Specialty Teams

Ada County Paramedics TacMed Team provides medical care and consultation to high-risk law enforcement specialty teams. Our paramedics train and work alongside law enforcement officers who serve high-risk warrants, deal with barricaded subjects, perform hostage rescues and dispose of explosives. Ada County Paramedics TacMed Team’s mission is dedicated to one primary goal- to ensure officer survival. Dangerous conditions and unconventional hazards are commonplace for law enforcement tactical teams. Our team often operates in conditions that, regardless of training and expertise, can put them at high risk for injury. The medical support provided by Ada County Paramedics is an essential piece of mission success.

Ada County Paramedics Special Operations Team (SOT), responds to high-angle and backcountry rescues in Ada County and southwest Idaho. The primary mission of the team is to provide the highest level of pre-hospital medical care for injured or ill patients in areas where terrain is steep and access is remote, and to safely transport the patient to a medical facility. The team is composed of twenty paramedics and EMTs. In addition to the education and training necessary to be a paramedic or EMT, Special Operations Team individuals must complete 60 hours of initial rope rescue training. SOT team members also train each month at a variety of locations in and near Ada County. In addition to training and performing rescues, the Special Operations Team teaches rope rescue courses each May and June.

Ada County Paramedics HazMed Team provides medical care in the hot zones of hazardous, or potentially hazardous environments. Our HazMed paramedics train and work alongside system partners like local health districts and other public safety agencies to ensure exposure in hazardous situations, or infectious disease is contained while providing the highest level of medical care to patients. Ada County Paramedics’ HazMed Team’s mission is dedicated to one primary goal- to ensure exposure is kept to a minimum.

Because of the high-stress work first responders are subjected to, many find they have no outlet and they may have a difficult time decompressing after a particularly difficult 911 call. Ada County Paramedics established a Peer Support Team in 2016, which is composed of a group of peer-selected employees who are available 24/7 to provide an empathetic ear to one another. Our Peer Support Team offers support to our employees for big or small issues, or anything that may be compromising work and personal-life happiness. Peer Support Team members can also conduct Critical Incident Stress Debriefings when an event has impacted several providers. Our Peer Support Team members undergo specialized training in Group Crisis Intervention from the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation, and the team has a licensed mental health professional overseeing team activities.