VIRGINIA HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 709

WHEREAS, Brian Hricik, deputy chief of emergency medical services with the Alexandria Fire Department, who has served his community admirably for many years, retired on February 1, 2023; and

WHEREAS, Brian Hricik began his emergency medical services (EMS) career as a volunteer in Prince William County and was later hired by the Alexandria Fire Department on April 8, 1997; and

WHEREAS, over two and a half decades, Brian Hricik proved himself an outstanding EMS leader, clinician, and educator, as well as a fierce advocate for developing and maintaining a high-performing EMS system; and

WHEREAS, Brian Hricik demonstrated a strong knowledge of EMS protocols and an extraordinary ability to care for his patients, doing so with professionalism, compassion, and empathy; and

WHEREAS, during his tenure with the Alexandria Fire Department, Brian Hricik served as an instructor for continuing education classes and other activities, contributing greatly to the success of the department’s next generation of EMS technicians; and

WHEREAS, always seeking to improve, Brian Hricik was actively involved with the quality assurance and quality improvement (QA/QI) committee in his department; as a result of his dedication, he was promoted to field supervisor in 2002; and

WHEREAS, as an EMS field supervisor, Brian Hricik was engaged in being shift manager and had the daily operations of six units under his command, requiring regular coordination with other divisions within the fire department, city agencies, area hospitals, and other allied health professionals; and

WHEREAS, as a field supervisor, Brian Hricik was assigned to the Alexandria Fire Department’s training academy, where he coordinated continuing education unit classes and recruit academies; and

WHEREAS, in 2007, Brian Hricik became the EMS operations manager, a role he quickly grew into as the overall leader for the department’s EMS division; during his tenure, he would implement many processes to ensure a fair and consistent QA/QI process, constantly following the science and data to ensure that the providers on the streets had the necessary tools to perform at the highest level and to ensure that the latest protocols were followed; and

WHEREAS, Brian Hricik worked with city partners on various endeavors, including to foster an initiative where all advanced life support providers were trained in the Crisis Intervention Team program, to collect and evaluate data, to develop strategies to combat the opioid crisis, and to implement the Alexandria Fire Department’s simulation lab, where providers could be challenged to address real-life scenarios; and

WHEREAS, Brian Hricik was not only actively engaged in running Alexandria’s EMS system, but also supported EMS at the regional and state levels through participation in the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments’ EMS Subcommittee and as a member of the Northern Virginia EMS Council, which he joined in 2007 and previously served as president; and

WHEREAS, in 2010, Brian Hricik received a gubernatorial appointment to serve on the State EMS Advisory Board, which he served until 2013, to include as a member of the board’s Provider Health and Safety Committee; and

WHEREAS, Brian Hricik most recently served as president of the Virginia Association of Governmental EMS Administrators, completing his term in November 2022; and

WHEREAS, Brian Hricik’s unwavering commitment to providing the highest level of patient care and forging the best EMS available for the Alexandria Fire Department, the Northern Virginia region, and the Commonwealth is exemplified in all aspects of his work as a system leader; and

WHEREAS, Brian Hricik’s primary goal is to continue moving the EMS community forward while advocating for its providers; in recognition of his efforts, the Northern Virginia EMS Council presented him its regional award for Outstanding EMS Leadership in 2022; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend Brian Hricik, deputy chief of emergency medical services with the Alexandria Fire Department, on the occasion of his retirement; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Brian Hricik as an expression of the General Assembly’s appreciation for his exemplary service and best wishes in his future endeavors.

VIRGINIA HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 709