The Barrow County Department of Fire and Emergency Services has named Russell Wise as the new deputy chief of education and safety.
“This is a vital position in the department,” said Chief Robert Post. “I am looking forward to working with Russell as we move to make this the best trained and safest fire department possible.”
As the chief of education and safety, Wise will be responsible for supervising departmental educational and safety needs, developing training programs, EMS quality assurance and developing measures to ensure personal safety for firefighters. He will also respond to major rescues and structure fires to work as an incident safety officer.
Wise began serving Barrow County as a volunteer firefighter in 1988 and continued volunteering through 1993. While volunteering in Statham, Wise received his certification as a paramedic in August 1992.
Wise worked part time for Barrow County from 2001 through 2005. He has completed the core curriculum for a degree in nursing and is currently working on his bachelor of science degree at the University of Georgia.
Wise is a certified instructor in advanced cardiac life support, pediatric advanced life support, pre-hospital trauma life support and numerous other classes. He comes to Barrow County with years of experience, including four years as a flight medic for Omni Flight/Rescue Air 1, and has also managed the outreach aspects for Omni Flight and assisted in is future growth plans as the manager of business development.
“The training and safety of each member of the Barrow County Department of Fire and Emergency Services is critical to how we perform our jobs in providing quality emergency services to the citizens of Barrow County,” Post said.
