Talent Acquisition, EMS Wizard · Co-creator, NC EMS Officer Program
Terence Sheehy is a coastal crisis leader whose work centers on operational resilience in barrier-island environments. As Deputy Chief of Operations for Dare County EMS, he leads emergency response and preparedness across the Outer Banks, where bridges and ferries are lifelines and a year-round population of about 37,000 swells to an estimated 300,000 in peak season.
In Dare County, EMS is not rural; it is remote. The Outer Banks is served by a single critical access hospital, and the closest Level I trauma center is more than 100 minutes away under normal conditions. Terence works routinely with federal and state partners, including United States Coast Guard Sector North Carolina, and with Dare MedFlight, the county's medical evacuation helicopter.
His leadership extends across the region and state. He is co-chair of the Executive Committee for the Eastern Healthcare Preparedness Coalition, representing 29 counties in Eastern North Carolina, and president of the Dare-Currituck Local Emergency Planning Committee. He helped redevelop North Carolina's ambulance strike team model and serves as President of the North Carolina EMS Leadership & Educators Collaborative.
Terence is a co-creator of the North Carolina EMS Officer Program, which trained more than 900 leaders in 2024, and he leads the program with John Wilson. In 2025 he presented leadership and crisis sessions in Alabama, Connecticut (Fire & EMS Pro), Kentucky (American Ambulance Association Conference & Tradeshow), Tennessee (IAFC Southeast Conference & Expo), Maryland (Maryland Emergency Management Association Symposium) and Texas (Texas Fire Chiefs Conference), and he has presented twice at ESO WAVE.
His conviction is simple: leaders must be shaped before the crisis arrives. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Emergency Medical Care from Western Carolina University and a Master of Public Administration from The University of Texas at Arlington.