- Hiking
- Camping
- Beach
- Cruising
- Singing at church
Christopher Hendricks
Cherryville,NC
Summary
With 30 years at Gaston County Emergency Medical Services, I've excelled in leading EMS operations, showcasing advanced life support skills, and critical decision-making. As a Captain, I spearheaded interagency coordination and emergency management, significantly enhancing response efficiency. My role in developing technical rescue training programs highlights my commitment to excellence and attention to detail.
Overview
30
30
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Captain
Gaston County Emergency Medical Services
10.1994 - 09.2024
- Leading and supervising EMS personnel that were assigned to my shift.
- Completing performance evaluations.
- Investigating and mitigating incidents and complaints.
- Oversee staffing and scheduling needs.
- Enforce departmental policies and procedures.
- Manage all EMS operations for the county during an operational period.
- Respond to calls to provide advanced life saving care, assist crews, evaluate compliance for protocols and policies, take command of extraordinary calls such as multiple patient scenes and missing/lost persons.
- Represent the county and department in mutual aid and disaster deployments as a team leader in Search and Rescue.
- Responding to calls that required specialized rescue operations in which I led technicians performing rescues and performed many rescues myself.
- Primary instructor for continuing training of our technical rescue medics.
- Managing lost person calls and working with Emergency Management as part of an Incident Management Team.
- Overseeing the ordering of medical supplies.
- Maintaining specialized vehicles and trailers.
- Purchasing rescue equipment and vehicles.
- Supporting EMS operations by troubleshooting computer, communications, vehicle, and facility issues, and maintaining vehicle service and repair schedules.
- Served as team member, boat operator, and team leader on many hurricane and mass flooding deployments.
- Represented the department as a Helicopter Search and Rescue Technician with the North Carolina Helicopter Aquatic Rescue Team (NC-HART) for 20 years.
Education
No Degree - Emergency Medical Science
Gaston College
Dallas, NCHigh School Diploma -
Cherryville High School
Cherryville, NC06-1993
Skills
- Incident Command
- Advanced Life Support
- Physical Fitness
- Emergency Management
- Interagency Coordination
- Critical Decision-Making
- Vehicle Maintenance
- Records Management
- Personnel Supervision
- Problem-Solving
- Attention to Detail
Accomplishments
- 32 years as a NC EMT.
- 29 years as a NC Paramedic.
- 27 years as Technical Rescue Technician with specialties in Vehicle , Machine and Agricultural , Rope/High Angle, Swift Water, Structural Collapse, Trench, Confined Space, Wilderness Search, Dive, and Helicopter Rescue.
- Team Leader of a specialty rescue team and dive team.
- Former NC Technical Rescue Instructor, for 18 years.
- Tactical Medic with local police Emergency Response and SWAT teams for 10 years.
- 18 years as a public safety/rescue diver.
- At least 10 deployments for hurricane/flood events on swiftwater boat teams and helicopter rescue teams with more rescues than I could count.
- Recipient of Higgins-Langley Award for Swiftwater Excellence from one of my deployments.
- Made national news for a helicopter rescue I made in the Linville Gorge of the NC mountains.
- Was featured on a episode of HEARTS OF HEROES from a helicopter rescue we performed during the aftermath of Hurricane Florence.
Certification
NC Paramedic
National Registered Paramedic
Advanced Cardiac Life Support
Pediatric Advanced Life Support
Advanced Medical Life Support
Basic Life Support/CPR
NAEMT EMS Safety
NAEMT All Hazards Disaster Response
Prehospital Trauma Life Support
NFPA 1006 Technician Level in the following specialties:
Technical Rescuer General, Vehicle, Machine and Agricultural, Rope/High Angle, Water, Dive, Wilderness Search, Trench, and Structural Collapse Rescue
FEMA All Hazards Incident Management Certifications (non-credentialed):
Division/Group Supervisor, Taskforce/Strike Team Leader, Resource Unit Leader, Situation Unit Leader, Facilities Unit Leader
Awards
- Higgins/Langley Award for Swiftwater Excellence
- North Carolina Hometown Hero Award
- Gaston County Employee of the Year
- Numerous awards from the department throughout the years including: Supervisor of the Year, Most Dedicated in Rescue Preparedness (multiple times), and multiple teamwork awards
Interests
Timeline
Captain
Gaston County Emergency Medical Services
10.1994 - 09.2024
NC Paramedic
National Registered Paramedic
Advanced Cardiac Life Support
Pediatric Advanced Life Support
Advanced Medical Life Support
Basic Life Support/CPR
NAEMT EMS Safety
NAEMT All Hazards Disaster Response
Prehospital Trauma Life Support
NFPA 1006 Technician Level in the following specialties:
Technical Rescuer General, Vehicle, Machine and Agricultural, Rope/High Angle, Water, Dive, Wilderness Search, Trench, and Structural Collapse Rescue
FEMA All Hazards Incident Management Certifications (non-credentialed):
Division/Group Supervisor, Taskforce/Strike Team Leader, Resource Unit Leader, Situation Unit Leader, Facilities Unit Leader
No Degree - Emergency Medical Science
Gaston College
High School Diploma -
Cherryville High School
Similar Profiles
Lynn LedbetterLynn Ledbetter
Paramedic at Gaston County Emergency Medical ServicesParamedic at Gaston County Emergency Medical Services
Christina CruseChristina Cruse
Paramedic at Gaston County Emergency Medical ServicesParamedic at Gaston County Emergency Medical Services
Chase BlackburnChase Blackburn
Emergency Medical Technician at Gaston County Emergency Medical ServicesEmergency Medical Technician at Gaston County Emergency Medical Services