The Wisconsin Rapids Fire Department has officially earned re-accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services (CAAS), placing their EMS operations in the top tier of emergency medical services nationwide.
Of the roughly 23,000 ambulance services operating across the U.S., only about 180 have met CAAS’s rigorous standards which exceeds the industry requirements. WRFD was the first agency in the State of Wisconsin to achieve this distinction, and they remain one of only three EMS services in the entire state to hold it today.
This achievement belongs to the EMS professionals. Accreditation reflects not just the systems and protocols they operate under, but the people who carry them out: the training hours logged beyond what’s required, the skills sharpened for every call, and the discipline to hold themselves to a higher standard long after the minimum has been met.
In the field and in the classroom, the providers approach their work with the demands, because the people of Wisconsin Rapids and South Wood County deserve nothing less than the highest level of pre-hospital emergency care. None of this happens without strong leadership.
Special recognition goes to Division Chief of EMS and Service Director Joel Fetterer, whose vision and constant push to advance the EMS division, and the people within it, helped make this achievement possible. The city leaders and past employees have also played an ongoing role in this process.
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