BERKELEY COUNTY, S.C.–Berkeley County officials announced today that Steven Cotter will head up the county’s EMS operations. The appointment comes on the heels of a two-month search for a new department director. He replaces longtime EMS director Bob Mixter who resigned from his position in March.
According to county officials, Cotter brings a wealth of knowledge, experience, and measurable results to Berkeley County. He is the former head of Emergency Medical Services at Piedmont Hospital in Rock Hill, South Carolina. He has also directed EMS operations for Sedgwick County, Kansas and Laurens County, South Carolina and was a shift commander in Greenville County, South Carolina.
“What struck us the most about Steven Cotter is he didn’t just tell us about his accomplishments, he provided measurable results and statistics,” explains Dan Davis, Berkeley County Supervisor. “In his previous position, he redesigned deployment processes to help increase coverage and reduce response times. Although we have one of the best EMS programs in the state, we are excited about the ideas he will bring to help the department run more efficiently and provide expanded services to our citizens.”
Highlights of Cotter’s performance outcomes include:
• Reducing labor operating costs by redesigning the department’s ambulance scheduling processes.
• Redesigning the ambulance deployment process resulting in:
o an aggregate increase in ambulance coverage capability from 79% to 95% of peak call demand
o a reduction in the amount of deployed ambulance unit hours by 3370 hours resulting in a $236,000 decrease in ambulance deployment costs
o a reduction in county wide average response times of two minutes and 14 seconds (2012)
• Reducing annual employee turnover rates from 38% in 2010 to 8% in 2013
• Reducing work related injuries by 52% through 2012
• Increasing return of circulation for cardiac arrest patients from 9% to 33% and survival to discharge from 2% to 14% (2012)
Under Cotter’s leadership, the Emergency Medical Services department at Piedmont Medical Center was named a 2014 Nicholas Rosecrans award recipient by JEMS Magazine, which recognized their “Safe Kids” program designed to reduce injuries in children. In Spring 2013, Piedmont Medical Center named Cotter, Leader of the Quarter.
Cotter becomes active in the community in which he lives and works, serving on numerous boards and committees. He also contributes articles to esteemed publications including: EMS Magazine, Advanced Rescue Technology, and The Paramedic.
Cotter earned an Associate of Health Science from Greenville Technical College. He furthered his education with a Bachelor of Science in Financial Management and a Master of Business Administration from Clemson University.
His expected start date is July 21, 2014.
Prior Story:
Bob Mixter out as Berkeley Co. EMS Director
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This man is a fraud and will leave your service in shambles. Ask him why he was fired from his last three positions. At PMC EMS he was responsible for hiring a man under investigation for embezzlement into a supervisor position, hiring a known alcoholic and convicted murderer into a supervisor position, and saw aass exodus of over a third of his full time workforce due to his incompetence. I would reconsider.
Cotter was asked to resign by PMC because of multiple complaints from employees and several unscrupulous incidents. Ask him about the sexual deviant who works there that got caught sexually harassing a female employee. Not only did this person keep their job, but they were allowed to remain in a position of authority. Cotter saw to that personally.
Just because they look good on paper doesn’t mean they are good at what the do. Piedmont EMS had its highest turn over rate for paramedics in 2013 so I’m guessing that was misleading paperwork that he showed. He has no respect for employees or for the patients that we treat. All he worries about is the numbers and what he can place on a spread sheet. Good luck to your EMS staff I turkey feel sorry for them.
He did not resign from the position at Piedmont EMS because if he resigned he would of got to clean out his own office…. It was boxed for him
The above posting comments are fired employees from that service and have no room to cast stones!
Actually no. The above employees all resigned because of how horrible the service was being run. Thank you sir.
I wasn’t fired. I left just like almost everyone else.
If it is true what they say Glass House, what difference if they were fired or not. You saying they were fired is the only suspect comment I have seen in this thread.
Whether he was fired or not he is a self centered idiot. He only cares about himself and his numbers. He doesn’t care about his staff at all. Good luck Berkeley is all I can say
What these individuals have posted are true and accurate facts. Mr. Cotter had (4) years to make Piedmont a successful organization. He was an absolute failure. The organization continued to loose two million dollars per year under his leadership. While the statistics looked great on paper, none of it was reality. The county response times did not change. We invested in a mapping system that allowed the closet unit to be sent. The employee turnover increased by 88% which caused tremendous overtime and closing station trucks. Berkeley County, do your homework on this man. We learned the hard way…..don’t make the same mistake.
I am still working at Piedmont. All of the above is pretty much true. I never had any issue with him personally but I would subjectively describe him as a megalomaniac. If you were to look up the definition if fits him perfectly and give you some idea of what to expect….
Ever been defrauded of your retirement savings by the Shrine Club, freemasons, and their progeny? I have. DONT TRUST A FREEMASON OR SHRINER (unless you are one of the complicit secret thieves).
He Reigns.
Berkeley county government is in investigating this web page and everybody that replied to it, they are intimidating Berkeley county employees by taking there personal cell phones and down loading there personal information on to Humane resources computers, few employees have been suspended over this, there giving demanding orders not to tell the news media or even taking about this or they will be terminated some kind of gage order they put on employees and people that don’t even work for the county, I wonder what there hiding?
No! Berkeley County covering up their fraudulent / illegal / secret society / behind closed door / bully / good ole boy mafioso actions? Cant be! lol…
Welcome to the antichrists reign folks.
HE Reigns.
By all means, their HR department can give me a call anytime. I don’t work for them. Last I checked it wasn’t illegal to tell the truth in a public forum. If this is really happening then you are getting a small taste of what’s to come.