Chaplaincy
The Chaplaincy Program is a resource to our system that seeks to further advance our care of the employee and our community. The mission of the Chaplaincy program is to embrace, enlighten and promote well-being for our people and those we serve. Through attention to Wellness the Chaplain serves the department in many ways:
- Providing peer support and counseling
- Crisis scene response
- Coordinating Critical Incident Stress Management
- Advancing caregiver support through educational programs
- Continuous definition of support systems for MCI/disaster response
- Employee death or serious injury resource
- Community clergy networking
- Department and County Wellness program development
The Chaplaincy program maintains 24/7 availability to the system and is accessible to any employee working for the department. By enforcing and enhancing the mission and vision of the department the Chaplain is able to reinforce the system and help maintain effective function and care for the caregivers and citizens of Johnson County.
Battalion Chiefs
Med-Act Battalion Chiefs assure the delivery of high quality emergency medical services and maintain a supportive, progressive, participative and quality oriented work environment. There are a total of nine Battalion Chiefs, with three assigned to each of the three shifts (A, B, C). Each shift is divided into 
districts (North Battalion - 1103, Overland Park Battalion - 1104, South Battalion - 1105), with one Battalion Chief assigned to each district.
Battalion Chiefs report directly to the Deputy Chief of Operations, and each is responsible for 5-6 field crews. The Battalion Chief oversees the performance of Paramedics and is a critical component to the future development of leadership skills in each Officer and Paramedic. Battalion Chiefs are frequently dispatched, along with ambulance crews, to calls of serious clinical nature, multi-patient calls, unstable crime scenes, calls involving entrapment of patients, and to calls that have multiple agencies responding to the scene.
When present on routine emergency calls, the Battalion Chief works along with the Med-Act Paramedics and Fire crews under the leadership of the ambulance Officer. On significant incidents, Battalion Chiefs will coordinate the medical response and on-scene medical operations, may order and deploy additional medical resources, and will, along with other command staff, develop a strategy for medical aspects of an incident.
Field Crews
Johnson County Med-Act paramedics work 24-hour shift schedules starting at 08:00 hr. every morning. Paramedics are on hand 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including holidays, to serve the public. Paramedics may sleep after 21:00 hr. (9 p.m.), however they must be able to quickly respond to the ambulance in the event of an emergency call within 1-2 minutes. Crew members must be prepared to respond to a variety of things that can happen on an emergency incident. Some of the major challenges faced are mass casualty/multiple patient situations, dealing with life and death situations, risks from emergency driving, and performing efficiently in inclement weather.
Paramedics work a California Berkeley type shift schedule of alternating days of 24 hours on-duty and 24 hours off-duty for a total of 3 shift days over a 5 day period. Then, the paramedics enjoy 4 days off in a row to relax, recharge, and recuperate for another rotation of shifts.
Paramedics are divided up into three separate shifts (A,B, & C). Under certain circumstances or due to unexpected events, a paramedic may change shifts either by their or the department's request.
Crews are composed of two paramedics. Each two-person team is led by an Officer, either a Captain, Lieutenant (a seasoned paramedic) or a Acting Lieutenant. The Officer oversees and directs the EMS crew and provides medical leadership and guidance for all personnel who are part of the on-scene EMS team. The Paramedic and Officer usually alternate being the primary patient care provider with each call, but some crews choose to keep one person in the "primary role" for the duration of the shift, and then switch to the other partner being "primary" for the duration of the following shift.
The team confers with each other about decisions to be made, but the Officer has the final accountability and bears primary responsibility for any actions taken by the EMS crew.
Support Services
The Support Services Division for Johnson County Med-Act consists of five full-time Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT). This Division is managed by the Division Chief for Support Services. It is a subdivision of Operations, and provides the vast majority of equipment and supplies necessary for Med-Act personnel to conduct EMS activities 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Support Services staff utilizes an electronic inventory control system to better account for all equipment and supplies received and delivered.
This Division is responsible for:
- Vehicle maintenance and repair
- Restocking of disposable medical supplies
- Radio maintenance and repair
- Station maintenance
- Tracking and retrieval of reusable equipment from hospitals
- Sterilization procedures
The Support Services Division also handles bid specifications for emergency equipment and vehicles, retrofitting and installing emergency equipment in new vehicles, and employee uniform procurement.
This team is housed in a new 5500 square foot facility near the center of Johnson County.
