The Special Operations Paramedics (SOP's) are paramedics within the service that ar e highly trained to deal with patient care in dangerous environments.  All SOP's are ERT/RT certified, responsible for rescue services in the Southern portion of New Hanover County.  The SOP's are not limited to one area or specialty.  Vehicle extrication, low/high angle rescue, water, and medical monitoring/rehab are a few of their responsibilities.

Even before 9/11, New Hanover had been gearing toward preparation of large scale incidents with the possibility of hazardous materials exposure or weapons of mass destruction.  NHREMS has also been sending the SOP's across the nation to specialty courses in an attempt to better prepare our service and region for the worst.  The SOP's are the primary responders for the SMAT 3 Team, along with other field paramedics, to complete the overall tasks, such as mass decon or triage.

There are 16 Special Operations Paramedics, which operate on EMS500, New Hanover Regional EMS's primary rescue vehicle, the only medium-duty rated rescue vehicle in the county.  They continually attempt to better themselves with training and experience to better serve the citizens for whom they are responsible.