WELLS — James Lapolla has been appointed by the Wells Board of Selectmen as the new Wells Emergency Medical Services director.

The appointment was made at the board’s Nov. 21 meeting.

He assumes duties formerly held by Brian Watkins, who served as the WEMS Director for a total of six years.

Lapolla has extensive experience in the emergency medical services field and began his career in 1982 as a hospital corpsman in the Navy where he served in Orlando and then at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba until 1986.

Since then he has worked for the Town of Durham, New Hampshire, as a firefighter and paramedic for 20 years, and at Frisbee Hospital as a paramedic. He also recently worked for four years as the assistant emergency management director for the University of New Hampshire in Durham.

He’s served in Wells for the last year and a half as a paramedic and has learned his way around town and about the needs of the community.

He said he looks forward to continuing the great reputation Wells EMS already enjoys and to continue the current 24-hour staff of four with two ambulances available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Lapolla also said he anticipates increasing WEMS participation at local events in Wells, including at Wells Warriors High School football games with a WEMS ambulance and staff at every game.

— Executive Editor Ed Pierce can be reached at 282-1535 ext. 326 or by email at editor@journaltribune.com.