Emergency Medical Services
Commendation Medal - 2008

Captain II Ryland B. Kendrick
EMS 401 Battalion 1 A-Shift

Captain II Ryland Kendrick has been dedicated to the EMS system since he started his career with the fire department 14 years ago. He is very involved in day to day operations and long range planning. Ryland has served on several committees and continues to look for new ways to improve staff training that will ultimately enhance the service provided to the citizens of the county.

Last year the 2007 EMS Manual was developed, printed, and distributed. When the majority of committee members were taking a month off before they started teaching the new manual, one member continued to pound away at the computer and produced an amazing document, the 2007 EMS Field Guide. This document took Captain II Ryland Kendrick six months to complete. Recognizing that not all providers think the same under emergency situations, he designed the field guide so each protocol could be viewed side-by-side in either a texted document or a diagram format. This required a tremendous about of work to reduce the content and place it into text boxes with color coding to represent the “All Providers” and the “ALS Provider” sections. In addition, for each protocol he combined the pediatric and the adult treatment. Captain II Kendrick also accounted for the color scheme as part of his design, choosing colors and recognizable symbols that would be easier to read and accommodate color blind technicians.

He spent many hours researching to ensure that the best diagram or picture was used to clearly explain a new concept within the field guide. The field guide also contains pages that were not included in the 2007 EMS Manual, but will assist providers with their jobs, i.e. drug reference guide, infectious disease information, box alarm assignments, and radio signals.

Once he completed the field guide, Captain Kendrick solicited feedback from other providers and made all appropriate changes prior to printing. However, his professionalism and attention to detail produced a high quality manual that required very few modifications. He then began the final production process: working with the print shop to format and print the final document, working with Fiscal Services to complete the necessary paperwork that would ensure correct funding, and distributing prototype copies to the EMS Division prior to going to full print.

At the completion of the printing process, Captain II Kendrick distributed the final copies to the EMS Captains along with a PowerPoint presentation explaining the design and layout of the field guide that would assist the providers begin using the new guide. This presentation is available on the Intranet.

After the tremendous work to successfully produce and distribute the new Field Manual, Captain II Kendrick’s involvement does not end here! He also maintains an Outlook Folder for Adult Learning Service training where he posts all supporting documentation for the manual and field guide along with several quizzes and training outlines. The field guide is provided to every uniformed employee and is stored within their Pic-Kits. This guide is a contributing factor to the overwhelming success of the 2008 Recertification Examination. With EMS being a critical skill (70% of all fire calls require EMS skills), Captain II Kendrick has demonstrated exceptional dedication and EMS skills far beyond expectation. He is truly a most valuable asset to Fairfax County citizens and to the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department.

Update!

CONGRATULATIONS!!

Following Chapter level awards, Fairfax Resolves' 2008 awardees for the Fire Safety and EMS Commendation Medals were submitted for consideration at the Virginia State awards level. Our awardees won the Virginia State Society awards for their respective categories. Each of these State presentations carried a monetary award, which both Technician Frames and Captain II Kendrick donated to a Fairfax County fund for helping Fairfax County citizens in need. Congratulations, gentlemen, and thank you for your continued public service.

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