s CEO, Kearns works to provide the highest level of emergency service to all of Chatham County. With 35 years of experience in the public safety, emergency response and healthcare service industries, he previously served as the director of a large Florida County’s Fire and EMS Authorities. Having decades of disaster management and response experience in a coastal community of a million citizens, he also served on the FEMA National Advisory Council.

Kearns received his Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and his Masters of Business Administration from the University of South Florida in Tampa, Fl. He is a certified EMT (1983) and Paramedic (1984), NAEMT Instructor, Rescue Scuba Diver, Advanced Emergency Medical Dispatcher, and currently serves as the Immediate Past President of the National Association of EMTs.