Lynchburg first-responder lauded as state’s finest

As a high school student, Ricky Bomar was saving people’s lives.

Now some 30 years later, the Lynchburg Fire and Emergency Services captain has been recognized as this year’s Outstanding Emergency Medical Services Provider for the entire state.

It’s an honor that no one else in the department has received, but it’s one that Bomar said all of them deserve.

Bomar received the certificate and award at a ceremony in Norfolk on Nov. 15. He was nominated by his peers, then his nomination was evaluated by a committee of medical and government professionals from across the state.

“Everyone that works here has earned this award. I just happen to be the one that received it,” Bomar said. “I am surrounded by good people who make me look good.”

Fire Chief Brad Ferguson said Bomar deserves the recognition.

“It validates Ricky’s career and shows that the department is doing the right things to stay on the forefront of quality care,” Ferguson said. “He has been dedicated to emergency medical services for a number of years at the local and state level.”

Bomar’s career began in 1978, when he joined the Lynchburg Life Saving Crew at age 16. He said he was one of only a few people at that time to be certified as a pre-hospital cardiac technician. Because he was still in school at E.C. Glass High School, he received special permission from the principal to run calls when his skills were needed.

Three years later, he joined Lynchburg Fire and EMS. It seemed like a natural fit, he said, since as a child, he spent his afternoons hanging out at the fire station near his father’s grocery store.

Bomar held several positions during his career, until his promotion last year to Battalion Chief of Battalion 1 for B Shift, which consists of four fire stations and about 25 people.

Bomar also serves as a supervisor for the Virginia-1 Disaster Medical Assistance Team. The team consists of 35 doctors, nurses and paramedics who are deployed during disasters.

Robert L. Ditch, planning section chief of the Va-1 DMAT, wrote Bomar’s recommendation for the award.

“Ricky Bomar represents the best of the best within Virginia’s community of pre-hospital providers and leaders,” Ditch wrote.

In 2008, Bomar helped develop a national response team known as the Medical Operations Detachment Squad, developed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services National Disaster Medical System.

In September 2008, Bomar became the deputy commander for the DMAT team. He was sent to Atlanta to stage for the arrival of Hurricane Ike, but when the storm bypassed Florida, he and the team headed to Louisiana. There he helped set up a 250-bed medical station field hospital.

“Without hesitation, historical precedence or guidance to rely upon, Ricky and his team set up the field hospital in barely enough time to receive (overnight and unannounced) over 230 acute care patients that had been evacuated by buses and ambulances from Lake Charles and Cameron Parishes,” Ditch wrote.

“These patients had originated from Louisiana hospitals and nursing homes that were at risk of being damaged once Hurricane Ike came ashore. Many of these older and very frail patients were frightened, disoriented and separated from their families.”

Bomar was then selected commander of the VA-1 deployed Mobile Aeromedical Staging Facility team and was sent to West Virginia and put on standby in the event of a mass casualty incident during the presidential inauguration in January.

Bomar said it comes down to loving his job.

“I enjoy the people I work with. I still love coming to work every day,” Bomar said. “Not everyone wants to do this kind of work. They do it because they like helping others. We are a big family. We live together one-third of the year.”