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Pete Allen was recently hired as the new MCEMS Director. Courtesy photo
Marshall County EMS board recently hired a new MCEMS director. Pete Allen was apppointed the new MCEMS Director at the June 3 meeting and assumed duties on August 3. Allen hails from a town near Augusta, Maine. Allen said he happened across the job listing because he was looking for a change.
“I had made a promise to myself many years ago that when my youngest son graduated from High School, I was going to move to the Southern United States,” Allen said. “As June of 2020 (my sons graduation date) drew closer, I started looking at the Southern job market, specifically EMS leadership positions. As I was viewing jobs on Indeed.com, I saw the posting from Marshall County. The area interested me, as I am from a rural area and have experience with rural EMS. I applied for the position and accepted it after visiting the area.”
The job listing may have brought Allen to the area, but he said it was the beauty of the landscape and the people is what sealed the deal for him.
“When I came to Marshall County for my interview process, as I drove across the Willis Bridge, I instantly fell in love with the lake,” he said. “As I began meeting people from the area, it felt like home.”
Allen has been in the EMS field for over 24 years. He has a BS in Emergency Medical Administration from Columbia Southern University, and is currently pursuing his Master’s in Healthcare Administration.
Allen has worked as a municipal Firefighter/Paramedic, a Flight Paramedic with Lifeflight of Maine, a Captain with a quasi-municipal EMS service, and the Deputy Chief of the EMS service in his hometown. He said he also has “extensive experience with quality improvement” and is “striving to continuously improve the quality of care provided by Marshall County EMS.”
The new director weighed in on the subject that was a hot topic in the past; downgrading the level of service offered to Marshall County citizens.
“It is my position that the level of service provided to the citizens of Marshall County should be the highest level allowed by the State of Oklahoma,” Allen said. “The citizens of Marshall County deserve to have a paramedic respond at any time that level of care is required by the patient’s medical condition.”
Allen said he has seen firsthand what happens when an EMS service does not have adequately trained responders.
“As a lifelong EMS provider (I started in EMS when I was 19 years old), I have seen the repercussions of not having the highest level of provider when the patient’s condition requires it,” he said. “There is a significant difference in the care that can be provided by a paramedic versus an EMT provider. The quality of care provided by Marshall County EMS will always be at the highest standards whether at the paramedic level or EMT level. Marshall County EMS is committed to continuing to provide the same levels of care that the community has come to expect.”
Allen noted that his goal is director is to continually raise the bar.
“I am excited for the opportunity to lead the outstanding men and women who have made it their commitment to care for the citizens and visitors of Marshall County,” Allen said. “We are working together to continuously improve the already extraordinary care they provide, raising the bar for quality standards.”