Cherokee EMS Chief Honored at Awards Banquet

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The Northwest Georgia Region 1 EMS Council held its annual EMS Awards Banquet on Thursday at WellStar Paulding Hospital in Dallas.

Cherokee County Fire & Emergency Services personnel attended the banquet where Danny West, chief of EMS Operations, was honored and presented with the Stanley Payne Memorial Region 1 EMS Leadership Award.

This award is named after Stanley Payne who was a recognized leader in the Emergency Medical Service and was one of the three original employees of Floyd Medical Center EMS where he served as the director for decades until he passed away. He was also an innovator in ambulance designs that are still being used today.

The award is presented each to a single EMS director/supervisor in Region 1 who displays excellence in EMS leadership and management.

Chief West has served Cherokee County for over 25 years beginning his career in January 1990. He advanced through the firefighter ranks to battalion chief and accepted his current position as EMS operations chief in March 2007. Chief West has been instrumental leading Cherokee Fire to the cutting edge in emergency medical service delivery to citizens under Medical Director Dr. Jill Mabley. Chief West is also a P.O.S.T. certified police officer.

He led the effort to create the SWAT Medical Section with local Law Enforcement/Fire/EMS collaboration, which he manages as the lead SWAT Tactical Medic. He has been a member of the Region 1 Council since 2005 and is the current Vice Chairman. Chief West also sits on the Cherokee County 911 Committee for Accreditation.

In 2012, he assisted with the mass flu vaccination planning and response coordinated with the Cherokee County Health Department. He also served on the Child Abuse Awareness Committee, Cherokee County DFACS’ board and the Child Fatality Review Committee. He also serves on the Board of Directors for the Bethesda Community Clinic since 2010.

In April 2014, in response to appeals from parents who had lost children to Heroin overdose, Governor Deal signed HB965. This authorizes the use of Naloxone by first responders including law enforcement officers. Naloxone reverses the deadly effects of narcotics including Heroin.

Chief West and Dr. Mabley worked with the Holly Springs Police Department to implement the first Naloxone program in the state of Georgia. Since Chief West and Dr Mabley established the training, policy and procedures to implement a county wide program in Cherokee County to include all law enforcement agencies.

First responders are now utilizing Naloxone several times a week to help reverse the effects of an overdose from heroin and other opiods. Many agencies have contacted and received assistance from Chief West to assist with the implementation of Naloxone.

Photo 1: Chief Danny West, left, receiving the award from April Powers and Rick Payne, the children of Stanley.

Photo 2: Celebrating the award with Chief West were: Front row (left to right) Sgt. Val Hice, Sgt. Nate Sullivan, Chief West, Dean Hege and Shaylen White. Back Row (Left to right) Sgt. Stephen McEntyre (holding Adelyn White), Operations Chief Greg Erdely, Dr. Jill Mabley, Sgt. Scott Townsend, Brandon Barton and Waylon White.

Credits: Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services