Blue Ridge EMS Council

12/19/2025

Please read information on the BREMS website regarding the BREMS Council closure.

Effective December 31, BREMS will be included in OEMS Region 2, overseen by the Western Virginia EMS Council.

11/19/2025

Virginia Observes Virginia Crash Responder Safety Week November 17 - 21, 2025

https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/news/virginia-office-of-emergency-medical-services-observes-crash-responder-safety-week-and-highlights-the-importance-of-roadway-safety/

Governor Youngkin's Proclamation
https://www.governor.virginia.gov/newsroom/proclamations/proclamation-list/virginia-crash-responders-safety-week.html #:~:text=NOW%2C%20THEREFORE%2C%20I%2C%20Glenn,the%20attention%20of%20our%20citizens.

Governor Glenn Youngkin, 74th Governor of Virginia

11/14/2025

We wish Debbie the best in her future endeavors. Congratulations on a well-deserved retirement! Thank you for your many dedicated years to the local, state, and national EMS systems. 

Virginia Office of EMS Announces Retirement of Accreditation, Certification and Education Division Director, Debbie Akers

The Virginia Office of Emergency Medical Services (OEMS) announces the upcoming retirement of highly esteemed Accreditation, Certification and Education Division Director Debbie Akers, who will be stepping down from her role as of January 1, 2026.

After 14 years of exceptional service to OEMS and 50 years of dedication to Virginia’s EMS System, her contributions to EMS education have left a lasting and meaningful impact on EMS education across the Commonwealth and throughout the nation.

During her distinguished career, Debbie has been a cornerstone in the EMS community, serving as an educator, mentor and unwavering supporter for the advancement of EMS education and the continued progress of the EMS system. Her passion for teaching, commitment to excellence and genuine care for both colleagues and students has left an indelible mark on the EMS community far and wide.

With our most heartfelt gratitude and appreciation, OEMS thanks Debbie for the many years of unwavering service, leadership and dedication to Virginia's EMS System. Please join us in congratulating Debbie on her well-earned retirement and celebrating the tremendous impact her work has had on Virginia's EMS providers.

10/09/2025

Today a Regional MCI exercise was held on the Liberty University campus. This was a coordinated effort between many local, regional, and state partners testing our response and communication between the University, EMS, and the Hospital systems. Thank you to our partners, LU and Pegasus Solutions for working with us over the last year and half to help us get this exercise accomplished. We had a huge coordinated support effort from all of our local EMS agencies (Lynchburg Fire Dept., Amherst County Department of Public Safety, Bedford County Department of Fire & Rescue, Campbell County Public Safety, Centra Health, Delta Response Team)! Thank you to everyone who contributed and participated, in some role, during this regional exercise!

10/06/2025

BREMS is happy to be collaborating with Liberty University, Pegasus Solutions, Regional EMS partners, Local, State and Federal agencies for this Regional MCI Exercise!

09/19/2025

The Virginia Office of EMS is proud to announce that Mr. Wayne Perry, MEd, BS, NRP, has been promoted as the new Deputy Director of EMS Operations.

With more than 29 years of leadership experience in EMS and public health, including 15 years directing in the Virginia Regional EMS Council, Mr. Perry brings a wealth of knowledge, proven innovation and a strong record of collaboration at the regional, state and national levels.

In this new role, he will oversee the System Optimization, Emergency Operations and Regional Council Divisions, ensuring alignment and progress toward a strong, unified EMS system for the Commonwealth of Virginia.

This promotion is another step in stabilizing and strengthening the Office of EMS and reflects our commitment to a bright future for EMS in Virginia.

Please join us in congratulating Mr. Perry!

08/01/2025

Huge shoutout to BREMS EMS agencies on their excellent STEMI care across the region. EMS is a huge part of the Centra care team and because of this team’s commitment, patients are receiving the best STEMI care. Congratulations to everyone on this continued achievement!

07/01/2025

UPDATE… as of 3:20 PM, 7/1/25, LGH is back up running as normal. No current diversions. 

Lynchburg General Hospital is currently on diversion for all traumas and STEMI’s. They are currently experiencing a power outage and on generator back up. We will update you as soon as we have more information. Please share this information with your providers.

06/27/2025

Thursday, June 26th, Dr. Maria Beerman-Foat, Director of the Office of EMS and Kevin Dillard, Chair of the Governor’s EMS Advisory Board came and spent the day as we toured the BREMS region. Janet Blankenship, President of the BREMS board, Robert Lipscomb, Secretary of the BREMS Board, and Dr. Kayla Long, Regional Medical Director, joined us on our tour as we visited with EMS leadership, EMS providers, Centra Health and CVCC representatives. We began our day with regional stakeholders at the BREMS office. Next we visited with EMS leadership and providers of the Lynchburg Fire Department Stations 1 & 6. We then proceeded to Amherst County to meet with members of Amherst County Department of Public Safety. Our next stop took us to meet with Appomattox Volunteer Rescue Squad. From there we traveled to Rustburg to meet with Campbell County Department of Public Safety (this includes a visit with Billie the K-9 therapy dog) and finished our day in Bedford County with career and volunteer providers. It was a great opportunity for continued collaboration with our regional partners and key stakeholders. We would like to thank all of those who were able to meet with us today and for providing great dialogue and communication.

06/02/2025

Just a reminder of our Full council meeting this evening.

Email from Blue Ridge EMS Council PLEASE SHARE Blue Ridge EMS Council  Full Council Meeting Announcement Monday, June 2, 2025 6:00 PM BREMS Office 2412 Langhorne Road Lynchburg, VA 24501 The Blue Rid

05/29/2025

We've updated the BREMS Protocol App today to include the updated COPD / Asthma & and Pain Management protocols! Please open the app to ensure it automatically runs the update. Do this as soon as possible so you’ll have the most current information when you need it most!

For the updated changes to the COPD / Asthma & Pain Management protocols, please click on this link.

05/22/2025

Make sure if you are out in Lynchburg today you go by the Centra transport office and visit the food truck. This is the last time the food truck will be available this week for all of our first responders. Enjoy and happy EMS week.