Meet Chris Angerman, the Base Manager for Ornge’s Hamilton CCLA Base and former Operations Control Manager in the Operations Control Centre. Chris spoke with us about his managerial experience and what it means to him to maintain good relationships with his staff and stakeholders.

Can you begin by introducing yourself, how long you’ve been at Ornge, and your current role at Ornge?

My name is Chris Angerman, I have worked at Ornge for 10 years. I started as an Operations Control Manager (OCM) and recently transitioned to the role of Base Manager at Ornge’s Hamilton base.

What were the previous positions you held at Ornge? How did Ornge support that transition?

The transition to my current role was good. The process of applying, interviewing, and eventually securing the position had me thinking about and developing plans that would greatly help me when I ultimately transitioned to Base Manager. When I started as the new Base Manager, I had a face-to-face with all the other base managers in the organization, and then I trained under the previous manager and eventually had GTA and Peterborough CCLA Base Manager come down to support me for a few days. Ornge gave me all the tools that I needed to be successful here.

Why transition to base management?

It was about family for me, I live close to the base, so I get a lot more time with my family now. I enjoyed the opportunity to have a new role, take on new responsibilities and learn new things. It is always good to keep the mind fresh. 

How has your perspective on our operations changed in your two roles?

As an OCM you’re like the conductor of the orchestra. There’s a lot of moving parts and everyone is an expert in what they do, but you have to put them all together to make the song and the symphony. Now, as the Base Manager, I am one of the instruments so my role would be to make sure the wind section or the brass section is working. I’m here to make sure that the team here has everything they need to be able to do the magic that they do. 

What do you do on a typical day as a base manager?

Hamilton runs from 11 to 23:00 and I work from about 6:30 to 15:00. I come in and review what transpired the night before, reviewing what the other managers had to say about what happened. Then I go through any emails to check if anything needs attention in the operations, things like facilities, education, or any administrative things. I review what I have on my board and make sure anything that needs maintenance or ordering gets replenished.

We have an 8:30 operations meeting with the other operational departments to report what is going on in our bases and learn about anything that needs following up on from the night before. Then all the base managers’ video conference with the director where we discuss things that transpired at all the bases and get informed from the director about anything needed from senior leadership.

When the staff arrive at the base, we have an Aeromedical Resource Management (AMRM) meeting where I go over all the things I just learned about in my prior meetings and inform the staff about anything they need to know. If the Clinical Practice Lead is in, they will speak about any ongoing educational requirements. The Hamilton base also supports the nine Provincial Float Medics with their education and scheduling to ensure they are on track with their programs.

As a manager, what are some things you learned from your staff?

It’s a team sport. The staff are subject matter experts on what they do, so going on ride-outs with them to see what they do has helped me understand their work. I am not a medic by background, I come from the Navy, so I’ve learned so many things about the perspective of what it is they do and what they need in terms of support. 

Can you describe the organizational culture at Ornge? What culture do you try to create in Hamilton?

It’s a team sport – I can’t say that enough. It requires everybody. If you look at the evolution of a call, it starts with the OCC, then goes to the frontline but supporting that is scheduling, and the AMEs and then there is the back office supporting the administration of everything – all these pieces come together to move patients and keep the symphony in order.

I try to establish a patient-centred culture here. Everything that we do is to be able to move patients. Our team comes together to move patients, and my goal is to keep everyone focused on the same mission and be able to help people in a compassionate way. It’s very collaborative.

How do you support education and growth at your base?

We are incredibly fortunate to have a keen CPL in Evan Hanna. He is very proactive in being able to work with anybody and work through anything. We have a very young base, and we have a lot of keen people who are willing to do those things. There are constant waves of educational conferences for medics to go to, we have an office here for medics to support education or hold meetings. We are fortunate to host precepting medics here as well. The educational infrastructure of our base is incredible, and Evan does a great job of using all the tools given to him and supporting any education that needs to be done.

Can you speak on the partnerships that Ornge maintains with external stakeholders and why those relationships are important?

We’re just one piece of the puzzle. It is incredibly important to maintain these relationships. We share this building with CritiCall, and we have a strong relationship with them. We also maintain strong relationships with the hospitals in the area and keep clear and consistent communication with them for all relevant transports. If they were to lose staff to go out on transports, there would be a huge gap in the hospital; so, we transport these patients to ensure hospital staff can remain in the hospital. 

What does it mean to be accountable and transparent as an organization?

We work for the citizens of Ontario. When your sole employer is the government of Ontario, that is a huge responsibility. You have to recognize that it is an honour and a privilege to work for your fellow citizens. Accountability is incredibly important. You have to be able to defend everything you are doing in your role. Accountability and transparency are incredibly important, and I think Ornge does a fantastic job of maintaining that.

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