He searched the Internet from a computer at the U.S. Embassy in Iraq. He interviewed for his new job on a cell phone from Baghdad. He did his second interview just days after he came home from Iraq. After choosing to return home, rather than take his next assignment – a job in Afghanistan – Gene Wikle engaged in an unusual job search that landed him as the new Bureau Chief of Emergency Medical Services for the Arizona Department of Health Services. After 20 years of emergency planning, logistics management, strategic planning, and training management for the U.S. Air Force, he began his new job with ADHS on January 24.

“Although I didn’t have an in-depth medical background, I knew I had the management, emergency planning and leadership background to do a good job in this important role for the State,” Wikle said. “This will be a rewarding and challenging second career.”

Niki O’Keeffe, ADHS Deputy Assistant Director for Public Health Preparedness Services, couldn’t agree more. “In Gene we found someone with the experience to lead this important Bureau. We were without a Chief for six months and he really came along at just the right time with the experience and skill set its going to take to improve the structure and organization of our EMS Bureau. Our goal is to improve how we provide services to the people of Arizona – and Gene understands that. He started a business process review of the whole department on day one.”

Wikle actually started working even before his first day attending an already planned meeting on January 21 of all the regional councils for EMS in the state. “It was a good opportunity to meet everyone,” he said. Relationships with the regional councils and working to develop stronger relationships with Arizona’s tribes and Native American populations are important to Wikle. “We will be working to expand our services and our educational programs in rural Arizona,” he said of his plans for EMS. 

The Health Department’s EMS Bureau is responsible for the training, certification and enforcement issues of all emergency medical technicians and paramedics in the state. It conducts ambulance inspections of all licensed ambulances in the state for safety and health compliance regulations and establishes and maintains operating guidelines for all air ambulance services and ground ambulance services in the state. The bureau promotes improvements in the Arizona emergency medical services and trauma systems through research and education of the public and emergency providers.

“We will be working to more efficiently utilize resources while expanding our services to keep pace with the population growth in Arizona and the rapidly evolving medical technology,” he said. And he adds, “My goal is to do it without expanding budgets or increasing manpower.”

Wikle was a Senior Military Consultant serving at the Iraq Ministry of Defense just prior to taking this new job. Before his military career, he was an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) and had experience in criminal justice and with the fire service. He was a police officer and a fireman in Coolidge, Ariz. and a police officer in Paradise Valley, Ariz. He has a Master of Arts in National Securities Studies from California State University and a Bachelor’s of Science in Political Science from Southern Utah University.