Joseph Rike

Director of the Mobile Stroke Unit Project

University of Tennessee Health Science Center

Joseph Rike is a 41 year veteran of Emergency Medical Service (EMS). He retired from the Memphis Fire Department in 2014 as Division Chief of EMS after a 30 year career. During his tenure, he was responsible for the overall day to day operations of one of the largest fire based EMS services in the country. His oversight included administration, training, quality improvement, infection control, budget and a personnel compliment of 450 Firefighter Paramedics. He is currently the Director of the Mobile Stroke Unit project for the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis, TN. For more than a decade, Joe served as a Rescue Specialist for FEMA's Tennessee Task Force One Urban Search and Rescue Team. He is also a veteran of the Tennessee Army National Guard.