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Tuesday, 03 June 2025
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Written by Staff Report
Earlier this month, two paramedics with Cumberland County EMS made history as the first all-female team to win the NC Emergency Medical Services Expo’s annual EM Today Paramedic Competition in its 33-year history.
Paramedics Hannah Thompson and Jessica Haines represented Cumberland County EMS as one of the top six teams from across the state on May 4 at Greensboro. The expo is an educational conference for paramedics, EMTs and county emergency services directors to sharpen their skills with presentations from faculty from across the state and the U.S.
“We’re very proud of Hannah and Jessica’s win,” said Brian Langston, Corporate Director Patient Logistics and Mobile Integrated Health. “These competitions prepare our paramedics to improve the treatment of real patients in our community and set the benchmarks for our paramedics to have a high level of medical knowledge.”
The Cumberland EMS team outperformed the 2024 returning champions, as well as four other regional champion duos who earned their respective spots following competitions in March in Brunswick, Catawba, Cumberland, Johnston and Surry counties. Those teams included Mecklenburg EMS and Whiteville Rescue as well as two Surry County EMS crews.
Originally from Wyoming, Haines has been with Cape Fear Valley for a year and became a paramedic in September, but she has been in EMS for over two years.
She holds a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology from Campbell University. Before going to college, Haines was a member of the U.S. Army and deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. She is also a mother with a three-year-old son.
“When Hannah and I said we were going to do the competition, we did it to learn and have fun,” Haines said. “We had no expectation of actually winning. Then we won the regionals, and it got a little more serious. When we were training, we learned that no all-female team had ever won the competition, and that no Cape Fear Valley team had ever won, either. That was our motivator, once we found that out.”
Thompson is originally from New Mexico, where she previously worked as a paramedic before moving to Fayetteville. She’s been with Cumberland County EMS since 2022 and worked in Cape Fear Valley Medical Center’s Pediatric Emergency Department for a year.
She holds an associate’s degree in emergency medical services and a bachelor’s degree in organismal biology. Additionally, she is an adjunct instructor with Fayetteville Technical Community College, where the two spent much of April practicing complicated patient and logistic scenarios before the final competition.
“From complex cardiac cases, extensive traumatic injuries, and a plethora of complicated overdoses, we used scenarios that always had two, if not three or more patients,” Thompson said. “We fine-tuned our assessment skills and critical thinking. Our dedication and shared perfectionistic traits made our teamwork and patient care smooth and methodical.”
At the preliminary competition site, teams are judged and scored in three categories: a practical scenario, a short written examination, and professionalism.
During the final competition, teams are graded on professionalism, didactic knowledge, and their clinical management as they face realistic scenarios, environments and simulations within a set time limit.
This year’s scenario involved managing three critical patients at the scene of a high school football game. They initially had to manage a seriously injured player with a collapsed lung on the field. Soon after, the coach became ill after having taken too much of his blood pressure medication.
Finally, an argument broke out between the inebriated father and mother of the injured player, resulting in the mother being stabbed.
Competing teams were challenged to respond to all of these individual crises as part of the mock emergency.
"These incredible EMS teams work hard all year to prepare for this event and for their day-to-day duties,” said Tom Mitchell, chief of the N.C. Office of Emergency Medical Services. “Just like in this competition, these paramedics never know what they may face when responding to the needs of North Carolinians. Their extensive training results in improved quality of care for all residents and visitors who may experience illness or injury in an emergency situation."
(Photo: From left, Cape Fear Valley Health Vice President of Operations and Development Brian Pearce, Paramedics Hannah Thompson and Jessica Haines, and Corporate Director Patient Logistics and Mobile Integrated Health Brian Langston at the North Carolina Paramedic Competition State Championships held in Greensboro on May 4. Photo courtesy of Cape Fear Valley Health)
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Tuesday, 03 June 2025
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Written by Up & Coming Weekly and CityView Today Staff Report
City passes new sidewalk ordinance
A new city ordinance aimed at enhancing public safety by keeping city sidewalks and streets clear from unnecessary obstructions will go in effect on Monday, May 26. The ordinance prohibits actions that block or impede the safe passage of pedestrians and vehicles along public streets and sidewalks.
"As the city continues to make unprecedented investments in improving pedestrian safety and walkability, this ordinance reflects our commitment to safer streets and sidewalks," Mayor Mitch Colvin stated. "It has been proven this improves the quality of life."
The ordinance reaffirms the city’s duty under a general statute to maintain open and unobstructed public passageways. It makes it unlawful for individuals to block or impede sidewalks, streets, or the entrances and exits of buildings, except where specifically permitted by property owners or city-issued permits.
Violations are classified as Class 3 misdemeanors and can be punishable by fines up to $50. These violations are applied only to city-controlled rights-of-way.
The city continues to make transformative investments, including expanding sidewalks throughout the city. These investments focus on moving Fayetteville forward, addressing needs related to safety and security and improving the quality of life for residents.
Residents can learn more about the ordinance at FayettevilleNC.gov/WalkingSafe.
City council adopted the proposed ordinance with a 7-3 vote on April 28.
Cumberland County Schools hire new
superintendent
A new superintendent has been chosen to head Cumberland County Schools, the Cumberland County Board of Education announced.
During a special meeting, the board moved to unanimously appoint Eric C. Bracy to lead the school system as Superintendent Marvin Connelly Jr. steps down. Connelly announced his retirement in December 2024.
Bracy is currently superintendent of Johnston County Schools, a position he has held since 2020, according to a Cumberland County Schools news release.
The school system pointed to Bracy’s experience in fiscal management and improving student outcomes as particular strengths.
“From the outset of our search process, Dr. Bracy stood out from a deep and talented pool of candidates as the right leader at the right time for Cumberland County Schools,” said Deanna Jones, chair of the Cumberland Board of Education. “His unwavering commitment to student achievement, consistent track record of results across multiple districts and ability to build meaningful relationships reflect the type of strong, student-centered leadership our community values. We are proud to welcome him and confident that he will help take CCS to the next level.”
Bracy is scheduled to take over the position in a four-year term on July 1, depending on his release date from Johnston County, the release said.
“I am deeply honored to serve as the next superintendent of Cumberland County Schools,” Bracy said. “This district has made tremendous progress, and I am excited to work alongside the board, staff, families and community partners to build on that momentum.”
Bracy’s top priorities are increasing student achievement and instructional excellence in each classroom, the release states.
In Johnston County, Bracy has been lauded for raising the school system’s rank from 83rd to 35th in the state in grade-level proficiency. The district was one of six in the state to see improvements in grade-level proficiency when compared to performance from before the Covid-19 pandemic, the release said.
Under Bracy’s leadership, 89% of Johnston County’s 48 schools earned A, B or C performance grades while the number of low-performing schools dropped from 14 to one.
“Student achievement improved across the district, with 33 schools exceeding academic growth expectations while 30 ranking in the top 20% statewide for academic growth,” the release said.
According to the release, Bracy worked with the Johnston County Board of Education and county commissioners for the passage of two bond referendums, $177 million in 2022 and $120 million in 2024, to support the district’s facility needs and growth.
Bracy also has experience understanding the needs of military families, having worked with many stationed at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in Goldsboro, North Carolina.
His wife, Janelle, is a teacher; they have three daughters.
“My family and I are thrilled to begin this next chapter and look forward to becoming an engaged and visible part of the CCS community,” Bracy said. “I’m ready to get to work and help move the district to even greater heights.”
After Connelly announced his retirement last winter, the Board of Education in January selected McPherson and Jacobson LLC, a national executive search firm, to begin the search for his replacement.
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