Congratulations to The Lake County Office of Emergency Medical Services newest lieutenants, Luis Ramirez, Brandon Smith, Erica Wisniewski, and Robert Dellow. They were promoted during a recent pinning ceremony surrounded by friends and family.
Erica Wisniewski
Erica Wisniewski was born in Long Beach, California and has resided in Florida since 1991. Wisniewski attended school in Jacksonville, Florida where she obtained her Emergency Medical Technician and Paramedic certifications. She began her career as an Emergency Medical Technician in 2011 with Lake-Sumter Emergency Medical Services, which later became known as Lake Emergency Medical Services (Lake EMS). Erica was promoted to a paramedic in 2017 after undergoing a rigorous provisional program. In October 2018, Erica transitioned over with Lake County Emergency Medical Services under Lake County Government to continue working as a Paramedic. She is currently stationed in downtown Leesburg in an area that services the west side of Lake County. Erica chose to pursue the path of becoming a Paramedic because she loves having the ability to make a positive impact on the lives of those who live in the Lake County community. “Being able to get to know a patient on a personal level and making them feel safe knowing that someone is there to care for and help them is what this job is all about,” Wisniewski said.
Brandon Smith
Brandon Smith has served the Lake County Office of Emergency Medical Services since 2015. Smith is a Lake County native who grew up in Leesburg, Florida and attended Lake County Schools and Lake Technical College. “I learned how to save others with my hands and my heart,” Smith said when asked about what defines his emergency management services experience. He says his promotion will place him one step closer to seeing the Lake County community, as a whole become healthier. Smith was encouraged to pursue his passion for working in the medical field after losing his grandparents, friends, and relatives at a young age. Education has long been a passion for Smith, and he has sought out additional educational certification training while working for the Lake County Office of Emergency Medical Services to enhance his skills each day while working. This training includes Advanced Pediatric Life Support (APLS), Pre-Hospital Trauma Life Support (PHTLS), STABLE program certification, Neonatal Resuscitation (NRP), and Pediatric Fundamental Critical Care Support (PFCCS). He is also working on completing his Bachelors of Science degree from the University of Florida, with a major in Fire and Emergency Services.
Robert Dellow
Robert Dellow has served the Lake County Office of Emergency Medical Services since 2017. A New York native, Dellow graduated from Tully High School and pursued a 4-year degree in Animal Science before deciding to seek out his paramedic certification. He was inspired to become a paramedic when the college he attended had an on-campus medical team staffed by the students. After he became an Emergency Medical Technician, Dellow started thinking about how to expand his knowledge and quickly advanced to become a paramedic in 2011. After two years of service, Dellow became a preceptor and re-certified as an American Heart Association instructor for Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), Advanced Cardiac Life Support, and Essential Life Support. He hopes with his promotion and his extensive experience in Emergency Medical Services he can help new employees and students achieve their goals in life and become great paramedics and leaders. “In empathy is the ‘path’ to understanding. If you love what you do…work isn’t working,” Dellow said when asked about what defines his Emergency Medical Services experience.
Luis Ramirez
Luis Ramirez has served the Lake County Office of Emergency Medical Services since 2014. He was born in Caguas, Puerto Rico just 20 miles from the capital city of San Juan. He went to high school in Puerto Rico and went to work for the Walt Disney Company in Orlando, Florida. During his time at Walt Disney World, he got firsthand experience watching the dedicated crews at the Reedy Creek Fire Department, Disney’s in-house fire service. It was then that Ramirez knew that he wanted to become a medical provider and decided to go to firefighter school and also obtain his Emergency Medical Technician license. He also wanted to go one step further and accomplish a Paramedic license, too. After being hired at Lake County Emergency Medical Services at the time, he worked for one year as an emergency medical technician and then went through paramedic provisionals to advance this career. “I realized how much I like the job that I do,” Ramirez said when asked about what defines his Emergency Medical Services experience.
