North Carolina’s Top Paramedic Team for 2022 is Mecklenburg EMS | Eastern North Carolina Now

Press Release:

Mecklenburg Emergency Medical Services’ Michael Dudkowski (left), and John Stroup, III (right) claimed the top spot in the 30th Annual Paramedic Competition held Sunday, May 1 in Greensboro. The award was presented by N.C. Office of Emergency Medical Services Chief Tom Mitchell (center).

    GREENSBORO - The Mecklenburg Emergency Medical Services team of Michael Dudkowski and John Stroup, III claimed top honors at the 30th Annual Paramedic Competition held this week in Greensboro, defending their title after winning the event in 2019.

    Dudkowski and Stroup were among six top teams from across the state in this year's competition, part of the North Carolina EMS Expo, an educational conference that brings together paramedics, EMTs and county emergency services directors to sharpen their skills with presentations from faculty from across the state and the U.S.

    It is the second championship for the Mecklenburg agency, known as Medic, which provides pre-hospital emergency care in the Charlotte metro area. The team out-performed five other pairs of regional champions selected following competitions in March from Cabarrus County EMS, CVF LifeLINK Air, First Health Chatham and Rowan County EMS.

    The teams all face the same scenario as each emerges from sequestration to respond to a mock emergency. This year's scenario had multiple patients at a rural farm setting - including a victim trapped in hay baler equipment, a Spanish-speaking victim experiencing chemical poisoning and an unresponsive person experiencing burn trauma.

    Tom Mitchell, chief of the N.C. Office of Emergency Medical Services, announced the winners at a banquet held Tuesday evening to cheers and applause from hundreds of the winners' peers.

    "All of the teams in this competition are winners. They are North Carolina's best of the best in emergency medical response," said Mitchell. "We offer our special congratulations to this year's winners."

    In the competition, each team takes turns to assess, treat and stabilize victims in a scenario that lasts 12 minutes. They must move quickly and use their experience, education and training to provide care to the victims. They may use first responders to assist while they render the most critical care. Teams are judged on professionalism, communication, patient rapport, conduct, attitude, appearance and attire.

    The competition is watched by hundreds of their peers from bleachers set up inside a ballroom at the Joseph S. Koury Convention Center and provides a training opportunity not only for the competing teams, but also for the paramedics and emergency medical technicians who closely observe each team's analysis and reaction to the scenario. Additional photos of the competition, participating teams and winner can be found here.

    Through the Office of Emergency Medical Services, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services works to foster emergency medical systems, trauma systems and credentialed EMS personnel to improve in providing responses to emergencies and disasters. For more information, visit ncems.org.

• NC Department of Health and Human Services
• 2001 Mail Service Center
• Raleigh, NC 27699-2001
• Ph: (919) 855-4840
• news@dhhs.nc.gov