The Union County Sheriff’s Office has added three specially-trained medics to its SWAT team. With this addition, the team now has a total of 11 members, according to SWAT leader Sgt. Jim Sanders.
Sanders said having medics trained as SWAT members and able to directly accompany the team has long been a goal of the UCSO.
“The three gentlemen are all employed with ProMed and are all paramedics. We’ve been working hard alongside them to progress our team to have medics in the stack to be able to go into operations [with us] rather than sitting outside… In an operation or in training, they will be able to go hands-on, on scene, and can remove someone from a structure and get them to the hospital,” Sanders said.
Sanders said ProMed has worked with the UCSO during the process and has even outfitted the team with some equipment. The medics, John Burdue, Cody Burdue and Trey Johnson, underwent law enforcement and SWAT training in order to join the team.
“What will set our team apart is these medics being in the stack and able to go into hot zones with us… They’ve worked hard to get to the position we’re in now. We’ve worked for years to try to get this to happen. These guys have put in the work,” Sanders said.
Sanders said having the medics on the SWAT team will drastically increase response time for any medical emergencies.
“It gives [SWAT members] benefits but it also makes it where if for some reason a suspect, a victim or a bystander gets hurt during an operation, the medics are there with medical training right then to fix the problem and get them to the hospital. In the past we would have ProMed stand off, a few miles nearby. When you go into that situation [and have medical issues] time is of the essence. Instead of a three-to-five minute response, they will be right there with the stack and can go hands-on within seconds,” Sanders said.
The Burdues- a father-and-son pair- and Johnson had to expand their paramedic skill-sets drastically with law enforcement, tactics and security training.
John Burdue said the medics’ uses and responsibilities will not be limited to the SWAT team alone.
“Our primary role is the health and welfare of the SWAT team members, [but] any other duties SWAT or the sheriff needs us to do, they can task us with. We will try to enhance the Sheriff’s Office in general and we can go on patrol and things like that,” John Burdue said.
On Saturday, the team will host the ninth annual UCSO SWAT Benefit Bass Tournament.
Sanders said the team relies heavily on the tournament financially.
“We rely on entries and people coming by, that’s where we get money for training and gear… We rely for everything on the tournament,” Sanders said.
The tournament will be based at the Lock and Dam Big Ramp in Felsenthal. In addition to the bass tournament, there will be raffle prizes and barbecue plates for sale provided by The Flaming Pig BBQ.
The tournament is scheduled to run from 6 a.m. until 3 p.m. with weigh-in at 3 p.m., and Sanders said tickets will be available throughout the day. The entry fee is $80 per boat.