Richard Bonnett
Battalion Fire Chief, EMS
The Emergency Medical Services Division consists of a Battalion Chief and 6 EMS Captains. The Battalion Chief of EMS is assigned as part of the Fire Headquarters Staff and each airport has an EMS Captain assigned to each of the three 24 hour shifts.
The Fire and Rescue Department has 137 EMS trained personnel. This includes 27 personnel trained to the EMT-Paramedic level. Two Medical Directors that have approved a comprehensive set of EMS protocols that offer state of the art advanced and basic life support care.
We staff three advanced life support Medic Units 24 hours a day. Two Medic Units are staffed at Washington Dulles International Airport and one Medic Unit is staffed at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. Basic Life Support Ambulances are staffed at both airports when staffing permits. An EMS Supervisor provides further assistance at each airport around the clock. Additionally, two Engines and Tower-302 are ALS equipped and staffed on a regular basis. This provides additional EMS resources and capabilities at both airports and to the surrounding jurisdictions. Each airport maintains a Medical Care Support Unit that is equipped with supplies to treat 200 patients.
The Fire & Rescue Department is also faced with many challenges as a result of Dulles International Airport being one of five designated ports of entry for passengers arriving from countries with wide spread Ebola transmission. We developed policies and procedures for Ebola response that became a model for other departments across the nation. The Centers for Disease Control maintains a Quarantine Station at Dulles to assist with the prevention and spread of contagious diseases in the United States. As a result of this Quarantine Station, the Fire & Rescue Department continually responds to the many challenges that occur with disease outbreak across the world.
The MWAA Fire & Rescue Department was awarded the Outstanding EMS Agency of the Year for 2015 by the Northern Virginia EMS Council. EMS Captain Marie Powell was awarded Outstanding EMS Pre-Hospital Educator. These awards are a testament to the dedication, professionalism and commitment to excellence demonstrated by our personnel.