Theron J Becker

Personal Contact Info		Professional Contact Info
Pinehurst, NC (417) 597-3688 theron@beckerteam.org Dot Card		theron.becker@ravenmedicalinc.com Linkedin.com/in/ka5yth Teams Meet Now ORCID.org/0000-0003-4808-9262

Summary

Compassionate healthcare professional with 10+ years of experience in emergency services, public health, and peer-reviewed medical journal publication. Skilled in developing and maintaining accredited emergency medical education programs to improve patient outcomes and reduce healthcare costs. Expertise in project management, quality improvement, curriculum development, and recruitment/retention.

Experience

	Deputy Director of EMS Operations and Education	Raven Advisory	September 2023 - Present	Directs all aspects of civilian medical operations and education, leading a team of over 160 medical staff and instructors who deliver instruction both internationally and across multiple US-based facilities. Administers instructor and student records, facilitating the certification of about 120 medics per year and the upkeep of about 750 civilian EMS licenses. Upholds and maintains accreditation with AHA, CAPCE, NAEMT, NCOEMS, NREMT, and Red Cross ensuring compliance and quality of instruction.
	Production Editor	International Journal of Paramedicine	November 2022 - Present	Promoted to production editor after demonstrating exceptional skills as layout editor and being recognized by the Editor-in-Chief for taking on additional responsibilities and duties beyond the scope of layout editing. Coordinate the production process and create the layout design for publication adhering to the journal’s style guide which includes around 20 peer-reviewed articles and over 250 pages in each quarterly issue. Collaborate with authors, reviewers, and the editorial team to ensure timely and accurate publication of articles. Create graphics to support articles with relevant images, tables, and figures for each article.
	Mobile Integrated Healthcare & EMS Clinical Chief	Citizens Memorial Hospital	October 2011 - August 2023	Progressed through multiple promotions and increased responsibilities, holding positions such as Paramedic, Education Coordinator, Lead Instructor, Paramedic Program Director, Clinical Coordinator, and Clinical Chief. Spearheaded the development of an accredited EMS education program as a program director, successfully graduating two cohorts of EMTs, one cohort of Paramedics, and one cohort of Advanced-Practice Community Paramedics annually. Collaborated with physicians and subject matter experts to develop a progressive online EMS protocol platform, incorporating active drug calculators and other tools, now utilized daily by over 200 emergency responders. Established a Mobile Integrated Healthcare department, coordinating Advanced-Practice Community Paramedics with hospital population health, rural Health Clinics, and Local Public Health, projected to simultaneously cater to the non-traditional healthcare needs of over 20 patients at a time. Oversaw the coordination of six departments, managing a total of $25M in annual billed services, and successfully staying within 1% of the budget.
	Emergency Planner	Polk County Health Center	October 2002 - September 2011	Collaborated with the Centers for Disease Control, the Missouri Department of Health, and emergency management agencies to orchestrate the development of an online planning and education platform, bolstering the response to public health emergencies throughout Southwest Missouri. Delivered comprehensive training to first responders, the medical community, and the public across Missouri, covering a wide range of topics from disaster preparedness and family safety to general health department activities and bioterrorism event response. Engineered and sustained an online disease surveillance system, leveraging statistics and mapping to identify community trends and bolster disease investigations.

Education

	Master of Public Health	A.T. Still University
	Executive Fire Officer	National Fire Academy
	Master of Management in Public Administration	University of Phoenix
	Bachelor of Science in Fire Protection and Safety Engineering	Oklahoma State University

Certifications and Training

Publications and Accomplishments

Leadership:

• EMS career lattice (author)
• Jedi path firefighter career lattice (author)

Emergency Medical Services:

• Emergency services dispatching guidelines (author)
• EMS protocols (author)
• EMS quality system (author)
• International Roundtable on Community Paramedicine (IRCP) Proceedings 2024 Meeting (author)

Training:

• Emergency service vehicle operations training program standard (committee member)
• EMS education manual (author)
• Facilities for fire training and associated props standard (committee member)
• Fire service respiratory protection training standard (committee member)
• Fire service training reports and records recommendation (committee member)
• Live fire training evolutions standard (committee member)
• Training fire service personnel to conduct community risk reduction guide (committee member)
• Training fire service rapid intervention crews standard (committee member)
• Training for emergency scene operations standard (committee member)

Engineering/Technical:

• Chemical guide and permeation database for campus chemistry labs and emergency responders (author)
• Emergency services map book (author)
• Fire department operations in properties protected by sprinkler systems recommendation (committee member)
• International Roundtable on Community Paramedicine (IRCP) website (web developer)
• Municipal water supply analysis (author)
• Online hazmat sizeup tool (author)
• Plans examiner for fire and emergency services textbook (committee member)
• Regional healthcare digital radio network (author)
• Streets block book (author)

Research:

• Title	Year	Background	Findings	Influence
  Public policy analysis and recommendations for better community disaster preparedness thesis	2008	Following the September 11 terrorist attacks, President Bush’s 2002 State of the Union Address called for increased community preparedness and volunteerism, leading to the creation of the USA Freedom Corps and local Citizen Corps Councils to manage disaster training and volunteer recruitment.	The research identified the need for effective local councils to promote and strengthen community preparedness programs, coordinate volunteer efforts, and provide disaster training. Challenges included limited federal guidance, funding constraints, and the need for better communication and collaboration among stakeholders.	Enhancing community preparedness through volunteerism and disaster training can improve public health by ensuring communities are better equipped to handle emergencies, reducing the burden on emergency services, and fostering a culture of resilience and self-reliance.
  Predicting actual patient severity with priority dispatch code research study	2015	A hospital-based EMS conducted a retrospective study to evaluate the accuracy of priority dispatch codes in predicting actual patient severity, using data from a Missouri county, from January 1, 2012, to May 18, 2015.	The study found a clear relationship between the Medical Priority Dispatch System (MPDS) assigned priority levels and actual patient severity scores. However, the severity difference between Alpha and Bravo priority calls was negligible, suggesting potential over-dispatching of fire/rescue units to lower-severity calls.	Adjusting dispatch policies to better align fire/rescue responses with higher-severity calls could improve resource allocation, reduce unnecessary responses, and enhance the overall efficiency and effectiveness of emergency medical services, ultimately benefiting patient care and outcomes.
  EMS field supervision research study	2015	A hospital-based EMS department operates without dedicated field supervision, leading to inefficiencies and safety concerns due to increasing call volume and staffing of Basic Life Support (BLS) ambulances.	The research identified the need for two on-duty EMS field supervisors available 24/7, equipped with ALS supplies and specialty equipment. These supervisors should manage daily operations, respond to critical scenes, and perform quality improvement tasks.	Implementing dedicated EMS field supervision can improve crew safety, ambulance efficiency, patient care, disaster response capabilities, and employee retention, ultimately enhancing the overall quality of emergency medical services provided by the agency.
  Psychiatric emergency prevention research study	2016	A Missouri hospital has experienced a 70% increase in ambulance utilization for psychiatric emergency patients over the past five years, significantly impacting the availability of emergency medical services.	The research identified a substantial demand on ambulance resources for psychiatric emergencies, with limited community-wide prevention activities and no viable alternative transportation or destination options under current legislative constraints.	Implementing community-wide psychiatric resiliency training and adding a Basic Life Support (BLS) ambulance dedicated to psychiatric transports could reduce the strain on Advanced Life Support (ALS) ambulances, improving overall emergency response and patient care in the community.
  EMS professional development research study	2017	A hospital-based EMS department has grown significantly but lacks a structured professional development program, leading to employee dissatisfaction and retention issues due to unclear advancement paths and inconsistent leadership preparation.	The EMS department has grown significantly but lacks a structured professional development program, leading to employee dissatisfaction and retention issues due to unclear advancement paths and inconsistent leadership preparation.	Implementing a structured professional development program can improve organizational effectiveness, employee satisfaction, and retention, ultimately leading to better patient care and services provided by the agency.
  Ambulance dispatching quality research study	2018	A Missouri has been providing ambulance services since 1982, with dispatching handled by various local agencies. Over time, inconsistencies and lack of standardized quality measures across these dispatch centers have raised concerns about the effectiveness and efficiency of EMS dispatching.	The research identified significant issues with the quality of EMS dispatching, including low compliance with national call processing standards (34% vs. 90% goal), poor accuracy in chief complaint identification (25%), and low cardiac arrest survival rates (2% vs. 9.6% national average). Surveys and interviews highlighted the need for a centralized dispatch center with standardized training, equipment, and protocols.	Improving EMS dispatch quality is crucial for enhancing patient outcomes, particularly in emergency situations like cardiac arrests. Implementing a centralized dispatch system with trained EMS personnel and advanced technology can lead to faster response times, more accurate dispatching, and ultimately, better survival rates and overall patient care.