After 27 years of serving the citizens of New Castle, Ron Burns has announced he is stepping down at the end of the year. Burns, New Castle EMS Chief, has accepted a similar position with an EMS agency in Adams County.
“Basically, 27 years in the same place is long enough. This is a new challenge, a new adventure and financially it’s better,” Burns said. “It’s a hard decision, very hard, but I think it’s what’s best for me right now. I wish nothing but the best for this community. I care deeply about the people who work here and who live here.”
Burns began his municipal employment as a member of the New Castle Fire Department. He later transferred to EMS and has been the chief of emergency services for the past 12 years.
He said there are many things he expects to miss about living and working in New Castle. His co-workers top that list.
“I’m going to miss the guys and gals I work with. They’re a good group of people and I just hope they continue doing what we’ve got started. We’ve come a long way and this community should be very proud of them. They’re a dedicated group of people who are second to none,” Burns said.
New Castle Mayor Greg York told members of the Board of Works Monday that he hates to see Burns go.
“I deeply regret that he’s leaving,” York said. “I feel like we have the best EMS equipment and personnel in the State of Indiana and Ron has put us there and even made us better. I hate to lose Ron from our team, but after the first of the year he will no longer be employed by the city. We deeply appreciate everything that he’s done for our community.”
Burns said there have been a lot of changes in EMS over the years and that most of those changes have been technology driven.
“We are essentially a mobile emergency room. In the back of those ambulances, we do basically everything the hospital does except X-rays,” he said. “We do IVs, we do medications, we’re able to do 12-lead EKGs in the field, deliver babies. You name it and if it has to do with emergency care it goes on in the back of those trucks.”
New Castle EMS has grown under Burns’ leadership. When he was named chief in 2003 the department had 10 employees; that number has grown to 29. The department currently operates four ambulances and two rapid response vehicles with another ambulance expected to be added to the fleet in the near future.
The job of EMS chief is a mayoral appointment. Mayor York indicated he expects to fill the position by promoting someone from within the current EMS ranks.
