Dr. Peter Williams has been named the new medical director for the Harrisonburg Fire Department.
As medical director, Williams will be responsible for overseeing a wide array of services provided by the fire department, including the quality of care provided by HFD’s firefighters, all of whom are cross trained as emergency medical technicians and paramedics.
“We are thrilled to have Dr. Williams as the new medical director,” Harrisonburg City Manager Eric D. Campbell said. “The fire department’s function as the designated provider of EMS in the City makes his role critical in the oversight of the care our personnel provide.”
Williams holds a bachelor of science in health sciences from George Washington University and a doctor of medicine from the University of Virginia. He completed his residency in emergency medicine at the University of Maryland in Baltimore before coming to Harrisonburg in 2009.
Before becoming a physician, Williams served as a firefighter/paramedic with the City of Fairfax Fire Department.
Williams replaces Dr. Nazir Adam, who retired after serving 16 years with the department.
“I am honored to become the medical director for the Harrisonburg Fire Department,” Williams said. “I would like to personally thank Dr. Adam for his many years of service and look forward to moving our fire-based EMS system forward.”
As the designated provider of emergency medical services in the city, HFD is required to retain the services of a medical director. Williams will work on a part-time basis providing quality assurance, clinical oversight and clinical expertise.
Cross-trained firefighters with medical certification operate under Williams’s license and provide life-saving care to the more than 54,000 residents of the city.
HFD handled 5,800 calls for service in 2019; approximately 68 percent of which were EMS-related.
The department also partners with the Harrisonburg Rescue Squad to provide transport services when patients need to be taken to the Emergency Department.
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