Although generally working alone, paramedics are supervised by a chief and assistant chief who oversee operation of the entire organization. These officers are elected annually by their peers and a board-of-directors composed of fire department representatives, business officers of the Central Erie County Paramedic Association, and the medical director.
On-line medical direction is provided by two medical command facilities located in Erie County: St. Vincent Health Center and Hamot Medical Center, both located in Erie, Pennsylvania. EKG telemetry is transmitted by cellular modem from the field to the hospital and medical consultation is available via UHF radio or cellular telephone as circumstances dictate. Off-Line medical direction is provided by a set of comprehensive written protocols approved by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the regional Councils for Emergency Medical Services.
The service medical director is a licensed physician whose duties include training, on-line medical direction, supervision, quality assurance, research, and development of the protocols used to govern patient care in the EMS system.
Chief Brian Brocious (960) has been involved in the emergency medical services for more than 30 years and has been active with a number of area fire departments, EMS agencies, and specialized technical rescue services including the A.F. Dobler Hose and Ladder Co., The Fairview Fire Department, the West County Paramedic Association, the Millcreek Paramedic Service, the Franklin Township Volunteer Fire Department, and the R.O.P.E.S. Team. He presently also serves as the Chief of the Franklin Township Volunteer Fire Department. He can be reached at (814) 434 - 4296.
Assistant Chief Tom Bruner (961) is a Prehospital Registered Nurse with wide-ranging experience in both pre-hospital and institutional medicine.
Micheal H. McCabe (970) has served as a paramedic for the Central Erie County Paramedic Association, the West County Paramedic Association, the Millcreek Paramedic Service, the Cranesville Volunteer Fire Department since 1990. He is a graduate of Edinboro University of Pennsylvania and lives in Springboro, Pennsylvania.
Medical Director Christopher Cammarata, D.O. is an emergency physician with UPMC Hamot in Erie, Pa. and UPMC Northwest in Seneca. He is a graduate of the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine and served his residency at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh. Dr. Cammarata is board-certified in Emergency Medicine and has worked in the emergency services for more than 15 years. Dr. Cammarata may be contacted via Hamot Medical Center at (814) 877 - 6485.