Beth Faunce becomes first female Chief of EMS in Fall River

Beth Faunce the Deputy Chief of the Fall River Fire Department’s Emergency Medical Services Division in Fall River has made history and is now the first female Chief of EMS.

Faunce was sworn in Tuesday and has been a key figure in the city’s EMS operations and community health initiatives, particularly in addressing the opioid crisis.

Faunce previously served as Deputy Chief of Fall River EMS, a role that involves overseeing operations, including the Mobile Integrated Health division, which provides home visits, vaccination clinics, and non-emergency ambulance transport.

Faunce has also been deeply involved in combating Fall River’s opioid epidemic. She is a co-chair of the Fall River Opioid Task Force, and a founding member of the city’s Substance Use Disorder Task Force. Her work includes community outreach through Project Reconnect, which supports overdose survivors and their families by connecting them to recovery resources. She has also led Narcan education and distribution efforts at neighborhood meetings to reduce overdose deaths.

In 2017, Faunce, alongside Captain Jennifer Rodriques, received the inaugural “EMS Stewards of the Community” Award from Steward Health Care’s Saint Anne’s Hospital during National EMS Week. This award recognized her exceptional service, particularly her volunteer efforts in fighting the opioid crisis.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Faunce played a critical role in coordinating the Fall River EMS response. Her team supported Bristol Community College by establishing an on-campus COVID-19 testing site in August 2020 and later facilitated a regional vaccination site at the college’s Fall River campus. These efforts earned the Fall River EMS Division the 2021 Distinguished Citizen Award from Bristol Community College.

Faunce has also been a vocal advocate for proactive measures against the opioid epidemic in Fall River. She supported initiatives like Narcan grants and opiate awareness education for school-aged children.

The Fall River Police Department noted that Faunce has “over 30 years of unwavering dedication to the wellbeing of Fall River’s residents.”