Approximately 45,000 people are hospitalized for burn injuries each year and will benefit most from the knowledge gained in the Advanced Burn Life Support (ABLS) Provider Course. The quality of care during the first hours after a burn injury has a major impact on long-term outcomes; however, most initial burn care is provided outside of the burn center environment. Understanding the dynamics of ABLS is crucial to providing the best possible outcome for the patient. The ABLS Provider Course is designed to provide physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, firefighters, paramedics, and EMTs with the ability to assess and stabilize patients with serious burns during the first critical hours following injury and to identify those patients requiring transfer to a burn center. The course is not designed to teach comprehensive burn care, but rather to focus on the first 24 post-injury hours.

Who loves EMS report writing as much as I do? Okay, maybe you don’t. However, how do you ensure your patient care lives on once you leave the patient at the hospital? Precise documentation of your care is the only way for medical direction, administration, hospital medical staff, and your state EMS office can confirm your care. This class uses a published, evidence-based, award-winning process the presentor has created through this simple, standard rubric to write the perfect run report. Let’s DOCUMENT!

This one-day, in-person, interactive leadership session is a hands-on course offering a unique opportunity to hear from EMS leaders across various EMS systems who have developed innovative solutions to common challenges. During the program you will engage in facilitated discussions, classroom instruction, group activities, and personal self-assessment exercises to maximize your learning experience. The course will delve into national guidelines for EMS leaders, including the National EMS Management Association’s Seven Pillars of EMS Officer Competencies, NFPA Fire Officer standards, and the Center for Public Safety Excellence Chief Officer standards. The course will discuss what are key attributes to be an effective leader and how to expand your professional network. We will touch on national leadership best practices and dive into how A.I. is changing the future and can help us be more effective EMS leaders.

Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS) is a a tool previously reserved for critical care paramedicine and helicopter EMS systems that has made its way to ground ambulance systems. With literature supporting the ability to effectively train paramedics in its use and the cost of devices coming down, it has opened up the opportunity to expand its use in all aspects of the prehospital environment. POCUS has a wide range of uses for EMS including trauma, cardiac arrest, differentiating causes of dyspnea, IV access, and abdominal pain. Join us for this four-hour workshop that will focus on the hands-on aspect of POCUS training and education and give attendees the fundamentals of performing basic ultrasound skills that can influence management in the prehospital setting. A mixed lecture and hand-on skills lab will mesh introduction to lung, cardiac, and FAST ultrasound with live scanning with EMS physicians, EM physicians, and ultrasound trained paramedics. Hear from the medical directors regarding setting up initial education and training including supporting literature for POCUS use. Also learn from paramedics currently using this skill regarding the initial challenges they faced as well as how POCUS fits in to their daily workflow.

Hemorrhage remains the leading cause of preventable death. Hear from top experts on prehospital lifesaving advanced resuscitation and hemorrhage control interventions. Learn ways trauma systems can train and incorporate SPARC teams to deliver lifesaving care treatment.

This comprehensive eight-hour workshop will provide EMS educators and training coordinators with the knowledge and tools to develop high-quality simulation scenarios tailored to their specific program needs and resources. Participants will learn a systematic approach to conducting a training needs assessment, designing impactful simulation experiences, and integrating simulation into their existing curriculum.

Physical restraint and chemical sedation of the agitated patient is one of the most dangerous things we do—both for patients and for providers. In the past few years, there have been multiple incidents involving tragic outcomes for patients and criminal and civil liability for EMS providers and law enforcement. This training session will equip providers with the knowledge and practical skills needed to avoid the major pitfalls of physical restraint and chemical sedation. We’ll explore the pathophysiology of death in custody, the controversies around excited delirium and the dangers of prone restraint. We’ll utilize footage of actual incidents to inform our discussion. We’ll examine the changes needed to protocols, training and operations to address these challenges. And we’ll reframe the EMS approach to physical restraint and chemical sedation in order to significantly reduce the risk of death for our patients and liability for EMS providers and law enforcement.

Beyond the Bag is an intensive full-day workshop that equips EMS leaders, medical directors, and coordinators with the structure, tools, and confidence to build sustainable, data-driven prehospital blood programs. Grounded in the Prehospital Blood Transfusion Coalition (PHBTC) Six Pillars Framework and aligned with AABB Standards for emergency prehospital and scheduled out-of-hospital transfusions, this course translates research into action. Participants will progress through the Six Pillars—Implementation & Needs Assessment, Program Development, Documentation, Logistics, Training, and Quality Assurance—using real-world examples and evidence from landmark trials. Attendees will engage in applied learning through simulation, data interpretation, and policy design sessions, culminating in a dynamic roundtable discussion focused on integration and sustainability. The day concludes with participants leaving equipped with customizable templates for training validation, quality assurance dashboards, and implementation checklists designed for real-world adoption. Whether your agency is preparing for its first deployment or scaling an existing program, this workshop provides the roadmap to align clinical excellence, operational readiness, and regulatory compliance—bridging the gap between evidence and execution.

Ready to elevate your career and redefine leadership in EMS? Dive into this one-day course crafted to transform experienced paramedics into extraordinary preceptors. Blending innovative theories with immersive, hands-on experiences, this program promises unparalleled growth for those committed to mentoring and operational excellence. Walk away with a powerhouse toolkit designed to effectively guide and nurture the next generation of EMS professionals. These resources are your blueprint for fostering consistent, exceptional patient care while shaping the future of the EMS industry. Seize this chance to supercharge your skills and become a beacon of excellence for your team.

After 25-years of “teaching better ways to care for kids” around the globe, the Pedi-Ed-Trics team has combined the best of their courses into a five-hour, all hands-on, pediatrics training experience for EMS World attendees! Immerse yourself in the essentials of pediatric emergency care ranging from Basics of Broselow and Handling Handtevy, to pathophysiology and procedures from the inside out with our ever evolving pediatric pig lab. Come prepared to get messy, as we will work with harvested pig hearts and lungs to enable attendees to better understand emergency/critical care procedures and pathophysiology from the inside out. We provide the PPE—you come play peds with us! *Note*: Emergency skills will be practiced on harvested pig organs. NO animals were euthanized for the purpose of this course. Maximum: 36 attendees for each of Monday or Tuesday afternoon’s sessions

We will study and discuss best practices and lessons learned from past mass casualty incidents (MCI) focusing on triage, treatment, and transport. The goal is to better prepare individually, as a department ,and a community in the event of an MCI. Case studies will be presented and the audience will be challenged to critically think how they would respond to those events. We will also be doing a hands on triage, treatment, and transport exercise utilizing patient cards.

The Manual Ventilation Academy knows that the research shows that, more often than not, EMS providers have trouble ventilating patients. If done correctly good ventilations can increase survival three-fold and quadrupling better neurological outcomes. In this eye-opening hands on workshop, Bob Page shows participants how to ventilate patients by BVM, via mask, ET tube, and supraglottic airways using state of the art simulators and ventilation feedback devices that measure pressures, volumes, and ventilatory rates. You will be gain valuable insight, skills and improve your ventilation ability using this valuable feedback and coaching system. This lab features the tools and techniques to introduce to you the concept of high-performance ventilation. *Attendance may be limited due to equipment and maximum time needed to practice.*

This one-day, in-person, interactive leadership session is a hands-on course offering a unique opportunity to hear from EMS leaders across various EMS systems who have developed innovative solutions to common challenges. During the program you will engage in facilitated discussions, classroom instruction, group activities, and personal self-assessment exercises to maximize your learning experience. The course will delve into national guidelines for EMS leaders, including the National EMS Management Association’s Seven Pillars of EMS Officer Competencies, NFPA Fire Officer standards, and the Center for Public Safety Excellence Chief Officer standards. The course will discuss what are key attributes to be an effective leader and how to expand your professional network. We will touch on national leadership best practices and dive into how A.I. is changing the future and can help us be more effective EMS leaders.

In this four-hour Cardiology Master Class, Tom Bouthillet, NRP will guide you through a systematic approach to 12-lead ECG interpretation. You will learn what a normal 12-lead ECG is supposed to look like, the importance of interpreting a 12-lead ECG in clinical context, how to apply the rule of proportionality, decision rules to help identify STEMIs in each infarct location, the rule of appropriate T-wave discordance for right and left bundle branch block, and how to identify the most important STEMI equivalents and STEMI mimics.

The MIH Summit brings together mobile integrated healthcare and community paramedicine teams from across the United States to discuss industry standards, best practices, funding, legislation, training, etc. to all areas of the MIH industry.

This CAPCE-certified, hands-on and lecture course is intended to certify instructors to teach the Handtevy Pre-Hospital Pediatric Provider Course at their department and earn credit. The course uses the basic tenets of ACLS training as the foundation and focuses on the skills needed to rapidly and accurately treat the sick and injured pediatric patient. Note: Prerequisites include instructor-level certification, three years of clinical experience, and a valid ACLS card (or equivalent).

This session is designed to help better prepare you to respond to incidents where school children and teachers have become victims of school gun violence. The increased frequency of school shootings has made planning, preparedness, quick response, and accurate assessment by EMS/fire essential. This session will focus on the response to school shootings when the police yell over the radio, “We need EMS.” Attendees will learn how EMS systems become overloaded with requests for service. It will better prepare responders to care for children that they know from the community, including their own. During this session we will break down the roles involved in managing a school shooting. We will review scene safety, how to manage the scene, including dealing with concerned parents and reunification. We will also explain how to respect the crime scene. We will review recent case studies and will include school shooting data for each state. Finally, we will explore BLS and ALS treatment for gun shot wounds.

This course provides a comprehensive education in routine and complex childbirth. Over the course of eight hours, students will learn about all aspects of childbirth—starting with anatomy and physiology and ending with shoulder dystocia and breech presentation culminating in a final scenario using real actresses simulating a complex delivery. Each student will learn skills such as how to accurately assess a pregnant and laboring patient and how to determine whether true active labor or pushing is occurring. How to handle all aspects of a routine delivery, newborn assessment, and resuscitation, and how to handle complications such as a hemorrhage, cord prolapse, shoulder dystocia, or breech presentation. They will attain these skills through a combination of both hands on and didactic activities, leading up to the final scenario. Each student will receive a textbook, pens, and both a wallet sized and framable certificate at the end of the course.

The ASHER Symposium is an immersive, scenario-based training experience designed to prepare emergency responders for complex, high-consequence incidents in one of the most demanding operational environments in the nation. Hosted by Orange County Fire Rescue (OCFRD), the symposium is grounded in real-world experience, operational realism, and the OCFRD Training Section’s mantra: train for everything, ready for anything a guiding principle that shapes preparation from hands-on operations through incident command.

Orange County Fire Rescue is a 1,700-member department operating from 45 fire stations, providing emergency services across 746 square miles. OCFRD protects a resident population of more than 1.1 million, supports an estimated 202,000 daily visitors, and responds to over 139,000 calls annually, including approximately 18,600 fire incidents and 114,700 EMS responses. This operational tempo and complexity directly inform the realism and scope of the training delivered through the ASHER Symposium.

Through full-scale, interactive simulations, participants train alongside fire, EMS, law enforcement, medical professionals, and industry partners in operations, command, and hands-on roles. Attendees will not only leave with a memorable and impactful learning experience, but also with practical tools, frameworks, and proven concepts they can immediately take back and implement as a functional, sustainable program within their own municipalities.

The ASHER Symposium moves beyond theory, bridging planning, execution, and leadership so agencies are better prepared to plan for the unplanned.

EMS has progressed and evolved, but, unfortunately, so have the types of legal liability that EMS clinicians, leaders, and agencies can face. Most EMS clinicians consider the possibility of a malpractice suit, but few contemplate the possibility of criminal liability for their actions. In addition, state EMS oversight agencies are actively imposing administrative liability including license suspensions, revocations, and other sanctions. EMS clinicians and leaders must be keenly aware of all of the types of potential liability—civil, criminal and administrative—that are inherent in the provision of EMS. Other fundamental EMS legal issues will be addressed in this workshop, including the law of patient abandonment, ambulance patient ED offload and when the legal duty of care transfers from EMS to the hospital, the law of patient consent and self determination, and withholding or termination of resuscitation, among other topics. The workshop includes actual legal case studies to make the concepts more practical and relatable to the participants.

We don't often think of the extra stressors that peer support members experience. In addition to the regular stress of the job, they also take on the stress of others. In this workshop, peer support members learn the extra tools and techniques needed to be resilient while performing the rewarding work of a peer support team member.

After 25-years of “teaching better ways to care for kids” around the globe, the Pedi-Ed-Trics team has combined the best of their courses into a five-hour, all hands-on, pediatrics training experience for EMS World attendees! Immerse yourself in the essentials of pediatric emergency care ranging from Basics of Broselow and Handling Handtevy, to pathophysiology and procedures from the inside out with our ever evolving pediatric pig lab. Come prepared to get messy, as we will work with harvested pig hearts and lungs to enable attendees to better understand emergency/critical care procedures and pathophysiology from the inside out. We provide the PPE—you come play peds with us! *Note*: Emergency skills will be practiced on harvested pig organs. NO animals were euthanized for the purpose of this course. Maximum: 36 attendees for each of Monday or Tuesday afternoon’s sessions

Description: In EMS, confidence can be life-saving—but what happens when you don’t feel like you belong in the uniform you're wearing? Doing It Scared is a vulnerable, empowering, and evidence-backed session designed to tackle imposter syndrome in EMS head-on. This isn’t just a personal problem—it’s a cultural issue that quietly affects performance, mental health, teamwork, and retention. Whether you're a new EMT questioning your place or a seasoned medic still waiting to feel “good enough,” this session explores the psychology of imposter syndrome, its unique grip on high-pressure providers, and how we can create mentorship-based systems to fight it. We’ll dismantle the silent shame and leave with strategies to lead, grow, and serve—even when you’re still doing it scared.

Description: Ketamine on Trial: The Case for and Against Prehospital Sedation puts one of EMS’s most controversial medications in the hot seat. In this high-stakes, courtroom-style debate, a paramedic-attorney takes the prosecution’s side—questioning the ethics, safety, and legality of field ketamine use—while a clinical pharmacist–paramedic mounts the defense, armed with evidence, pharmacology, and real-world experience. Together, they’ll examine the data, dissect the lawsuits, and challenge the assumptions surrounding ketamine for undifferentiated agitation, behavioral emergencies, and rapid sedation in the field. Was ketamine used appropriately, or did we cross a line? Where does clinical judgment end and legal liability begin? With expert testimony, cross-examination, and audience participation, this session blends science, law, and clinical practice in a fast-paced, unforgettable format. Attendees will leave with a deeper understanding of both the pharmacologic and medicolegal implications of ketamine administration—and the confidence to defend (or reconsider) their decisions when the next agitated patient tests the limits of prehospital medicine.

Description: Public policy drives the future of Emergency Medical Services (EMS), influencing everything from funding streams and legislation to public perception. This session provides a dynamic exploration of why EMS professionals must engage with public policy and advocacy to ensure the sustainability and growth of their profession - especially at the local level. Participants will learn how policy decisions directly impact EMS operations and workforce issues, how to effectively navigate the policymaking process, and the transformative role advocacy plays in shaping a brighter future for EMS. Whether you’re an EMS leader, provider, or stakeholder, this session will empower you with actionable tools and strategies to elevate your role in advocacy and policymaking.

Too many EMS agencies—career, volunteer, municipal, or commercial—are so consumed by daily operations that long-term planning becomes an afterthought. But in an environment marked by workforce shortages, increasing public expectations, new care delivery models, and evolving community needs, strategic planning is no longer optional. It’s an essential leadership responsibility. This session demystifies what an effective EMS strategic plan looks like. We’ll break down how to conduct an honest and actionable SWOT analysis, craft mission and vision statements that actually drive decisions, and translate big ideas into measurable goals and operational objectives. But this goes beyond theory—we’ll walk through real scenarios including launching MIH programs, shifting from volunteer to combination staffing models, strengthening recruitment and retention, and guiding agencies through periods of organizational change. Attendees will leave with a clear understanding of how a well-crafted strategic plan can bring stability, focus, and future-readiness to any EMS organization.

Description: Most EMS continuing education relies on static lectures or task-trainer stations that bear little resemblance to real field conditions. Providers complete requirements, but critical thinking and performance often remain unchanged. This session introduces a simulation-based CE model built from actual EMS cases, cognitive science, and the understanding that meaningful improvement requires more than routine manikin practice. The cases and educational design are jointly developed by an EMS Medical Director and an EMS Education Director, blending clinical oversight with structured instructional strategy. Delivery of these co-created cases recreates the uncertainty, variability, and physiology encountered in real patient care. Instead of predictable scenarios, the model incorporates diverse body types, evolving clinical cues, and structured debriefing to strengthen decision-making, confidence, and situational awareness. The approach is supported by recent research, including doctoral findings from over a thousand EMS providers showing consistently high confidence outcomes across simulation topics. The session focuses on practical implementation strategies such as constructing realistic scenario flow, psychological safety, integrating clinical leadership, evaluating outcomes, and scaling simulation without dependence on high-cost technology. Attendees gain a replicable framework for CE that is engaging, evidence-informed, and reflective of the environments EMS providers work in, rather than the simplified settings traditional training relies.

This is the educator session where you take the wheel. In 60 minutes, you get 60 of the strongest, field-tested educator pearls based on the topics the audience picks in real time. These aren’t generic talking points; they’re pro tips, practical tools, and repeatable strategies I’ve refined through decades of lesson design, textbook and test-bank authoring, and EMS education program development, as seen in the "Duckworth on Education" column in EMS World Magazine. We’ll topple test anxiety, dissect the mechanics of an effective lesson, harden psychomotor performance, calm skills testing nerves, boost learner retention, and spotlight engagement patterns that make students lean in, not tune out. The result? A massive toolbox of tips you can teach, use, and pass on to students, colleagues, and fellow educators starting your very next shift.

Prehospital blood transfusion is rapidly expanding across EMS systems. Despite this momentum, the field lacks standardized outcome metrics to evaluate effectiveness, safety, operational performance, and equity. Current studies use inconsistent definitions and reporting practices, making it difficult for agencies to compare results, benchmark performance, or identify opportunities for program improvement. The variability in data collection limits the ability to understand which practices contribute to successful patient outcomes and which gaps may compromise safety or program sustainability. To address this, our team developed the first consensus-derived reporting framework for prehospital transfusion programs, modeled after the Utstein criteria for cardiac arrest. Through a structured consensus process, we convened experts from EMS, trauma surgery, transfusion medicine, and resuscitation science to define essential metrics for evaluating prehospital blood programs. SEMSTAR's resulting framework includes standardized measures of clinical effectiveness, adverse events, operational performance, and patient-reported outcomes—creating a unified structure for transparent, reproducible reporting across systems. This session will present the SEMSTAR consensus-based metrics, demonstrate strategies for integrating them into EMS documentation and quality improvement processes, and highlight opportunities for multi-center collaboration. Participants will leave with actionable tools to strengthen their program's self-evaluation, enhance safety monitoring, and refine protocols using consistent, evidence-based outcome tracking.

Death notification is one of the most challenging and emotionally charged responsibilities faced by EMS clinicians. Current literature highlights that most providers receive little to no formal training in this critical skill, often learning through observation or trial and error. This gap can lead to increased stress, burnout, and negative experiences for both providers and families. With the rise in on-scene terminations of resuscitation and out-of-hospital deaths, EMS professionals are increasingly tasked with delivering life-altering news in unpredictable environments. This session will explore best practices for compassionate, clear, and structured communication during death notifications, drawing on established frameworks such as the GRIEV_ING mnemonic and recent prehospital-specific guidelines. Attendees will learn practical techniques to prepare for and conduct these conversations, manage emotional responses, and provide immediate support to grieving families. Emphasis will be placed on empathy, honesty, and cultural sensitivity, as well as strategies for provider resilience and mental health. By integrating evidence-based approaches and scenario-based learning, this presentation aims to equip EMS professionals with the confidence and competence to navigate one of the most difficult aspects of their role—turning a moment of profound loss into one of dignity and compassion.

Description: Welcome to Situational Awareness, Personal Safety & De-escalation for Fire/EMS—a crash course designed to keep you upright, uninjured, and off anyone’s incident report. This session teaches you to spot danger before it spots you and respond intelligently when it does. Remember: if your patient attacks, they’re no longer a patient—they’re a threat. You’ll learn to read a scene, a patient, and a crowd with the precision of a paranoid ninja—but professionally. We’ll cover practical de-escalation techniques to calm situations before they escalate, and combine them with escape and evasion strategies so you can get out safely if words aren’t enough. Think of it as staying one step ahead—mentally and physically—without relying on brute force. You’ll practice safe body positioning, controlled approaches, and scenario-based strategies to diffuse conflict, maintain control of the “mat,” and avoid being taken down by someone moments from making a terrible decision. All training happens as one big group—no awkward breakout sessions, just practical, street-relevant skills. If you enjoy staying conscious, mobile, and out of worker’s comp claims, this will be your new favorite hour of professional development.

Description: During our presentation, we will discuss patient-centered instruction on proper wound assessment, hygiene, dressing changes, and early identification of infection. We will talk about specific wound types—such as diabetic ulcers, surgical wounds, or pressure injuries—and incorporates demonstrations of best practices for cleaning, protecting, and monitoring the wound. We will review essential topics such as nutrition for healing, adherence to provider instructions, safe disposal of supplies, and when patient's should seek medical attention. By combining clinical expertise with home-based education, our community paramedics enhance patient self-management, support continuity of care, and promote improved wound healing outcomes.

Embark on a visceral journey with us as we explore a young man's harrowing ordeal following a high-speed ejection. We'll chronologically unravel each detail as it unfolds. Forget hindsight—we're presenting each detail as it emerged, the chaos, and that piercing sense of failure that haunts even the seasoned. This session is designed to dissect the critical moments of a traumatic event, examining the multifaceted medical response from the initial chaos to the subsequent clinical challenges, underscoring the complexity inherent in trauma care.

Description: Every EMS leader understands that saving lives begins with protecting their own. Serving Those Who Serve: A New Blueprint for Human Connection brings together three distinct yet complementary perspectives—a Chief, a Chaplain, and a Peer Support Coordinator (this is not a bad joke) — to present a cutting-edge, people-centered model that redefines how we care for frontline providers and their families. This interactive panel introduces a collaborative “Triad of Care” that unites leadership, chaplaincy, and peer support to form a unified safety net for the emotional, spiritual, and operational well-being of first responders. We will discuss real cases our team has encountered, highlighting how connection, empathy, and trust guided successful outcomes. The presentation will also explore critical decision points at which administrative involvement can be beneficial or detrimental to the healing process. Through real-world lessons, best practices, and audience-driven dialogue, participants will gain actionable strategies to implement multidisciplinary frameworks that strengthen connection, reduce burnout, and improve overall performance. This approach recognizes that when responders and their families are supported both at work and at home, they serve their communities with greater focus, resilience, and compassion.

Description: As agencies expand their net to find productive, reliable employees, reaching into communities of color can provide you with a perspective that will not only be insightful, but also expands all of our perspectives. This presentation gives the participants an opportunity to learn how potential black employees see the world so a better connection can exist.

Description: Mass-casualty incidents (MCIs) test every aspect of an EMS system—clinical judgement, communication, command structure, resource allocation, and resilience. In this session, Dr. Meg Marino shares front-line lessons from the Bourbon Street New Year’s Day MCI, offering an inside look at the medical director’s role in leading a system through chaos, uncertainty, and rapidly evolving operational demands. Participants will walk through the timeline of the incident, examine real-time medical and operational decision-making, and explore the unique responsibilities medical directors shoulder before, during, and after large-scale events. Topics include triage strategy, interagency coordination, situational awareness, EMS crew support, public communication, and ensuring seamless integration with fire, police, and hospital partners. The session will conclude with practical, actionable strategies medical directors can implement to strengthen preparedness: protocol development, training priorities, surge planning, dispatch integration, and leadership behaviors that support system performance during high-acuity, high-stress events. This is a candid, experience-driven conversation about readiness, leadership, and the reality of managing MCIs in dynamic urban environments like New Orleans.

Description: When seconds count, precision, preparation, and teamwork can make the difference between winning and losing—whether that’s on the racetrack or in the field of emergency services. In this high-energy and thought-provoking session, Rob Lawrence, EMS leader and Formula One Race Marshal, draws striking parallels between the world of motorsport and the realities of EMS response. Drawing from firsthand experience standing just inches from 200 MPH action at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, Lawrence reveals what emergency responders can learn from Formula One’s culture of safety, split-second decision-making, and relentless pursuit of excellence. Attendees will explore how F1 principles—team coordination, risk management, and performance optimization—translate directly to EMS operations, from Pit Crew CPR to dispatch strategy and field response. Through real-world examples and dynamic storytelling, this session will inspire participants to adopt an “F1 mindset” of continual learning and refinement: practicing until precision is second nature, integrating technology to enhance—not replace—human judgment, and embracing a safety culture that never compromises speed or care.

Description: Sexual violence is a public health crisis—approximately 1 in 3 females and 1 in 6 males experience sexual violence in their lifetime. Despite this staggering prevalence, more than two-thirds (67.5%) of victims never report their assault to law enforcement. For many survivors, the first interaction with a responder occurs not in a police station or hospital, but with Emergency Medical Services (EMS) on the scene. This critical moment can either begin the process of healing or unintentionally compound the trauma. This interactive lecture focuses on EMS as the frontline of response to sexual violence, abuse, human trafficking, and domestic violence. Through real case studies, presenters will explore the intersection of medical stabilization, evidence preservation, and trauma-informed care—emphasizing the importance of empathy, communication, and collaboration from the first point of contact. EMS providers play a vital role in recognizing signs of trauma, providing nonjudgmental medical care, and preserving evidence integrity while ensuring patient safety and emotional support. Working in Baltimore, a region rich in diversity and complexity, the presenters bring extensive experience in culturally responsive, multidisciplinary care. Their unified goal is to empower EMS professionals to reduce revictimization, build trust, and ensure every survivor receives the respect and compassion they deserve.

Description: It is universally accepted that Emergency Responders (ER) are exposed to traumatic incidents as a direct consequence of their occupational duties, this increases the likelihood of them suffering a deterioration in their mental health (MIND, 2019). The ER will inevitably play some part in managing a cardiac arrest which has around a 90% chance of resulting in death globally. Witnessing death is explicitly listed as a qualifying stressor for a Post Traumatic Stress Disorder diagnosis in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5-TR). Conditions such as PTSD are potentially devastating for ER’s personal and work life (Cogan et al, 2024). Understanding the neurobiology involved when an individual is exposed to a difficult incident is crucial. It allows one to acknowledge the early signs of acute stress, be prepared with personal, tried and tested coping strategies, and have the confidence to recognise when professional input is needed. The requirement for visible and accessible organisational leaders, the need to normalise psychological reactions that are commonly experienced by ERs and having established peer support systems are all highlighted in recent British Psychological Society (2021) guidance as being positive steps for the health and wellbeing of ER.

Description: Objective: To develop a second tier of TTA for EMS to activate for patients who had normal vital signs but who the EMS provider felt were at high risk of serious traumatic pathology. This Tier 2 TTA does not include a trauma surgeon response. Results: 153 Tier 2 TTA have been activated with 90 (59%) being admitted to the hospital. Of these 18 (12%) were upgraded to Tier 1 TTA’s on hospital arrival, 63 (41%) were discharged home from the ED, 57 (37%) were admitted to the general trauma floor, 12 (8%) to the surgical ICU, 8 (5%) to the medicine service without traumatic injuries (5 to general medicine and 3 to ICU), 14 (9%) to a subspecialty surgical service such as orthopedics and 0 went directly to the OR. Conclusion: The majority of patients for whom EMS activated a Tier 2 TTA required admission to the hospital. Institution of a Tier 2 TTA allows EMS identification of a high risk population that benefit from expedited evaluation despite normal vital signs.

Description: There are 19,482 public airports in the United States, 14,336 private airports, heliports, and landing strips. First-Responders will learn how to safely respond to a small airplane crash and recognize potential hazards. Attendees will have a better understanding of the types of injuries associated with a small plane crash and will learn how chaotic the scene may be. Small planes often crash in neighborhoods not far from airports. These types of crashes are considered High Risk, Low Frequency, Training, Planning & Practice can make a difference between a successful or unsuccessful outcome for passengers and civilians on the ground. Using a unique power point presentation, attendees will learn how to safely respond, perform rescue and move patients to safety and triage. We will discuss Incident Command at plane crashes, Triage, Patient Care, Treatment and Transport. We will review Small Plane Crash Data, review case scenarios, and learn about small airplanes, common causes of crashes, responder safety, safety on scene and preserving evidence of fatal crashes.

Description: Stress is not the enemy of performance; poorly managed stress is. In EMS, the same physiological responses that derail a scene can derail a classroom, a training day, or a new provider’s development. “Drownproofing” reframes resilience as a trainable skill: the intentional use of stress exposure, cognitive load, and deliberate practice to build competent, confident clinicians. This session explores how stress physiology shapes performance, why providers freeze under pressure, and how instructors can design learning experiences that strengthen, not shatter, confidence. We’ll examine real-world instructional failures (and successes), from large-scale exercises that collapsed under cognitive overload to small-group methods that produced measurable gains in retention and decision-making. Drawing on generational research, heuristics, System 1/System 2 thinking, and stress inoculation principles, we’ll examine how providers learn, how they misinterpret information under stress, and how teaching methods must adapt. Participants will learn practical tools to improve communication, reduce “brain friction,” enhance procedural memory, and create training environments where stress becomes an asset rather than a threat. Resilience isn’t a personality trait; it’s a conditioned response. And with the right approach, you can teach people to function when their heart rate spikes, their vision narrows, and the clock is working against them.

Description: Prehospital blood programs are expanding rapidly across the country; however, frontline providers and EMS leaders frequently encounter fundamental questions: When should blood be administered? What are the optimal training protocols? How should RhD status be managed? And what strategies ensure long-term sustainability of such programs? Building on the momentum of national initiatives and emerging research, including the growing body of evidence supporting early blood-based resuscitation, this session provides a platform for attendees to pose operational inquiries and receive authoritative responses from the experts shaping the future of prehospital transfusion. Topics encompass clinical indications, safety considerations, cold-chain logistics, quality assurance, research trends, and program sustainability—no subject is beyond discussion. This live Q&A panel convenes distinguished experts in trauma resuscitation, transfusion medicine, EMS operations, and prehospital research to engage in an open, candid, and efficient discussion tailored for field clinicians, educators, and administrators. Whether your agency is just starting to explore blood products or has a fully mature system, this panel will offer actionable insights, lessons learned, and expert guidance you can take home and apply the very next shift.

Description: EMS clinician apathy can lead to devastating patient outcomes. But when it's caught on camera, it can also have major legal ramifications for EMS professionals. Using case studies where spectacular failures of empathy were followed by bad patient outcomes, you'll learn how attorneys and prosecutors have used these videos against EMS clinicians, in both civil and criminal cases. You'll also see a high-risk, bad outcome case that was similarly caught on video, but where no lawsuits or criminal charges resulted. Importantly, we'll compare these cases and learn the important lessons they offer for all EMS professionals going forward to reduce legal liability while improving patient care.

Description: Mobile Integrated Healthcare (MIH) teams are often viewed as “post-crisis responders,” but in reality they are one of the most effective preventive medicine tools inside the modern fire/EMS system. This session reveals the hidden, upstream work that MIH providers do every day—identifying medical, behavioral, and environmental risks long before they trigger a 911 call or emergency department visit. Through real-world examples, attendees will learn how MIH identifies early signs of infection, decompensation, medication issues, fall hazards, social instability, and gaps in chronic disease management. We will discuss how proactive home visits, trending vital signs, in-home labs, health literacy coaching, behavioral health support, and community resource navigation prevent crises, reduce system strain, and significantly improve patient stability. The session also highlights the impact MIH has on high utilizers, patients with chronic illness, individuals with behavioral health or substance-use challenges, and homebound or socially isolated adults. Attendees will leave with actionable strategies for building preventive systems, including screening tools, follow-up models, interdisciplinary teams, and ways to measure upstream impact. This presentation is ideal for fire/EMS leaders, clinicians, and decision-makers who want to understand how MIH strengthens the entire 911 system by preventing emergencies before they ever occur.

Description: Effective transitions of care are critical moments in the patient journey, yet they remain one of the most vulnerable points in EMS operations. Paramedics routinely hand off high-acuity patients to emergency departments where noise, crowding, divided attention, and competing priorities can lead to errors such as dislodged IV lines, unrecognized ETT displacement, medication omissions, and loss of critical clinical information. This session provides practical, field-tested tools, tips, and techniques to strengthen the EMS–ED handoff and protect patients during this high-risk period. We will review structured communication models, strategies for maintaining airway and line security during movement, approaches to prevent equipment dislodgement, and methods to quickly re-engage inattentive or distracted receiving staff. Attendees will learn how to tailor their handoff to patient acuity, advocate for essential information exchange, and identify high-risk scenarios where extra vigilance is required. Emphasis is placed on teamwork, situational awareness, and paramedic-led safety practices that promote continuity of care and reduce preventable errors. Participants will leave with actionable skills to ensure that critically important prehospital interventions remain intact and information is accurately transferred, supporting safer, smoother, and more professional transitions of care.

Description: Once upon a time, teaching EMS meant standing at the front of the room, talking at a sea of students, and calling it “connection.” Those days are over. Today’s learners crave authenticity, not authority—and the best instructors have evolved into mentors who guide, challenge, and inspire. Recalibrating the Instructor is a candid, energetic look at how shifting from “teaching” to “mentoring” transforms both classroom culture and instructor purpose. Through stories, reflection, and a few laughs, we’ll explore what happens when we trade command for connection and rediscover the spark that made us want to teach in the first place. Because the goal isn’t to just produce competent medics—it’s to grow confident, curious professionals who remember who lit the fire in them.

Description: In today's service there is a focus on the mental health and stability of our providers, but are we preparing these students during training for the impact that trauma could have on their ability to provide the service? The MINDSET program concentrates on the student in fields that will be impacted by trauma. This can be utilized by new employees or even a refresher of mental wellness for our seasoned veterans. The presentation is based on a video program that has just been completed to be disseminated throughout Florida and other states that request the program to be shown in all EMS, Fire, Police Academies and Nursing schools around the country. The students are often a forgotten piece following a traumatic call or event, but this program creates the MINDSET that it is never too early to be aware of the impacts of trauma.

Description: Collegiate EMS programs are often student-run, under-resourced, and overlooked, but they serve as powerful training grounds for future EMS clinicians, leaders, and physicians. These agencies provide critical medical services, filling response gaps on campus and in surrounding communities. Their operational models vary widely, from BLS event standby to full-transport ALS services, tailored to local needs and institutional support. Many collaborate with local EMS, fire, and hospital systems, playing key roles in surge capacity and interagency coordination. Despite their value, most operate without structured mentorship or integration into the broader EMS ecosystem. This presentation explores how EMS physicians can support these programs through scalable, low-effort mentorship and engagement to enhance leadership, foster professional identity, and build workforce pipelines that benefit local EMS systems. Collegiate EMS represents a high-impact, underutilized opportunity to mentor emerging talent and strengthen the future of prehospital medicine through education, collaboration, and employment pathways.

Description: This presentation provides paramedics with a practical, evidence-based approach to neonatal resuscitation, emphasizing rapid assessment, effective team coordination, and early, decisive interventions during the critical first minutes of life. Attendees will learn a focused approach to neonatal resuscitation, learn to prepare for and recognize neonatal distress after delivery, and gain confidence in performing essential skills such as airway management, positive pressure ventilation, and chest compressions. Through interactive case scenarios, participants will strengthen their ability to stabilize newborns in both prehospital and interfacility transport settings, improving outcomes for the most vulnerable patients.

Description: This dynamic, interactive session examines the transformative power of collaboration and unity in leadership. In today’s complex workplace, high-performing teams consistently outperform individuals—not just in productivity, but in innovation, engagement, and resilience. Leaders will discover why team cohesion is essential for organizational success and explore the science behind trust and alignment. Through practical strategies and real-world examples, participants will learn how to create a culture where collaboration thrives, and every voice contributes to shared goals. This session emphasizes actionable techniques for fostering trust, aligning individual and team objectives, and building an environment where “there is power when we come together.” Attendees will leave equipped with tools to evaluate their current team dynamics and implement changes that drive performance and strengthen relationships.

Description: This class will be a highly interactive class, discussing real obstetrics case studies from the field calls received in the greater metropolitan DC region of the US, Loudoun County Fire and Rescue. Following expectant mothers' stories from 911 call to discharge home. We will be looking closely at common obstetric emergencies—including postpartum hemorrhage, preeclampsia/eclampsia, shoulder dystocia, and preterm labor and discussing how to differentiate them from normal pregnancy physiology. The class will aim to guide EMS providers in how to perform correct assessments, prioritize OB patients, and how to stabilize OB patients during case-based scenarios. This class will be delivered by co presenters, representing LCFR EMS Operations, Inova Hospitals Obstetrics clinical setting and the educational collaboration they share.

Description: Mass-casualty incidents are becoming more frequent, more complex, and more unpredictable, yet many response frameworks remain stuck in 1970s doctrine and outdated assumptions about command, communication, and triage. In this fast-paced and engaging session, we’ll challenge what we think we know about MCI management and introduce a systems-based, data-driven model built for today’s realities. We’ll explore why linear triage fails in dynamic threat environments, how fragmented communication cripples resource coordination, and why hospitals’ information silos continue to put patients at risk. Then we’ll look forward: real-time digital triage, drone reconnaissance, predictive analytics, dashboard-driven transport decisions, and load-balancing algorithms that treat hospitals as strategic assets, not mystery destinations. You’ll leave with actionable ideas on strengthening command integration, leveraging available technology, and preparing the EMS workforce for rapid decision-making under pressure. Whether you are an EMS chief, clinician, dispatcher, analyst, or emergency manager, this session reframes the future of disaster medicine and offers a roadmap to shorten chaos duration, improve survivability, and build a system that learns faster than the disaster evolves. The next generation of MCI response isn’t incremental, it’s transformational. Join the movement.

Description: A practice-based discussion (NOT a journal club, don't worry!) of recent papers that changed my EMS practice. These are papers, for good or bad, that all paramedics, system directors, and medical directors should know about. Topics are hot off the press, but past ones have included the use of Mechanical Compression Devices, HeadUp CPR, risk factors for peri-intubation cardiac arrest, the use of video laryngoscopy in cardiac arrest, and more. Dr Jarvis is feeling pretty confident blood will have some new evidence to discuss.

Description: The once-clear boundary between Advanced Life Support (ALS) and Basic Life Support (BLS) has become increasingly difficult to define—so much so that many EMS providers are beginning to question whether the line was ever all that useful. Modern practice now expects clinicians at every level to understand complex resuscitation strategies, advanced airway techniques, and medication administration, expanding far beyond the traditional “BLS does this, ALS does that” playbook. Airway management now spans everything from nasal cannulas to endotracheal intubation, and high-acuity procedures such as needle and finger thoracostomy—and, on particularly memorable days, even clamshell thoracotomy—are showing up in the prehospital setting. Vascular access, electrical therapy, and point-of-care testing similarly blur historic role divisions, creating a landscape where the scope of practice looks less like a ladder and more like a Venn diagram no one agreed on. This evolution raises a critical and somewhat overdue question: who should be performing these life-saving interventions? Defining scope and responsibility with intention is essential—not just for regulatory clarity, but for ensuring safe, effective, and consistently high-quality patient care in the field.

Description: Step into the fast-paced world of prehospital stroke care! Join a leading neurologist, a system medical director who has pioneering “stroke trucks” in Florida, and the medical director of a major urban EMS system as they break down—and debate—the future of stroke triage. From “Direct to Comprehensive” and “Drip and Ship” to mobile stroke units and emerging hybrid models, this session dives into the real-world strategies shaping outcomes in the field. Come ready to engage—this dynamic program is built to spark discussion and powered by audience participation.

Description: First responder organizations face persistent challenges in sustaining effective peer support programs. High stress, cumulative trauma, and operational demands can make peer support teams fragile, leading to gaps in coverage and inconsistent follow-up. This session introduces a novel, evidence-informed framework for designing resilient peer support systems, inspired by the structure and efficiency of a beehive. Participants will learn how principles from hive behavior—role clarity, communication, self-organization, and redundancy—can be applied to first responder teams. The session will focus on practical strategies for strengthening team cohesion, ensuring consistent outreach, and building sustainable, scalable peer support programs. Attendees will leave with actionable methods to optimize their department’s peer support operations, even in high-stress or resource-limited settings.

Description: AI is quietly shaping EMS documentation, analytics, and quality workflows right now. Yet most leaders still struggle to tell what’s genuinely useful, what’s risky, and what’s just hype. This session cuts through the noise with a clear, practical look at how AI can support quality improvement without compromising safety or trust. Attendees will explore real examples of AI identifying clinical trends, assisting case review, and extracting themes from narratives—alongside the equally real pitfalls of bias, overconfidence, and inaccurate outputs when data is incomplete or poorly structured. Participants will learn how to evaluate AI tools, implement them responsibly, and protect psychological safety while leveraging automation to reduce QI workload and enhance system insight. The goal is not to replace human judgment, but to strengthen it. Leaders will leave with a grounded, actionable framework for using AI ethically, transparently, and effectively in their EMS systems.

Description: I will discuss numerous MIH service lines or areas of focus, that EMS or Fire Departments can work on in their community with MIH interventions. I will discuss the benefits of reducing call volume , improve both patient and provider satisfaction, and how these programs can improve the health of individuals in their community. Examples of successful programs will be discussed such as management of high volume utilizers, contracted hospice response, jail or homeless shelter programs and opioid interventions.

Description: Simulation-based education has consistently been shown to improve clinical performance, critical thinking, and long-term retention, often more effectively than traditional field or clinical rotations. Research in healthcare, aviation, and other high-risk professions demonstrates that learners develop skills more efficiently when they can practice in a controlled, psychologically safe environment where errors carry no real-world consequences. Simulated patient encounters offer EMS learners the opportunity to make decisions, experience the outcomes of those decisions, and refine their approach without jeopardizing patient safety. This structure allows educators to target specific competencies, reinforce best practices, and create consistent learning experiences that real-world clinical settings cannot always provide. This session will give EMS educators a practical framework for designing and facilitating effective simulations, even without technology. Participants will learn how to create realistic scenarios tied to learning objectives, maintain learner engagement, and guide scenarios in ways that promote clinical reasoning rather than rote task performance. The session will also highlight the critical role of debriefing, supported by learning science research showing it to be one of the most powerful components of simulation-based education. Attendees will leave with actionable strategies they can immediately apply within their own training environments.

Description: Drs Antevy and Piehl will discuss hot topics in pediatric trauma management, including prehospital transfusion and the priority of circulation in patients with hemorrhagic shock. Through a presentation of compelling real-world cases, lessons learned from agencies who are leading the way, and a review of the emerging literature, they will address some of the most important questions in prehospital trauma management for kids: Prehospital LTOWB for kids: is it safe? At what age? who needs it? how much? Calcium, TXA, when, what dose? Advanced airway? Who and when IO? What is the best placement site?

Description: The Chemical Hazards Emergency Medical Management website (chemm.hhs.gov) was originally developed by the National Library of Medicine as a reference for first responders to chemical emergencies. While full of great information, the website has not been useful to first responders because it was not optimized for use in the field and provided too much undifferentiated reference material. For the past year, under the direction of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Agency (BARDA) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, a team of experts has been working to revise and improve the CHEMM website to make it "Rapid Response Ready." This presentation will will take attendees on a tour of the new website, describing the new features that will assist all levels of first responders and first receivers in obtaining critical emergency medical information when presented with patients who have been exposed to hazardous chemical products. The presentation will also describe the process by which the website revision team worked with recognized subject matter experts to test and improve the new website as it was being developed.

Description: While the fundamentals of EMS care remain human-centered, the tools for training the next generation are rapidly evolving. Generative AI is moving beyond simple text prompts to create dynamic, interactive learning environments. This session will move past the basics of AI adoption and dive deep into actionable strategies for leveraging AI in EMS education and training. Specifically, we will explore the powerful use of AI chatbots and Large Language Models (LLMs) to create learning tools for struggling EMT and Paramedic Students, highly realistic, adaptable virtual patients for assessment and communication training, as well as their role in rapidly designing complex Mass Casualty Incident (MCI) and Tabletop Exercise (TTX) simulations. Attendees will learn how to leverage free AI tools to architect AI prompts that develop customizable patient encounters, from simulating challenging histories to interpreting subtle signs and symptoms. We will also demonstrate how AI can assist in the creation of comprehensive training modules, including generating curriculum, study aids for certification exams (NREMT/Paramedic), and automated post-scenario feedback. The core message remains: Generative AI won't replace EMS professionals, but those who master its use in education will elevate their training programs and the readiness of their staff

Description: For decades, response times have dominated the discussion around Emergency Medical Services (EMS) performance. Yet, research and evolving system priorities have shown that measuring only how fast we arrive tells only part of the story. This session will explore how EMS leaders can develop and implement meaningful performance metrics that truly reflect clinical quality, patient outcomes, operational efficiency, and community impact. Participants will learn how to balance traditional time-based measures with indicators that assess the effectiveness, equity, and value of EMS delivery. The session will highlight real-world examples of agencies that have successfully transitioned to performance dashboards focused on patient-centered and system-level results.

Description: According to an observational study conducted by the AHA from January 2000 to December 2018, survival rates for pediatric patients with IHCA have increased from 19% to 32%. In contrast, survival for pediatric patients with OHCA remains significantly lower, ranging from 5%. Over 50% of pediatric cardiac arrests present with pulseless bradycardic rhythms, including PEA, asystole, and bradycardia with poor perfusion. Ventricular fibrillation and pulseless ventricular tachycardia account for approximately 10% of initial arrest rhythms and are associated with more favorable outcomes than PEA or asystolemyocardial injury during resuscitation. This session will show how Polk County Fire Rescue has mantained the highest pediatric survival rates worldwide for oer 10 years.

Description: When a patient is exposed to a chemical and you're not sure what to do, and the Safety Data Sheet Section 4: First Aid Measures states, Seek Professional Medical Help - Wait, what? You are professional medical help, what do you do to take care of your patient. The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDAR) guidance is there to help. The ATSDR Medical Management Guidelines for Acute Chemical Exposures is another tool for your toolbox. These guidelines include prehospital ALS care, Emergency Department and Critical Care guidance.

Description: Drug Wars: Pediatric Edition — Little Patients, Big Controversies brings together an all-star panel of pediatric emergency physicians, intensivists, and pharmacist-paramedics for an unfiltered, evidence-driven debate on the most hot-button issues in pediatric pharmacotherapy. Pediatric resuscitation is filled with nuance, uncertainty, and strong opinions — from fluid choices and airway sedation to seizure control, analgesia, and post-arrest management. In this high-stakes, high-energy session, experts will go head-to-head over what the latest data really says versus what happens in the trenches. Each round challenges conventional wisdom, dissects landmark studies, and tests long-standing assumptions about how we medicate our smallest, sickest patients. Expect fast-paced discussion, sharp clinical insights, and interactive audience voting as you help decide which approaches truly hold up under scrutiny. Whether you’re a pediatric specialist, prehospital provider, or critical care clinician, this session will challenge what you thought you knew about pediatric pharmacotherapy — and leave you armed with practical, evidence-based takeaways you can use on your next pediatric call.

Description: For decades, emergency response supervisors and leaders have been taught that effective implementation of the Incident Command System (ICS) will result in successful incident management. This has been further propagated by the mandatory nationwide adoption of the National Incident Management System (NIMS). However, both systems are simple hierarchies, rigid, focus on top-down system control, resource-intensive, and require an ordered system to function. Emergency incidents are not compatible with this system because of the inherent complexity and chaos associated with such events. By trying to apply this tool in incompatible scenarios, incident commanders often find themselves treating establishment of ICS as the objective, rather than a tool at their disposal, usually at the cost of overall strategic management and leadership. This presentation will show how traditional ICS/NIMS is counterproductive in the chaotic early phases of a large-scale emergency. Using complexity science, the presenter will explain the concepts of numerosity, disorder and diversity, feedback loops, and nonequilibrium, all prevailing conditions in emergency incidents. The presenter will explain self-organizing emergence and mumuration that is typical of disaster and emergency sociology, and how those can be leveraged and influenced, rather than futilely opposed, to effectively manage an incident. More available, but characters limited.

Description: Recently in there has been an increase in the number of visual learners entering the EMS field. The old method of PowerPoint lectures to teach is not engaging these students. As EMS educators, we face an arduous task of keeping them engaged while doing the initial EMS training. Keeping these new learners engaged has been one of the greatest challenges for EMS educators. This lecture will discuss techniques that can be employed to keep these learners engaged and interested in EMS.

Description: The laws, rules and regulations that govern EMS are constantly changing, and with those changes come new challenges for getting paid for the services you provide and staying in compliance to avoid fines and penalties. This session will explore changes to reimbursement rules and policies from the largest payers of EMS services. Changes to privacy rules and recent enforcement actions by multiple agencies will also be discussed. Finally, insights into training staff to limit potential financial liability and apply best practices will be provided

Description: You run two or three calls a week. Your last cardiac arrest was six months ago. Your last pediatric intubation was never. When the critical call comes, you don't have muscle memory to fall back on. You'll have protocols, whatever equipment and training your time and budget allow, and the sinking feeling that you're making decisions with incomplete information and no backup. Welcome to low-volume EMS. Rural, remote, frontier, and small-town providers face a paradox: they have the same clinical stakes as high-volume urban systems, but without the repetition that builds and maintains competence. You cannot practice what you never see. You can't refine skills through volume when there's no volume. And when the big call comes, there's no cavalry. It is just you, your partner, and whatever you can improvise in the back of a truck on a dirt road hours from definitive care. Fortunately, there are ways to get better at it. We'll examine clinical decision-making in resource deserts: how to think like a detective, when to trust your gut and when to override it, when protocols don't fit your reality, and you have to improvise, and how to build clinical reasoning without high call volume.

Description: Public safety workers face the 2nd-highest risk of distraction-related injuries at 35-45%. Meta-analysis of over 101,000 first responders found widespread sleep disorders driven by shift work and irregular schedules that compromise focus and situational awareness (Huang et al., 2022). Cumulative trauma from repeated incident exposure contributes to vehicle accidents during emergency responses, driven by fatigue and trauma-induced distraction. Traditional peer support programs provide essential emotional connection through shared experience. While 60% of first responders report needing mental health care, less than half seek treatment, with 80% citing stigma as a major barrier alongside confidentiality concerns and fear of appearing weak (Jones et al., 2020). Peer supporters' lack of clinical training and 24/7 availability further limits effectiveness. This session explores building sustainable peer support models by integrating traditional peer programs with trained clinician access. Participants will learn to create multiple confidential support pathways, protect peer team well-being through clear role boundaries, and ensure appropriate care levels. Structured peer-clinician collaboration addresses acute crises, manages long-term stress, and reduces peer supporter burden. Workplaces actively supporting mental health see increased productivity and improved retention with significant return on investment (Montano et al., 2017).

Description: Remember Bill Nye the Science Guy? Meet Remle Crowe the Research Pro. Dr. Crowe makes EMS research accessible and fun. Join her for a practical deep-dive into reading and interpreting research that actually impacts your practice. We'll decode study designs, unmask statistical shenanigans, and explore how to tell what guidelines actually say versus what people think they say. Walk away with practical skills to read research papers, spot statistical red flags, and know when "evidence-based" really means "we're still figuring it out." Fair warning: This session may cause spontaneous critical thinking, an increased likelihood of questioning "we've always done it this way," and occasional outbreaks of statistical puns.

Description: "Transfer. Hospital A to Hospital B. Impella." Feeling comfortable? There are THOUSANDS of patients with Impella devices needing interfacility transport across the United States each year now and that number is rapidly growing. Come to this engaging presentation to learn all the aspects that you will need to know to confidently transport a cardiogenic shock patient with an Impella device. We'll discuss what the device is, how it works, what are the common troubleshooting steps and tips for success to make your next Impella patient transport (every if it is likely your FIRST such transport!) smooth and safe for all involved.

Description: Not quite an EMS transport report, but not quite a hospital medical record – MIH/CP documentation exists in its own hybrid world. Essential for tracking and trending patient data, reporting outcomes, and establishing the case for initial or continued funding, proper documentation of care is essential for MIH/CP providers. Yet many services rely on their EMS documentation as a standard for a different type of care. Nick and Samantha discuss the discuss the clinical, legal, and operational aspects of MIH/CP documentation, highlighting differences from traditional EMS response, and discuss how a robust quality assurance program improves clinical care and documentation compliance. They offer practical tips and tricks for documentation that accurately reflects care and minimizes legal risk for MIH/CP providers.

Description: Sleep is critical for cognitive function, emotional regulation, and physical health, but for first responders, restorative sleep is often elusive. Sleepless Warriors explores the complex interplay between occupational demands, undiagnosed or diagnosed mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI)/concussion, and chronic sleep disturbances in EMS and other high-exposure professions. Symptoms of mTBI, such as headaches, cognitive fog, irritability, and emotional dysregulation can disrupt normal sleep patterns, making restorative rest difficult even when the workday ends. Participants will examine how cumulative sleep loss impacts first responders’ professional performance, decision-making, and safety, as well as its ripple effects on home life, relationships, and overall well-being. The session will highlight the reciprocal relationship between sleep disturbance and neurological symptoms, emphasizing how untreated or unrecognized mTBI can exacerbate fatigue and cognitive deficits over time. Practical strategies for improving sleep hygiene, recognizing red-flag symptoms of underlying injury, and fostering resilience both on and off duty will be discussed. Attendees will leave with actionable insights to support their own recovery, optimize alertness and performance, and enhance the overall health and resilience of their teams.

At no time in its history has EMS had as many issues with its most basic tools, including its medical supplies and medications. For 15 years there have been major shortages, substitutions, safety issues, and threats to safe and effective EMS practice. This presentation will focus attention on availability, expanded uses, Quality Improvement, and performance data measures. There will be materials shared for attendees to take home and apply to improve practice in a variety of EMS models.

Description: EMS skill instructors and adjunct faculty are the backbone of EMS education and serve as the growing future of the EMS education community. They are often promoted to this role because they are great clinicians, but frequently without any training in the delivery of psychomotor education. Whether you are in this same position or have been teaching in skill labs for years, applying the science of psychomotor knowledge acquisition will boost your and your student's success. Join Michael to discuss the principles of psychomotor skill education and how to leave a legacy with your students.

Description: Prehospital airway management has undergone a dramatic shift over the past decade, raising an important question: has endotracheal intubation lost its place as the gold standard in the field? This presentation explores the evolving role of supraglottic airway devices (SGAs) in modern EMS and critical care transport, highlighting why many systems are seeing higher success rates, more reliable ventilation, and improved patient outcomes with second- and third-generation SGAs. Attendees will examine the growing body of evidence showing that SGAs—once considered a backup—are now frontline tools capable of delivering rapid, effective oxygenation with less training variability and fewer procedural complications. With advanced features such as gastric access, high-seal pressures, and optical or fiberoptic compatibility, today’s SGAs not only provide secure airway control but also serve as pathways for intubation when clinically needed. We’ll compare intubation and SGA performance in real-world scenarios, discuss guideline trends, and explore the clinical situations where each approach excels. This session challenges long-standing assumptions and encourages a practical, patient-centered perspective: airway success is not defined by getting a tube—it’s defined by getting oxygen delivered. Join us as we rethink traditional practice and explore what the future of prehospital airway management truly looks like.

Description: This session examines two years of war in Gaza through the perspective of Israel’s civilian EMS system, with a focus on Magen David Adom as the national prehospital provider. We will review how triage, and resource deployment were adapted to handle simultaneous mass-casualty incidents, ongoing rocket barrages, and prolonged high-threat environments while maintaining coverage for routine medical emergencies. Using case vignettes, operational data, and crew testimonies, the presentation will highlight challenges in access, security coordination, and communication under fire. Particular emphasis will be placed on crew safety strategies, psychological burden, moral injury, and the support mechanisms developed to preserve resilience over time. We will also address ethical dilemmas unique to this context, including prioritization when resources are overwhelmed, work at scenes that are still tactically unsafe, and caring for civilians and combatants under intense public scrutiny. Finally, participants will learn how protocols, training, community response networks, and technology were adapted or newly created during the conflict, and will derive practical lessons for preparedness, leadership, and system design in other EMS organizations facing large-scale or prolonged crises in diverse geopolitical settings worldwide. The session will emphasize transferable principles rather than politics, offering a pragmatic, field-based view of civilian EMS in war.

Description: Obesity poses a significant threat to the health and safety of first responders. It increases the risk of job-related disabilities and various illnesses such as neurovascular, cardiovascular, endocrine, and oncologic diseases. It is a primary contributor to sudden cardiac events, the most common cause of on-duty firefighter and prehospital provider mortality. The number of overweight, obese, and unfit first responders has risen to alarming levels in EMS and fire departments across the nation, mirroring the world's population. All first responders must maintain good physical condition and adequate cardiovascular fitness to cope with job-related physical and mental stressors and perform their duties with minimal health risks. Without high levels of health and wellness, first responders may not be able to perform the strenuous physical requirements of their job and risk injury and even death for themselves, their colleagues, and the general population. Being overweight or obese interferes with job performance and increases the risk of injury during prehospital activities and training. Despite first responders' bravery and commitment to public service, this obesity epidemic threatens their ability to respond effectively to emergencies. This lecture addresses this obesity epidemic practically and empathetically while offering practical solutions to protect those who protect us all.

Description: ASHER 3000 is a lecture-based program designed to equip volunteer EMS providers with the knowledge and decision-making tools necessary to respond effectively to Active Shooter and Hostile Event Response (ASHER) incidents. This course focuses on understanding current threat trends, the evolution of ASHER tactics, and the unique challenges faced by volunteer agencies with limited staffing, extended response times, and variable resources. Participants will explore the latest evidence-supported models for warm-zone operations, casualty collection points, unified command integration, and responder safety. Through detailed case reviews and structured discussion, the course breaks down real-world incident lessons, highlighting what volunteer responders must know before arriving on scene. ASHER 3000 provides a clear framework for operational readiness, interagency interoperability, and high-threat medical considerations. Attendees will leave with practical, adaptable strategies that strengthen situational awareness, improve coordination with law enforcement and fire partners, and enhance overall preparedness for rapidly evolving hostile events. Designed for EMTs, AEMTs, paramedics, and volunteer fire/EMS personnel, this lecture equips responders with the critical knowledge needed to protect their communities when it matters most.

Description: Prehospital providers have long served on the frontlines of the overdose epidemic, yet until recently the most effective interventions for reducing opioid overdose deaths—such as Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD)—were largely confined to hospitals and outpatient clinics. In 2024, recognizing that many of the most vulnerable patients have limited access to MOUD, New Orleans EMS implemented protocols for prehospital buprenorphine induction. Integrated directly into 911 responses, this program combines paramedic-led MAT initiation with coordinated emergency department and community partnerships to ensure continuity of care. As we enter the second year of the program, this presentation will review the evidence supporting prehospital buprenorphine, outline the development of our protocol, share early data demonstrating its essential role in addressing this public health crisis, and discuss the key challenges encountered during implementation.

Description: In an increasingly interconnected world, emergency medical services face common challenges—workforce shortages, rising demand, constrained funding, and the need for rapid innovation. Yet across the globe, EMS systems respond to these pressures with different models, strategies, and solutions. In this dynamic and highly interactive session, Rob Lawrence and UK emergency physician Dr. Linda Dykes reunite to deliver the long-requested revival of their popular international EMS briefing. Joined by colleagues and international attendees from Europe, Canada, Australasia, and beyond, the session provides an up-to-the-minute tour of global EMS systems and the practices shaping their success. Participants will explore how various countries organize dispatch, response, clinical practice, mobile integrated healthcare, leadership structures, and system design. The session will highlight innovations—from UK performance targets and Scandinavian community paramedicine frameworks to Australian workforce models and Singapore’s technology-driven operations—offering practical comparisons with U.S. practice. Attendees will also contribute to a live discussion drawing out best practices from across the world, creating a real-time exchange of ideas, challenges, and actionable solutions. Whether you are a leader, educator, clinician, or strategist, this session brings the global EMS community into one room to spark cross-border learning and inspire fresh thinking.

Description: Hurricane Melissa offered a remarkable demonstration of strength, adaptability, and courage within Jamaica’s Fire and EMS leadership. Despite unprecedented infrastructure damage, communication failures, and rapidly evolving conditions, executive and supervisory leaders consistently rose to the moment by stabilizing operations, guiding personnel, and maintaining public confidence under extraordinary pressure. This session examines real examples of decisive leadership, rapid problem-solving, and multi-level coordination that emerged during and after the event, highlighting how leaders sustained mission focus even when traditional systems were compromised. Drawing from qualitative interviews with Divisional Heads, Deputy Commissioners, and Special Operations personnel across multiple parishes, this presentation showcases the positive leadership behaviors that restored situational awareness, rebuilt operational rhythm, and supported continuous service to affected communities. Attendees will gain insights into command presence strategies, including structured improvisation, communication challenges, and priority-based decision-making. The session provides leaders at all levels with practical tools to strengthen preparedness, enhance organizational resilience, and improve performance during high-stress, uncertain, or resource-limited operations. By studying what worked well and what didn't, during and after Hurricane Melissa, Fire and EMS leaders can cultivate confident, adaptable teams that thrive in the most challenging operational environments.

Description: Do you like your science served up with a bit of snark? Perhaps a nice, academic no-holds-barred debate on the literature guiding our clinical practice? If so, come see a panel of highly opinionated EMS researchers (Drs Jeff Jarvis, Remle Crowe, and David Wampler) in a wide-ranging discussion of the key topics of the day. Topics are likely to change to assure they are “hot-off-the-presses” current, but are likely to include cardiac arrest management, medications, and airway management. And blood. With Wampler being from San Antonio, you just know there will be blood. His perhaps, but still… blood.

Description: Every EMS educator has seen it: a student crushes the classroom, aces exams, passes Registry… and then walks into their first real EMS call looking like they were hit by a psychological bus. The reason is simple: teaching only to the test prepares students for quiet rooms and predictable outcomes, not the chaos of EMS. Today’s learners are bright and tech-savvy, but many grew up with structure, instant answers, and clear expectations. EMS offers none of that. Instead, we hand them yelling family members, terrible lighting, overly helpful dogs, emotional curveballs, and situations that shift faster than they can process. Expecting them to “figure it out” during field training isn’t education—it’s wishful thinking. This session shows how to close that gap. Students need anatomy, physiology, and core skills, but content alone doesn’t equal competence. Competency-Based Education (CBE) focuses on what actually matters: decision-making, communication, adaptability, emotional regulation, and performing under pressure. We’ll explore why students struggle when real life doesn’t match the textbook and how to bring those elements into the classroom. Attendees will leave with practical tools: realistic scenarios, communication challenges, structured debriefing strategies, and performance-based assessments that reflect real EMS demands.

Description: Blood transfusion has shaped battlefield survival for more than a century, evolving from frontline whole blood use in WWII to the modern return of low-titer O whole blood in both military and civilian systems. As global conflicts, large-scale incidents, and austere deployments continue to challenge evacuation timelines, medics must be prepared to initiate resuscitation long before reaching a hospital. Understanding this historical progression—from early whole blood to component therapy and now back to whole blood—helps explain why donor-based and autologous transfusion techniques remain essential. This session focuses on how autologous whole blood transfusion can serve as an effective training method to prepare medics for the realities of MASCAL events, wilderness and remote medicine, and prolonged field care. By teaching the principles of walking blood banks, donor screening, emergency collection, and transfusion workflows, educators can build realistic, competency-based scenarios that mirror resource-limited environments. Participants will learn how to safely integrate autologous transfusion concepts into EMS and military-medic curricula and why these skills are increasingly important for modern prehospital care.

Description: EMS providers are highly trained and clinically skilled. But there is an emerging trend of lawsuits arising from EMS providers encouraging (sometimes coercing) patients to refuse transport. Disturbing videos on Ring and other surveillance cameras show providers actively telling patients not to go to the hospital but providing no alternatives or inappropriate advice. Providers must tread carefully when suggesting non-transport, ensure appropriate assessments, and ensure that the patient and/or family share the decision-making. Nick, an EMS Division Chief with over two decades of emergency response and quality assurance experience, and Samantha, an attorney for one of the largest hospital-based EMS systems in the Southeast, examine the clinical, legal, ethical and operational implications of provider-initiated refusals. Using actual incidents and reported legal cases, Nick and Samantha offer tips and tricks for responders to protect themselves and their services from legal liability in the event of a provider-initiated refusal.

Description: EMS providers carry a unique emotional burden shaped by trauma exposure, critical incident stress, and the silent weight of losing colleagues to suicide. For many, the first reaction is to ask “Why did this happen,” a question that can trap providers in guilt, grief, and helplessness. This session reframes that question into the more powerful and actionable “What can I do,” a mindset shift that transforms personal pain into purpose and drives cultural change. Through lived experience, leadership insight, and evidence supported mental health principles, attendees will explore realistic strategies to strengthen peer support, reduce stigma, and create psychologically safe work environments. This session provides actionable tools that medics, preceptors, officers, and leaders can immediately apply to support themselves and their crews.

Description: Compassion is not merely a "nice-to-have" attribute; evidence-based research confirms it as a powerful, first-line therapy with quantifiable clinical and emotional benefits. This session will explore a holistic approach to patient management, focusing on the Mind-Body Connection and the critical importance of empathetic behaviors during the patient's most vulnerable moments. Given that EMS is often the first and longest uninterrupted contact a patient has with the healthcare system, our initial 15 minutes of interaction can dramatically influence long-term outcomes, stress levels, and overall trust. The program will dive into research from fields like Compassionomics and Patch Adams' work, aligning these findings with the critical emphasis on the Affective Domain outlined in the 2021 National EMS Education Standards. We will address why providers, working in high-stress environments, often become disillusioned, and how re-prioritizing compassion can reverse burnout, improve organizational culture, increase job satisfaction, and most importantly, enhance patient and caregiver satisfaction and quality of life. Attendees will leave with transferable, research-based examples to immediately implement in their agencies.

Description: Every crisis, every turning point, and every great success in leadership has one thing in common - communication. The ability to connect, inspire, and influence through words and actions is what separates leaders who merely manage from those who truly lead. In this dynamic and engaging session, Ray Barishansky, an EMS and Public Health leader with more than 30 years of frontline and executive-level experience, explores how history’s most effective leaders—from Churchill to Jobs —used communication as their greatest tool. Participants will walk away with actionable insights drawn from real-world EMS scenarios. From mastering active listening and “reading the room” to framing messages that drive unity and action, Ray reveals communication tactics that work under pressure, in conflict, and across complex organizations. Come ready to rethink how you speak, listen, and lead—because in EMS and beyond, communication isn’t a soft skill; it’s a survival skill.

Description: Summer camps are something all kids look forward to. How do you create, manage, and maintain a camp made that requires medical oversight? Camp Kno-Koma is a summer camp for children aged 7-15 who are Type 1 Diabetics in West Virginia. Every summer, kids from West Virginia and surrounding counties gather along the Greenbrier River in West Virginia for a summer camp experience like no other. The campers are in a safe environment to learn to live with diabetes, see other campers with diabetes just like them, and most of all be themselves. These kids return year after year for the adventure, education and friendships. We will look at the logistical side of maintaining a medical summer camp. How is it funded? How is it staffed? What entities are involved? Where does EMS come into play? These are just a few questions we will discuss.

Description: This presentation explores the unique and challenging subspecialty of underground medicine and cave rescue. Attendees will gain essential knowledge about the cave environment, common caving injuries, and the massive logistical difficulties of providing prehospital care and prolonged evacuation in austere, subterranean settings. The presentation will contrast cave rescue with wilderness medicine, highlighting the specialized equipment, communication strategies, and medical kits required for these extended operations. The presentation emphasizes recognizing the often-underestimated dangers of caving and learning crucial preventative steps. Attendees will be equipped with actionable information on austere prehospital management and the critical importance of a "sign out" safety protocol, which they can take back to their departments to enhance their understanding of prolonged and remote cave rescue environments.

Description: Stronger Than the Shift: Addressing Peer-Inflicted Trauma in EMS is a course designed to confront a rarely discussed but deeply impactful reality in the emergency services profession: the emotional harm that comes not from the calls themselves, but from the culture, behaviors, and interactions within the station, ambulance, or crew. While EMS providers are trained to manage high-acuity incidents and traumatic patient encounters, far fewer are prepared for bullying, belittlement, exclusion, intimidation, and reputational harm that can occur among peers and supervisors. This course explores how these experiences affect mental health, confidence, retention, performance, and long-term career satisfaction. Participants will learn to recognize the signs of peer-inflicted trauma, understand why it develops in high-stress environments, and examine the systemic and cultural factors that allow it to persist. The course offers practical strategies for fostering psychological safety, supporting colleagues, interrupting harmful dynamics, and building healthier team environments without compromising accountability or operational readiness. Through reflection, evidence-informed discussion, and scenario-based exploration, attendees will leave with tools to strengthen resilience, promote respect, and contribute to a culture where first responders feel valued, supported, and safe; both on the call and back at the station.

Description: Another ketamine presentation, really? News flash, EMS is under the ketamine microscope. Far too often, we zoom into the ketamine specifics: NMDA action and pharmacology, what about ketamine versus etomidate for intubation induction, ketamine versus narcotics for prehospital analgesia, and so on. This presentation will zoom out from all the ketamine specific indications and use cases and address the "total package" for safe ketamine use in patients with severe agitation. What should our clinical, quality, education, and training programs look like? Is there a minimum framework necessary to utilize ketamine safely in EMS in 2026? We will share emerging research, actual high-risk EMS cases, and future pathways to address the question of "safe" ketamine use in EMS.

Description: Mentoring, molding, growing new leaders. These catch phrases are often shared, but what do they mean? Should we mentor our team members? How is mentoring different from educating and growing? Mentoring is a formal relationship one experiences to grow and understand their leadership potential for a defined period. It takes dedication and commitment. Too often, leaders claim they are too busy to mentor others. However, this presentation will help highlight why mentoring is one of the most important undertakings of your career as you’ll find mentorship does just help you grow another leader, it also makes you better too! Come join Kevin in an engaging conversation about mentoring successes and challenges. Enjoy listening to shared experiences, and walk away with strategies to improve your mentoring.

Description: “Prehospital Whole Blood for Special Populations” is a high-impact session designed for EMS and prehospital providers who want to save lives without getting lost in the fine print. We’ll tackle the tricky scenarios where one-size-fits-all transfusion protocols just won’t cut it. From pregnant trauma patients and pediatric emergencies to elderly fall victims, women of childbearing potential, and GI bleeds, this class covers the who, when, and how of whole blood in the field. You’ll learn practical strategies for rapid decision-making, weight-based dosing, Rh considerations, and managing the inevitable curveballs that come with physiologic quirks and comorbidities. We’ll emphasize maternal and pediatric priorities, highlight the dangers of volume overload in frail adults, and provide actionable pearls for balancing life-saving urgency against potential risks like alloimmunization or citrate toxicity. Expect real-world case discussions, decision-making frameworks, and clear guidance on monitoring and documentation—because paperwork is almost as important as the patient surviving the ride. By the end of the session, you’ll be able to approach prehospital whole blood transfusion with confidence, precision, and just enough snark to keep you entertained while you save lives.

Description: Falls among older adults remain a leading driver of EMS utilization, morbidity, mortality, and healthcare expenditure in the United States. Yet, traditional EMS responses are built around episodic, transport-centered models that do not typically address the clinical, environmental, and social factors that lead to recurrent falls. To bridge this gap, the Salisbury Fire Department launched SAFE: SWIFT Assessment of Falls in the Elderly in 2025. SAFE is an evidence-based Nurse Practitioner and Community Paramedic–led initiative designed to identify multi-factorial fall risk, implement targeted interventions, and provide longitudinal follow-up to reduce fall recurrence, strengthen patient safety, and lower healthcare utilization. This session will present the SAFE model, its data-driven outcomes, and lessons learned from implementation. Attendees will explore fall-risk trends, interdisciplinary interventions, and prevention strategies. The session will also provide practical, scalable tools, including standardized assessment algorithms, referral pathways, and an interagency partnership framework that participants can adapt to build or enhance fall-prevention initiatives in their communities.

Description: Rhabdomyolysis is a serious medical condition usually attributed in the prehospital setting to crush injuries, such as motor vehicle accidents and building collapses. However, the majority of rhabdo cases are not caused by these infrequent incidents. One of the most common causes of rhabdomyolysis is prolonged overdose, particularly opioids, which is still increasing in frequency. In many of these situations, the administration of naloxone may be contraindicated and overall harmful to the patient’s prognosis. This presentation will discuss the pathophysiology of overdose induced rhabdomyolysis and how to properly begin treating these patients in the field.

Description: Take student assessment and program evaluation to the next level by utilizing best practices in assessment to drive learning and performance. This session will help educators, program, medical, and service directors go beyond compliance to leverage evidence-based practices in other fields that have demonstrated enhanced learning, student, and faculty performance. Attendees will leave with actionable strategies to elevate their programs while maintaining accreditation excellence.

Description: Vehicle ramming attacks (VRAs) have become a recurring and high-impact threat in both the United States and abroad, producing large numbers of casualties in seconds and overwhelming local EMS resources before a full MCI plan can activate. These incidents generate a distinct injury profile—high-energy blunt trauma, crush injuries, traumatic amputations, polytrauma, and secondary injuries from panic and crowd movement. They also create complex operational challenges: rapidly evolving hazard zones, law enforcement coordination, self-transporting victims, and the need to establish rapid casualty collection points under extreme pressure. This session analyzes real VRA events including New York City (2017), Charlottesville, Waukesha, Berlin, Nice, London, and recent U.S. and European attacks. Using a structured clinical and operational framework, the presentation covers triage under duress, crush syndrome considerations, amputation care, START/JumpSTART/SALT application, and rapid CCP development. The session provides EMS clinicians, supervisors, firefighters, and command staff with actionable strategies for pre-planning, initial response, scene control, medical management, and multi-agency MCI coordination, preparing agencies for a threat that is low-frequency but extremely high-impact.

Description: New Orleans EMS has faced staffing challenges like EMS agencies across the nation. To meet the rising demand, we, like other agencies, have turned to recruiting and training providers from within the community we serve. In the spirit of RND, "rip off and duplicate" we found and partnered with EMS Corps to implement their best practices into our first ever NOEMS Recruit Academy. Join us as we share our experience from initial research and development, through procuring funding and contracting, and into implementation. We'll share our experiences blending flipped classroom EMT curriculum with agency and NAEMT curriculum. As a municipal agency we'll share tips and tricks for developing new Civil Service positions and hiring processes as well as engaging with non-profit partners. As a public service facing revenue challenges, we'll discuss our initial and sustainability funding sources to keep this effort going. We benefited from the support provided by our partners and wish to pay this forward to better EMS services anywhere we can.

Description: As EMS providers, we are trained to handle the most critical emergencies, whether it’s a 67-year-old male with chest pain, a 72-year-old female experiencing a stroke, or a 65-year-old in cardiac arrest. We often respond to these calls calmly and continue our shift. However, nothing induces more fear and anxiety than a pediatric call. Initial training often limits pediatric care to just a few chapters in a textbook, and continuing education can sometimes be reduced to a quick merit badge course, leaving significant gaps in pediatric knowledge and decreasing our preparedness to care for children. This results in increased stress, a higher likelihood of mistakes, and the instinct to leave the scene quickly before even arriving. This session will cover how to approach pediatric calls in the same way we respond to adult calls, helping providers get into the right mindset when dealing with children and shifting how we think. We will discuss some of the most common fears, myths, and misconceptions about pediatric care in EMS so that fear won't be a factor for you!

Description: This program will look at some of the common failures of Peer support programs and explore new ideas to overcome the common obstacles. The lecture will also address how to reach members from different generations successfully and how you can identify if the program is truly working. This course will share lessons learned from Peer Support programs and offer an opportunity to support attendees with their questions about peer support. The program will discuss the nuances of different communication styles of various demographics.

Description: Unbreakable Bonds is a timely and transformative presentation that addresses the growing breakdown of communication, trust, and mutual respect in EMS chains of command. As provider burnout rises and leadership challenges persist, the gap between field crews and administration is wider than ever—and it’s costing morale, retention, and safety. This session introduces the B.O.N.D. Leadership Model (Balance, Openness, Nurture, Direction)—a practical framework for reimagining the command structure from a culture-first, people-driven perspective. Participants will walk away with real-world strategies for rebuilding unity, holding standards without fear, and creating EMS teams where accountability, clarity, and mutual respect thrive.

Description: Ever wonder what it means to have an advanced "Critical Care" program? Why does every airway study always have a carve-out for "specially trained advanced practitioners"? This course addresses the critical considerations for establishing and maintaining a high-quality Critical Care Rapid Sequence Intubation (RSI) program. While studies increasingly question the benefit of routine pre-hospital RSI, a consensus exists that specialized, high-performing programs can offer significant value. This presentation moves beyond anecdotal practice to provide a clear, evidence-informed pathway for agencies. Attendees will gain a comprehensive understanding of the scientific debate, the complexities of RSI using paralytic agents, and the essential agency-level programmatic components required for success. The material is designed to equip ALS providers, administrators, and medical directors with the actionable knowledge to define, implement, and rigorously oversee an RSI program worthy of the "Critical Care" title in their own service.

Description: Based on the presenter's award-winning national sepsis education programs, this session reframes sepsis as the frontline EMS emergency it truly is, by distinguishing patients who are sick, septic, or in life-threatening septic shock. More deadly each year than prostate cancer, breast cancer, and HIV/AIDS combined, sepsis arrives at the ED by EMS over 60% of the time and is still frequently overlooked in both the hospital and in the field. You’ll move beyond buzzwords into real clinical impact, learning clinical criteria that works for pre-hospital professionals. Using real case studies, rapid-fire physiology pearls, and proven workflows, you’ll sharpen your ability to detect sepsis early, stabilize organ perfusion, deploy treatments with purpose, and change outcomes with EMS care that saves lives. This is where recognition meets resuscitation—practical, clinical, and memorable.

Description: Community paramedicine programs are emerging as a frontline strategy to address social determinants of health , such as housing instability, transportation barriers, food insecurity,, and limited access to primary care. All of these factors play a part in the increased usage of emergency care and preventable hospitalizations. Recent EMS literature highlights that Community Paramedic interventions can improve patient outcomes by providing home-based assessments, reducing avoidable visits, and facilitating access to community resources (TandF). Local data from Community Health Assessments in Wilson, Nash, Edgecombe, and Halifax counties reveal significant SDOH-driven disparities, including high chronic disease burden and gaps in primary care access. Findings like these emphasize the need for healthcare models that engage patients beyond traditional clinical settings. CPs are positioned in unique ways to meet patients where they are and assess both clinical and social needs while coordinating indiviidulaized interventions in collaboration with public health and community partners. This session will explore evidence-based strategies and practical workflows for integrating SDOH-focused approaches into CP programs. Attendees will gain actionable tools to identify social needs, enhance health outcomes, connect patients to resources, and ultimately strengthen the role of EMS in promoting equitable, patient-centered care.

Description: Understanding Hyperthermia & Hyperkalemia when dealing with Kids in Hot Cars, Construction Workers and Runners. At the competition of this session Prehospital Care Providers will be better prepared to respond and manage heat-related emergencies. It happens, on average, once every nine days in the United States, and it is devastating: A child dies of heatstroke after being left in a parked vehicle. Although there have been cases in which parents are charged with purposely abandoning their kid in the backseat on a hot summer day, most of the time its well-meaning, loving caregivers who make this honest mistake - and that's why statistics of all the children who have died in hot cars shows that precautions against this are so, so important. As much as some parents believe that they'd never, ever, forget about their tiny passengers, that's a dangerous mindset that only increases the likelihood of this continuing to happen. This session will focus on both Kids in Hot Cars and Heat Emergencies. We will explain Heat Cramp, Heat Exhaustion & Heat Stroke.

Description: Accurate assessment of skin findings is essential in emergency and clinical medicine, yet traditional medical education often centers on lighter skin tones, leading to diagnostic delays and disparities in care for patients with richer melanin. This presentation examines how common clinical indicators—such as pallor, cyanosis, perfusion changes, rashes, burns, and trauma patterns—can appear differently across diverse skin tones. Through evidence-based review, public health data, and case analysis, participants will explore gaps in current medical literature and gain practical strategies for improving assessment accuracy. The session emphasizes the importance of recognizing baseline skin variation, utilizing reliable non–non-color-dependent indicators, and integrating inclusive practices into medical training and patient evaluation.

Description: When a motor vehicle crash happens, EMS strives to improve outcomes with faster, safer and smarter response. Strengthening this response can start with deeper partnerships with 911 and Highway Safety—connections that can open doors to new resources, better coordination and shared solutions. For many EMS leaders, 911 and Highway Safety partners sit outside the day-to-day world of staffing, training and clinical oversight. Yet the decisions these groups make directly impact how quickly help arrives, where risks concentrate and what resources your agency can access. This session will challenge the way EMS leaders think about collaboration. Attendees will learn how to find the right people, start meaningful conversations and join planning efforts that influence roadway safety priorities. This session will also highlight joint-improvement opportunities like expanding access to prehospital blood—and show how shared data and aligned goals can turn EMS, 911 and Highway Safety into a coordinated force for saving more lives after a crash.

Description: In an era of increasing threats and complex emergencies, immersive training is essential to prepare first responders for high-stakes, high casualty incidents. This presentation will explore the development and implementation of a dynamic Immersive Mass Casualty Incident (MCI) training program, using the Philadelphia Fire Department’s Disaster University – held in Fall 2025 – as a case study. Attendees will gain insight into designing realistic, multi-agency scenarios that integrate EMS, fire, law enforcement, and emergency management. This session will highlight key planning considerations, simulation technology, interagency coordination, and lessons learned to help departments build their own high-impact MCI training experiences.

Description: It’s as ubiquitous as “BSI, scene safe” - you do it on every call, every time. Yet while we spend hours on clinical pearls and sexy procedures, far less time is devoted to how we document what we actually did and why. In an era of AI-assisted charting, criminal charges against EMS providers, body-worn cameras, and a constant stream of civil, licensure, and employment risk, strong documentation isn’t a “nice to have” , it’s a fundamental. A good chart doesn’t just say what happened, it tells a truthful, proportional, and coherent story that will hold up months or years later when memories have faded and the facts come to depend on what’s in the PCR. In this one-hour, scenario-heavy interactive session, an EMS attorney and an EMS medical director will use examples and interactive discussion to break down what makes documentation stand up to scrutiny, from the bedside to QA to the courtroom to the billing office. Instructors will discuss high-risk calls, disagreements between providers or agencies, and the use of AI and video. Participants will leave with practical tools to write clearer, more defensible charts that protect their patients, their license, and their care.

Description: Burnout and compassion fatigue remain among the most pervasive and least-acknowledged threats to the EMS workforce. Behind every calm voice and controlled scene lies an emotional toll that many providers silently carry. This session provides a candid, empathetic examination of the mental and emotional strain inherent in EMS—and the critical importance of boundaries, recovery habits, and culture change. Attendees will learn how to spot early warning signs, interrupt burnout cycles, and adopt practical resilience techniques supported by real-world experience. The session emphasizes culturally realistic strategies—tools that EMS providers can use on shift, at home, and within their teams to preserve passion, performance, and well-being.

Description: You Are Field Training Wrong: How to Develop a Successful Field Training Program breaks down the Indianapolis EMS field training program: a four phase program in addition to the onboarding academy. This breaks down each phase's goals and education key points, provide statistics about the success of the program in terms of completion and retention, and teach you how to implement this system at your agency.

Description: Presented by Jason Corthell, Division Chief of Training for Harris County Emergency Services District 13 and CEO of Ironclad Wellness, this groundbreaking session redefines what first responders should expect from leadership and mental health training. Unlike conventional courses, “Leadership 1: A Masterclass in Leadership Wellness” delivers powerful, up-to-date insights drawn from the latest trends, studies, and findings at the cutting edge of first responder mental health and organizational leadership. This is not just another mental health presentation. Jason brings a dynamic, real-world perspective, revealing how purposeful, cause-driven leadership can be the catalyst for thriving teams and effective organizations. Attendees will explore how poor leadership and management directly impact organizational health, and more importantly, discover actionable strategies to foster wellness, resilience, and excellence at every level. Whether you are a current leader or aspire to lead, this class is the next evolution in emergency services education—equipping you with the knowledge, tools, and inspiration to transform your agency from the inside out.

Description: This course explores the foundations of EMS education through the concept of the four-legged stool: classroom instruction, hands-on lab practice, clinical field experience, and high-fidelity simulation. Students learn how each component supports competency-based learning and prepares future EMS providers for real-world practice. Emphasis is placed on developing balanced curricula, aligning instruction with national standards, and integrating meaningful assessment strategies to ensure skill mastery and student success. Participants will examine best practices, evaluate program effectiveness, and design learning activities that contribute to producing well-rounded, confident EMS professionals.

Description: At least where I work, the receiving hospital no longer looks at EMS patient care reports, meaning that documentation has become only important for quality assurance/improvement, research, case reviews, billing, and the remote (but high-consequence) possibility of a future lawsuit. How can we document calls in such a way that we'll be able to trust our own run forms in court up to seven years later? How can we do this in a systematic, time-efficient manner? What the heck does CHART (or D-CHART, or SOAP, or whatever acronym) even mean? Who better to learn from than an English teacher/EMS provider?

Description: Progressive discipline is an age old concept that employers use and believe improves employee behavior. In this session, we will discuss progressive discipline and examine how the process if flawed, with progressive discipline routinely leading to poorer employee performance, complacency, normalization of deviance and retention issues. We will discuss modern day employee performance improvement tactics including discipline flexibility, behavior modification techniques, performance coaching, and education. We will also discuss the importance of employee handbooks, how to develop adequate and effectively leverage your employee handbook. We will also discuss employee evaluations as a performance improvement as well as how to navigate employee disciplinary grievances.

Description: Individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID) may present with communication, cognitive, sensory, and behavioral differences that can significantly affect interactions with EMS providers during medical or traumatic emergencies. Understanding these differences is essential to ensuring safe, effective, and compassionate care. This session will examine key characteristics of individuals with ID and their implications during an emergency response. Topics will include assessing decision-making capacity and obtaining informed consent, evaluating pain in individuals who may have difficulty expressing discomfort, and practical strategies to support assessment, treatment, and transport. Participants will leave with suggestions to reduce barriers and improve clinical outcomes for this population.

Description: Ventilator management and pulmonary physiology can often be presented as complex and difficult to understand. One of the most common anxiety inducing moments in clinical medicine is the ventilator alarm beeping. Is something wrong with the patient, or the endotracheal tube, or the ventilator itself? This dynamic lecture takes you through and easy to understand troubleshooting guide to master the high and low pressure alarm. Learn the causes of each specific alarm as well as the specific pathophysiology behind each one and easy mnemonics to help you remember.

Description: Community paramedicine offers EMS professionals a powerful opportunity to reduce preventable injuries before they occur. This session explores the growing role of the Community Paramedic (CP) in injury prevention and how CPs can make meaningful, measurable impacts in the communities they serve. By working directly in homes and community settings, CPs are uniquely positioned to identify hazards, address social determinants of health, and connect individuals with resources that improve safety and long-term wellbeing. Using practical examples and experience from both field operations and trauma system outreach, this presentation highlights key prevention strategies CPs can integrate into their daily practice, including fall prevention, home safety evaluations, risk-factor screening, and collaboration with public health and trauma centers. Attendees will learn how community paramedics contribute to reducing disparities, improving patient engagement, and lowering system burden through proactive, relationship-based care. Participants will leave with actionable tools and insights to strengthen or develop CP injury prevention initiatives, enhance community partnerships, and expand the impact of mobile integrated healthcare within their region.

Description: The portion of US Highway 550 that connects the City of Ouray to Silverton, CO is 27 highly scenic and twisty miles with very few guardrails and steep drop offs of up to 410 feet. From January of 2005 to 2008 Ouray County emergency services had responded to eight over the side vehicle rescues, all for cars, SUVs or vans. Emergency responders for this portion of Colorado wondered what rescue strategies would be needed to respond to a tour bus going over the side ala the Mexican Hat Utah 2008 motor coach accident and rescue efforts. Towards that end a school bus was obtained and pushed over the side of Red Mountain. Come join Norm as he describes how this Field Training Exercise (FTX) that as two years in the making was put together, silos of jurisdiction & responsibility were overcome, what strategy and tactics were selected, how it played out and the lessons learned.

Description: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) appears within the EMS workforce at considerably higher rates than the general population. This session discusses how the novel, dynamic, fast-paced, high-stakes, and high-intensity environment of EMS naturally attracts individuals whose cognitive superpowers–pattern recognition, hyper-focus, creative problem-solving, and working well under pressure–align with these demands. The presentation also addresses the kryptonite to success: how previous educational experiences and ADHD symptomology undermine learners’ confidence, create defiance, and weaken students’ motivation. Building on this foundation, the session provides actionable strategies that instructors can easily implement to enhance learning outcomes for all students. By reconstructing these traits as operational strengths rather than obstacles, EMS educators, supervisors, and preceptors can improve learner support, communication, and performance assessment. Reframing educational approaches through this strength-based lens provides educators and leaders with a more accurate approach to supporting performance and professional growth. The session will explore practical pedagogical tools and structural techniques to equip educators to design more adaptive, inclusive, and effective learning environments to improve retention, enhance engagement, and elevate outcomes.

Description: “Service Animals and EMS: What Every Provider Must Know,” is a 50 minute presentation focusing on the Americans with Disabilities and the language it uses surrounding service animals. In presenting the facts within the confines of the ADA, participants will become familiar with the primary dos and don’ts of navigating calls for service with patients with service animals. The ADA uses surprising elementary language and the U.S. Department of Justice makes resources available in laymen’s terms that can be implemented with ease. This presentation breaks a seemingly complex issue into the most basic terms and delineates the differences between service animals, emotional support animals, and therapy animals as well as how their access rights differ. The presentation culminates with various scenarios in which service animals should and should not be transported in the ambulance with the patient.

Description: Burnout is often described as an emotional or psychological problem, but for EMS professionals it is fundamentally a physiologic condition driven by chronic exposure to stress, sleep disruption, trauma, and operational demands. This session translates current medical and neurobiological research into practical understanding that EMS providers and leaders can use to protect workforce health. Attendees will learn how the stress response system changes after repeated exposure to high-adrenaline work. We will explore how cortisol dysregulation contributes to fatigue, impaired concentration, irritability, cardiovascular strain, and increased injury risk. Participants will also examine the emerging science behind “micro-recovery,” hydration status, nutrition timing, circadian disruption, and the cumulative effect of disrupted sleep cycles common in EMS shift work. The session then shifts from physiology to actionable solutions. Using evidence from high-performance teams (military, aviation, tactical medicine), we will cover wellness strategies that fit into real EMS environments: brief on-shift recovery practices, fatigue countermeasures, station-level habits that improve autonomic balance, and agency-wide operational adjustments that reduce physiologic load without increasing cost. By connecting the science of burnout with practical, field-tested interventions, this presentation gives EMS professionals tools to improve their health, sustain their careers, and enhance safety for themselves, their partners, and their patients.

Description: EMS in an invaluable service, helping over 28 million people per year. Unfortunately, massive increases in demand without increases in funding or staffing, as well as increases in misuse, are making it increasingly difficult to provide timely and appropriate support to individuals in crisis. Despite technological advances, the overall experience of calling 9-1-1 remains unchanged: someone calls and with a medical issue and we send an ambulance with EMTs/paramedics and we transport them to the emergency department, even though 70% of transports are determined after the fact to be medically unnecessary. What if we could use new technologies to determine medical need before dispatch? What kinds of technology would that require? What could we do in a world where we could prioritize critical calls and provide alternate support to non-emergent calls? In this session, we discuss the evolution of EMS over time, the challenges of the current operating status, and ideas for how we can use innovative new technologies to transform and improve the EMS of the future.

Description: Some of the most invasive monitoring devices we see in critical care transport are intracranial pressure monitoring devices and drains. Transport of these devices is a low-frequency encounter for most teams, can be challenging in a helicopter or ambulance, and poses significant risk to the patient. This presentation will cover the differences in ICP monitors and drains, including external ventricular drains (EVDs), “bolts”, and intraparenchymal monitors; why and how they are placed; waveforms and changes to recognize; and how to manage them in transport. This presentation is geared towards those that have no to little experience with ICP monitoring, as well as those that want a refresher.

Description: Conducting clinical research in emergency medical services (EMS) environments presents a unique set of operational, regulatory, and ethical challenges not typically encountered in traditional hospital-based studies. This presentation examines the realities of performing clinical trials in uncontrolled prehospital settings—where high-acuity patients, limited time, environmental variability, and fluctuating levels of consciousness frequently complicate enrollment, data capture, and protocol adherence. Attendees will gain insight into how EMS agencies and research teams can navigate these barriers while ensuring the protection of human subjects and the integrity of research outcomes. This session also reviews the complexities of consent in the field, including exceptions from informed consent (EFIC), community consultation requirements, and special considerations for studies involving patients with impaired decision-making capacity. The presentation highlights strategies for managing documentation challenges, maintaining data accuracy under stress, and optimizing coordination with receiving hospitals to ensure continuity of research follow-up. Finally, the talk will outline Institutional Review Board (IRB) expectations for EMS-based studies, emphasizing compliance with federal regulations, ethical safeguards, and the necessity of operationally realistic protocol design.

Description: Prehospital stroke care is rapidly evolving. There is now new data on the triage strategies and prehospital tools to determine stroke destination. There is new data on evidence surrounding new technologies that can optimize prehospital stroke care. This presentation will present an interactive, comprehensive review of the latest updates on prehospital stroke care.

Large, geographically distributed EMS healthcare organizations often struggle to achieve consistent clinical quality due to variation in practice, leadership structures, and local priorities. This session describes how a national EMS healthcare organization aligned more than 30,000 clinicians, leaders, and medical directors around a shared strategy to improve patient care and outcomes. Speakers will discuss the deliberate shift from fragmented, locally siloed quality efforts to an aligned, system‑wide approach that balanced national expectations with local ownership. Key elements included medical director alignment, frontline clinician engagement, peer‑driven quality processes, and data‑informed performance feedback focused on outcomes rather than compliance alone. Attendees will learn practical strategies for scaling clinical quality initiatives across complex organizations, fostering cultural buy‑in, and sustaining momentum over time. The session will highlight lessons learned, challenges encountered, and actionable insights for healthcare leaders responsible for quality, medical direction, and system‑level performance improvement.

Description: Improve your patient interactions with a dynamic seminar designed specifically for EMS professionals and healthcare providers! Speedy Spanish for Healthcare Professionals equips you with the essential phrases, vocabulary, and cultural insights needed to deliver efficient and compassionate care to Spanish-speaking patients.

Description: Across the country, EMS agencies are re-evaluating the use of lights and sirens, recognizing the importance of balancing rapid response with safety for crews, patients, and the public. “Light Em’ Up?” highlights one agency’s journey to implement evidence-based safety measures designed to reduce unnecessary lights and sirens use during both emergency responses and patient transports. Through data-driven decision-making and a strong commitment to safety, the agency achieved remarkable results: the use of lights and sirens during transports decreased from 26% to just 2%, and during responses from 48% to 4% — all without compromising patient care. This initiative demonstrates how thoughtful policy changes can enhance safety, efficiency, and community trust in EMS operations.

Description: In South Africa’s diverse and often resource-limited pre-hospital environment, paramedics frequently operate in remote areas with limited access to senior clinical support. To bridge this gap, Netcare 911 developed a Virtual Guidance and Support System—an innovative model that provides real-time clinical assistance to practitioners via remote advanced life support and critical care specialists. This system enables immediate expert input on complex patient presentations, supporting better clinical decision-making, consistency of care, equipment troubleshooting, and improved patient outcomes. This presentation will explore the design, implementation, and outcomes of the virtual guidance model, highlighting its impact on patient safety, practitioner confidence, and operational efficiency. Attendees will gain insight into how digital communication technologies can transform EMS systems, especially in geographically challenging or resource-limited settings, and how this model can be adapted internationally to enhance clinical governance, mentorship, and quality assurance in pre-hospital care.

Description: The appropriate utilization of Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS) remains a critical component of modern trauma systems, yet significant variability persists in when and why aircraft are launched. This presentation examines current evidence-based criteria, system considerations, and triage tools that support optimal decision-making for both scene flights and interfacility transfers. Drawing from national position statements by NAEMSP, ACEP, and AMPA, the session highlights three essential pillars—clinical need, safety, and system integration—as foundational elements guiding HEMS activation or cancellation. Emphasis is placed on the importance of objective measures, including the Air Medical Prehospital Triage (AMPT) Score, which identifies trauma patients most likely to benefit from air transport based on paired physiologic and anatomic criteria. The session further explores the real-world challenges influencing HEMS decisions, such as geographic limitations, availability of definitive care and immediately available balanced blood products, variations in provider experience, and the pressures facing rural EMS systems. Participants will analyze when ground transport is equally effective—or superior—based on patient condition, time-to-care, and resource availability. The presentation also discusses the vital role of quality assurance, centralized coordination, and empowering both ground and air crews to make cancellation decisions aligned with patient-centered goals.

Description: In EMS education, simulation is a powerful tool for building critical thinking, teamwork, and hands-on skills, but it also carries the risk of creating “training scars”—behaviors unintentionally taught that fail to translate into safe, effective prehospital practice. These scars often emerge from shortcuts, unrealistic constraints, over-cueing, or habitual practices built into scenarios that do not reflect real-world environments. As educators, every instruction we give—whether explicit or implied—can profoundly influence how learners perform under stress. This presentation examines how training scars develop, how they manifest in field performance, and how we as instructors can redesign simulation to prevent them. By recognizing these pitfalls and integrating strategies that enhance realism, accountability, and critical reflection, we can ensure that the habits formed in training truly prepare our learners for safe, competent, confident patient care in the field.

Description: Departments are responsible to ensure that exposed employees/volunteers are provided proper post exposure care and counseling. In order to ensure that process, the department personnel responsible for the management of exposures need to know the current protocols that should be followed.

Description: Emergency medical service (EMS) clinicians work in unpredictable, high-pressure environments with exposure to trauma, fatigue, and chronic stress. These occupational demands raise concern for behavioral health outcomes, including alcohol misuse. Through a multi-method NIH-funded project, we conducted in-depth interviews with EMS personnel across certification levels and agency types and analyzed national survey data from more than 20,000 EMS clinicians. Together, these data provide the most comprehensive picture to date of alcohol use patterns, cultural drivers, and organizational factors that shape risk in the EMS workforce. Findings indicate that approximately one in three EMS clinicians who consumed alcohol in the past month met criteria for high-risk use based on established public health benchmarks. Risk was not evenly distributed across the workforce. Younger clinicians, White clinicians, those with higher education, and paramedics showed elevated prevalence. Qualitative interviews further highlighted the role of stress, social norms, recovery challenges, and limited organizational guidance on pre-shift drinking. This presentation will provide actionable strategies for leaders and educators and offer data-informed guidance on prevention, policy, and workforce wellness.

Description: Trauma-informed care is increasingly recognized as essential in prehospital practice, especially in collegiate Emergency Medical Services (EMS) where responders assist peers during moments of acute vulnerability. A patient encounter on McMaster University’s Emergency First Response Team revealed gaps in recognizing and responding to healthcare-related trauma, leading to the development of a formal trauma-informed care framework in 2024. The framework has since been adopted by multiple collegiate EMS agencies across North America. Through theoretical insights and practical tools, this session explores how responders can implement trauma-informed practices that strengthen patient trust, improve outcomes, and support responder well-being during emotionally charged calls. An opening case illustrates how a responder’s approach can shape a patient’s sense of safety. The principles of safety, trust, empowerment, voice, and collaboration are introduced with attention to their relevance across the EMS community. The Trauma-Informed Teams framework is outlined through its core elements of recognition, reassurance, and resisting re-traumatization, offering a structured model that any agency can adapt. Acknowledging the emotional demands placed on responders, the session presents strategies for building resilience within EMS programs. This presentation highlights how collegiate EMS programs are advancing trauma-informed practice and provides actionables for clinicians and leaders to integrate within their agencies.

Description: Overview of the history of Mobile Stroke Units, research trials, guidelines for acute stroke and neuroemergencies, current utilization, future directions

Description: This presentation equips EMS professionals with a focused understanding of the unique challenges of managing medical emergencies in the fast-paced, high-impact setting of professional hockey. Drawing on firsthand experience as an EMS physician for the Minnesota Wild (NHL) and Minnesota Frost (PWHL), the session highlights practical, evidence-based approaches to effective on-ice emergency care. Participants will explore the full spectrum of acute injuries and time-critical scenarios encountered in hockey including cervical spine trauma, blunt thoracic injuries, facial and airway compromise, lacerations, orthopedic injuries, and cardiac events. Emphasis will be placed on safe patient access and extrication on ice, coordinated team-based response with athletic trainers and arena medical staff, and procedural considerations within the constraints of hockey gear, rink layout, and game operations.

Description: Post-traumatic stress in first responders is often framed through textbook definitions, standardized coping models, and academic discussion. But the reality on the ground is far more unforgiving. This Is Going to Get Uncomfortable: There’s No Exposure Limit to PTSD strips away the polished language to confront the raw, unfiltered truth of what repeated trauma does to EMS providers, firefighters, and law enforcement officers. This session explores the lived experience of accumulating trauma without warning, support, or a defined “limit”—including the emotional and psychological toll of pronouncing eight children within six months while expected to maintain the stoic, heroic persona assigned to first responders. Drawing from personal narrative, this session highlights what happens when the system lacks debriefings, meaningful resources for non-veterans, and accessible mental health support. Attendees will examine how PTSD affects the responder, their family, their relationships, and their sense of identity. The presentation will also walk through the journey from shame and embarrassment around flashbacks and behavioral changes to building a sustainable, structured support system. By focusing on the harsh realities and the pathways to recovery, this session aims to open dialogue, dismantle stigma, and give providers the courage to address the hidden injuries they carry.

Description: Innovation and partnership: the driving forces behind South County Fire’s Mobile Integrated Health (MIH) and Community Resource Paramedic (CRP) program as it responds to complex behavioral health, substance use, and low-acuity medical needs. By reimagining how emergency services provide care, the program demonstrates how interdisciplinary, innovative response models create better outcomes for individuals, first responders, and the healthcare system. Traditional emergency systems were not designed to manage the layered medical, behavioral, and social challenges many individuals face. The CRP model closes this gap by deploying multidisciplinary teams trained in medical assessment, behavioral health, de-escalation, and care coordination. By integrating CRPs and Community Health Workers, the program breaks down silos, enables collaboration during crises, and ensures seamless transitions into follow-up care and long-term support. Innovation within the program also improves system efficiency. CRPs provide 24/7 on-scene assessment, treatment, frequently preventing unnecessary emergency department transports by connecting patients to community-based services. Longitudinal follow-up by Community Health Workers supports continuity of care and stabilizes high-risk patients. South County Fire’s partnership with the University of Washington’s Behavioral Health Crisis Outreach Response and Education (BHCORE) Center strengthens training, peer learning, and program evaluation, demonstrating the value of strong collaboration between frontline responders and higher education.

Description: Since the beginning, EMS protocols have been a chapter book containing pages of detailed instructions, standing orders, and medical commentary. These books used to be just that – books. The printed and spiral bound books of years past have since made the technological transformation into digital books, but these are often cumbersome and difficult to use when seconds count. We’re using 2026 technology to read protocols designed for 1976, and it’s time to fix that. Come learn about the pitfalls, gotchas, and shining moments of re-developing protocols from the ground up using an app-based, mobile-first approach to protocol development. Ditch the protocol book and download the protocol app.

Description: High-performance BLS is the backbone of prehospital care and remains one of the most influential determinants of patient survival. As EMT scope continues to expand—now including CPAP, 12-lead acquisition, bronchodilator therapy, and increasingly complex assessment expectations—basic providers must be trained to deliver timely, coordinated interventions that significantly improve outcomes before ALS arrives. This session provides a practical, system-wide approach for elevating BLS performance using structured treatment sequences, early recognition frameworks, and efficient teamwork models. Participants will learn evidence-based methods to improve respiratory, cardiac, and medical decision-making at the EMT level, while also exploring how agency culture, QA/QI, and scenario-based education can transform BLS operations. Drawing from extensive field leadership and instructional experience, this session translates real-world tactics into actionable steps agencies can implement to strengthen EMT competence, reduce treatment delays, and enhance patient safety. Attendees will leave with concrete tools for building a high-performance BLS system that consistently delivers strong patient care regardless of ALS availability.

Description: EMS and law enforcement often arrive on the same high-risk scenes with very different missions—EMS is focused on rapid patient access and lifesaving interventions, while police prioritize safety, control, and evidence preservation. These competing priorities frequently create operational tension, delays in care, and confusion about roles. This session uses real incidents and scenario-driven discussion to explore the most common conflict points between EMS and police, including prehospital death determination when PD restricts entry, managing agitated or restrained patients, active shooter and hostile-event integration, overdose scenes, domestic violence incidents, and vehicle pursuits. Attendees will learn practical, field-tested strategies for negotiating access, communicating effectively under stress, and integrating responsibilities without sacrificing provider safety or patient outcomes. The class highlights the Rescue Task Force and THREAT models, minimal-entry confirmation techniques, joint restraint procedures, and simple micro-negotiation language EMS can use to work collaboratively with police. Participants will leave with actionable tools to reduce on-scene friction and improve multidisciplinary performance when seconds matter and cooperation is essential.

Description: There has not been much attention to ventilation during CPR in cardiac arrest. New research arises its importance and possible results in both ventilation and survival. The largest study with a new synchronized ventilation mode was published after the review of evidence for the last 2025 international recommendations. In this presentation we will focus on recent recommendations, new insights and the results of the largest human study in ventilation during CPR so far.

Description: The opioid epidemic continues to challenge communities across the nation, demanding innovative and coordinated response strategies from emergency medical services (EMS). This presentation highlights how EMS agencies can leverage collaborative partnerships to coordinate and enhance their response to opioid-related emergencies. By implementing streamlined overdose data collection, conducting real-time overdose monitoring, and introducing targeted communication, harm reduction, and post-overdose outreach programs, these partnerships can help to transform EMS from a reactive service into a proactive force multiplier for public health intervention. Attendees will gain insight into successful county-level collaboration between EMS, Public Health, law enforcement, and coroner’s office, and the positive impact these partnerships can have on overdose response and community engagement. The session will highlight various collaboration strategies, discuss barriers to implementation, and offer strategies for building sustainable cross-sector alliances that empower EMS providers to play a pivotal role in combating the opioid crisis.

Description: As emergency medical services (EMS) continue to evolve to meet growing demands and complex challenges, the integration of military-trained personnel into the civilian workforce presents a powerful opportunity for innovation and resilience. Military members bring a wealth of experience in high-stress, resource-limited, and mission-focused environments—skills that directly enhance civilian emergency response systems. This presentation explores strategies for effectively utilizing these individuals, emphasizing structured transition programs, mentorship, and cross-training initiatives that align military competencies with civilian EMS standards. By leveraging their leadership, adaptability, and technical expertise, EMS agencies can strengthen operational capacity and improve patient outcomes. However, not all military members share the same experiences or skill sets. Even within the same branch or department, backgrounds vary widely—from medics and corpsmen to logistics specialists and combat leaders—each shaped by unique missions, cultures, and training philosophies. Recognizing and respecting this diversity is critical to ensuring successful integration. This discussion highlights the importance of individualized assessment and tailored onboarding to bridge cultural and procedural gaps between military and civilian systems. Ultimately, embracing the full spectrum of military experience within EMS fosters a more versatile, inclusive, and effective emergency response community.

Description: EMS professionals excel at rapid assessment, thinking under pressure, and caring for the sickest patients in uncontrolled environments — skills that seamlessly translate into nursing. As EMTs and Paramedics explore career advancement, many seek clearer pathways to RN licensure while still valuing their EMS identity. This fast-paced session provides a step-by-step roadmap for EMS providers to transition into nursing — from prerequisites and degree options to credit-for-experience, scheduling clinicals, and accessing tuition support while remaining active in the field. We will compare pathways for EMT-Basics and Paramedics, outline RN bridge options, and clarify differences between Community Paramedicine (MIH-CP) education and RN education. Drawing from his own journey as an active Paramedic and Emergency Nurse, the speaker shares personal lessons, pitfalls to avoid, and motivational insight that encourages EMS providers to grow while celebrating the profession they love. Attendees will leave with a realistic, empowering action plan.

Description: First responders are trained to save others but rarely taught how to save themselves. “Saving Ourselves: Dancing with Darkness” explores the mental, emotional, and cultural battles EMS professionals face in silence. Through honest storytelling and practical strategies, Brad Lawson, paramedic, educator, and founder of PIERCE Provisions and The PIERCE Foundation, guides participants through the realities of trauma, identity loss, and burnout that affect every level of the profession. This session closes the gap between awareness and action. It challenges stigma, redefines resilience, and empowers attendees to face their own darkness without being overcome by it. Participants will learn how to recognize early signs of emotional decline, start meaningful peer support conversations, and build lasting wellness habits that strengthen both their lives and their teams. This presentation is not just about surviving the job but about learning to dance with the weight that comes with it.

Description: This presentation equips first responders to recognize key behavioral characteristics of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and adapt their approach during emergency situations. Participants will learn to identify communication challenges, sensory sensitivities, and repetitive behaviors, while understanding the underlying nervous system factors driving these responses. By distinguishing coping mechanisms from signs of distress, responders will be better prepared to prevent escalation and avoid negative interactions that may have lasting effects. Attendees will gain practical strategies to create a calm, supportive environment, implement effective de-escalation techniques, and communicate using tailored, patient-centered methods. The course also highlights ways to build trust and rapport with autistic patients through patience, empathy, and clear, consistent communication, with the goal of improving safety, clinical outcomes, and the overall experience for both responders and individuals with autism.

Description: This session is designed for EMTs, paramedics, and prehospital professionals who operate in emergency, wilderness, disaster, and other resource-limited environments. It provides practical, field-ready strategies for bleeding control and wound management when standard equipment or timely transport may not be available. Attendees will review evidence-based irrigation techniques, the effective use of hemostatic agents such as chitosan, kaolin, and hydrogels, and realistic approaches to field wound closure using adhesives, staples, sutures, and bioactive dressings like medical-grade honey. The session also covers the role of local anesthetics in the prehospital setting, indications for antibiotic prophylaxis, and how to determine when a wound is appropriate for primary closure versus delayed management. Using the MARCH algorithm as an operational framework, the session emphasizes triage, prioritization, and decision-making under austere conditions. Participants will leave with actionable, field-tested techniques to manage bleeding and wounds effectively when evacuation is delayed, resources are scarce, or disaster conditions strain conventional EMS response.

Description: This presentation on children with special healthcare needs will be a live case study with two patients that are the speaker’s children, along with his wife. We will emphasize the importance of family-centered prehospital care. We will navigate through two case studies of pediatrics with a brain and cardiac congenital condition. We will have an interactive discussion on the EMS transport challenges with pediatric patients with special needs. Lastly, students will learn how to identify, communicate, and treat patients with Autistic Spectrum Disorder.

Description: Discussion on the importance of understanding and addressing the issues dealing with First Responders leaving the industry. Responders are continually exposed to various stressors on an almost daily basis, and these stressors affect not only their personal lives but can impact their professional lives and determine the longevity of performance. We will look at the Peer Reviewed research I conducted as part of my Masters research program and look at the factors that cause EMS providers to leave the workplace. We will identify the stressors that cause job dissatisfaction and ultimately cause providers to seek other means of employment. By addressing these issues, understanding the causes and having the ability to counter the short- and long-term effect, we can make a better workplace for our providers and insure a more stable workforce. We will also look at means to counter these noted stressors.

Description: Mobile Integrated Health (MIH) programs are expanding, offering EMS agencies an opportunity to deliver proactive care. However, many organizations hesitate to launch these programs due to concerns about staffing, budgets, or unclear program scope. This session introduces "Micro-MIH," a scalable approach that allows EMS agencies to start small and demonstrate early success. Participants will learn how to implement a simple, effective MIH program with their existing resources, focusing on manageable patient groups, training staff, and integrating workflows with emergency departments. The session will cover how to avoid common pitfalls like over scoping, poor documentation, and burnout.

Description: Just Culture revolutionized how EMS organizations view accountability—but it is no longer enough by itself. Agencies that want to meaningfully reduce preventable harm, strengthen clinician trust, and build true operational resilience must take the next step: adopting Collaborative High Reliability™ (CHR). CHR combines the science of high-reliability operations with the fairness and transparency of Just Culture, creating a practical, agency-wide model for consistent safety improvement. In a profession defined by dynamic environments, fragmented communication, and high-stakes decision-making, EMS must elevate from reactive error management to a proactive, system-level approach to risk. This presentation breaks down how CHR works, why it matters, and what EMS leaders must do to implement it. Attendees will learn how leadership alignment, event-learning systems, safety culture surveys, PSO protections, and team-based problem-solving anchor the CHR model. Through concrete examples, the session demonstrates how CHR empowers frontline clinicians, improves reporting, and turns every event into an opportunity for improvement. Participants will leave understanding not only why to adopt Collaborative High Reliability—but exactly how to begin the transformation in their own agency.

Description: Fire-based EMS agencies across the country are facing increasing volumes, higher-acuity patients, and long transport times to definitive care. Traditional ALS models are no longer enough to meet the clinical complexity of modern prehospital care. This presentation explores how fire departments can strategically integrate critical care transport (CCT)-level capabilities—including advanced airway management, ventilator management, expanded vasoactive medication choices, point-of-care testing, and advanced resuscitation—into existing fire-based EMS operations. Drawing from real-world fire service examples, system redesign strategies, and evolving national guidelines, this session will provide a roadmap for fire departments seeking to expand into critical care without overwhelming their workforce or budget. Attendees will learn how to build a scalable model that enhances patient outcomes, improves resource allocation, and strengthens an agency’s clinical identity.

Description: What matters in cardiac arrest care? Its likely the basics of high quality compressions and early defibrillation, but what else can we do as advanced providers to increase chances of survival? This presentation will go beyond the standard ACLS and delve into topics such as early amiodarone administration, dual sequential defibrillation, airway management, and more.

Description: Prehospital medicine continues to evolve rapidly, yet EMS remains one of the least-represented professions in clinical research, leaving critical decisions about protocols, airway management, resuscitation, and system design to external disciplines. This presentation argues that EMS must reclaim ownership of its evidence base by empowering EMTs, paramedics, educators, and leaders to participate in and lead research at every level. Drawing from current literature, the session highlights the risks of relying solely on physician- or hospital-driven studies, the unique value of street-level clinical insights, and the professional gains associated with developing a research culture in EMS. Attendees will explore accessible pathways into research, including quality improvement projects, retrospective reviews, observational studies, and collaborative investigations. They will leave with practical strategies to initiate research within their own agency. This session positions research not as an academic luxury, but as a necessary mechanism for advancing patient care, professional identity, and the long-term autonomy of EMS as a clinical discipline.

Description: This presentation examines how ventilation strategy influences outcomes in cardiac arrest, traumatic brain injury (TBI), and opioid-related respiratory failure, three of the most high-risk EMS scenarios. Using the hierarchy of intervention effectiveness as a framework, we will explore the clinical, operational, and educational considerations driving the choice between manual and mechanical ventilation. Participants will review current evidence on ventilation performance, common pitfalls, and system-level barriers that can impact patient outcomes. Through case-based discussion, we will compare the strengths and limitations of each method and provide practical recommendations for different environments, including rural, resource-limited, and high-volume systems. Attendees will leave with strategies to improve ventilation consistency, reduce preventable harm, and ensure their teams are delivering the right breath at the right time.

Description: Modern ventilators aren’t just delivering gas...they’re running complex math in real time. At the heart of this is the Least Squares Fit model, a mathematical algorithm that estimates critical parameters like compliance, resistance, and time constants. Understanding how this model works gives clinicians deeper insight into the “why” behind the numbers displayed on the screen. This session translates the math into practical bedside knowledge. Using real patient cases and ventilator data, we’ll explore how the least squares method interprets pressure, flow, and volume waveforms to calculate patient mechanics, and how artifacts, leaks, or asynchrony can throw those estimates off. Participants will debate how to interpret these readings when the numbers don’t match the clinical picture and discuss strategies to troubleshoot inaccuracies in dynamic flight or critical care environments. By the end, clinicians will have a working understanding of how their ventilator “thinks,” allowing them to better recognize when to trust the numbers and when to trust their gut.

Description: Traditional EMS quality systems frequently attribute adverse events to “provider error,” yet decades of safety science show that most errors reflect predictable human factors and system conditions. EMS providers frequently work under cognitive and emotional load that exceeds the capacity of human working memory, contributing to diagnostic shortcuts, attention lapses, and communication breakdowns. Research shows that fatigue, job strain, and punitive cultural norms increase the risk of adverse events and discourage transparent reporting. In contrast, systems that adopt just culture principles and human factors models demonstrate higher reporting rates, better workforce morale, and improved patient outcomes. This session draws from behavioral economics, cognitive science, and EMS research to illustrate why high-reliability systems focus on system contributors rather than individual blame. Attendees will analyze EMS-specific studies on cognitive load, mental health call complexity, and punitive QA environments. They will also review lessons from aviation and hospitals that successfully implemented just culture and continuous feedback loops. Participants will leave with a clear roadmap to redesign QA processes, improve psychological safety, and reduce defensive practice.

Description: Injury to Inspiration takes participants beyond the field and far past the emergency department, following patients with devastating injuries as they move into the operating room and through the complex journey of recovery. Featuring powerful patient interviews, operative video, and firsthand accounts from both the United States and Ukraine, this presentation highlights the extraordinary clinical efforts behind saving lives after crush trauma, gunshot wounds, motor vehicle accidents, and wartime injuries. Through real-life cases, attendees will see how rapid surgical decision-making, innovative wound strategies, and multidisciplinary coordination shape outcomes in some of the most challenging scenarios. The session offers a rare inside look at operating-room techniques, staged reconstruction, infection control, and advanced soft-tissue management used in high-acuity trauma centers and in the constrained conditions of Ukrainian hospitals. Beyond the technical expertise, it showcases the courage of patients and the unwavering commitment of surgical and wound-care teams striving for restoration of function, dignity, and hope. Participants will come away with practical insights and renewed inspiration for managing complex injuries from the OR to long-term recovery.

Description: Calling on-line medical control seems straightforward, but most EMTs and paramedics know how quickly it can get messy. Noise, stress, or a complex patient can turn a simple request into a confusing exchange, leaving both sides frustrated or unsure of what the other actually meant. Although nurses and hospital staff are trained to use structured reporting formats, EMS providers are rarely taught these same tools despite being expected to communicate at the same level. This solution-based session addresses that gap by showing prehospital providers how to apply a simple, predictable communication structure that fits the realities of field medicine and mirrors what physicians already rely on. Attendees will learn the format that exists to streamline clinical conversations by front-loading only the information that drives decisions. In this session, learners will break down real OLMC examples, practice adapting SBAR to dynamic scenes, and learn how to deliver a clear request without the back-and-forth that slows patient care. This approach strengthens provider confidence, supports telemedicine and treat-in-place models, and brings EMS communication in line with the expectations of ER physicians and staff.

Description: Join us for an illuminating session that delves into the powerful role of emergency medical services (EMS) clinicians and cutting-edge analysis in the battle against the opioid epidemic within your jurisdiction. Discover how states, such as New Jersey, are shifting approach and leading the charge through a groundbreaking collaboration between EMS, law enforcement, and public health agencies at both local and state levels. By harnessing the capabilities of EMS data, stakeholders can effectively monitor suspected opioid and illicit drug overdoses, pinpoint surges using "hot spot" geo-mapping, and pioneer medication-assisted treatment (MAT) and Rapid Referral programs in prehospital settings. Furthermore, we will shine a spotlight on the transformative "Five Minutes to Help" program, designed to equip EMS clinicians with deeper insights into Substance Use Disorder (SUD), tackle stigma, promote harm reduction, and foster behavioral change at the provider level. Don't miss this opportunity to be part of a pioneering movement that integrates EMS into treatment, harm reduction, and recovery efforts through education, collaboration, and innovative resources.

Description: EMS providers worldwide increasingly face situations that resemble “austere” environments—limited staffing, extended transport times, delayed resources, supply chain disruptions, and operational isolation. Yet lessons from true austere and remote settings are rarely translated into domestic EMS education. In this session, we examine field-tested strategies derived from more than two decades of global practice in high-risk, resource-limited environments including Afghanistan, Iraq, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, offshore maritime vessels, and remote Pacific islands. Participants will explore actionable practices that improve decision-making, clinical care, patient safety, and operational resilience—regardless of department size or geography. The presentation connects austere medicine principles to everyday EMS challenges, offering practical tools for providers, training officers, supervisors, and system leaders. By reframing “lack of resources” as a predictable operational condition, EMS agencies can build a more capable and adaptable workforce prepared for tomorrow’s complex response environment.

Description: Traumatic cardiac arrest (TCA) has historically carried survival rates below 1%, reinforcing a belief that resuscitation is often futile. Emerging field data, however, challenge this narrative. This session examines coordinated prehospital strategies—hemorrhage control, whole blood resuscitation, high-performance CPR, and externally applied aortic compression—that have demonstrated return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) and meaningful survival in both combat and civilian settings. Using insights from a Ukrainian case series in which six TCA patients received rapid, integrated intervention and achieved 100% ROSC, this session outlines reproducible, mechanism-driven practices that EMS teams can adopt. Comparative data on technologies such as the AAJT-S will be referenced to illustrate physiologic rationale and operational considerations (not endorsement). The presentation focuses on translating battlefield lessons into actionable EMS protocols applicable across diverse environments—from rural services to high-threat, urban, and tactical teams.

Description: Do you get excited about an imminent birth, or does the mere mention make your palms sweat? Either way, this course can help you to implement best practices regarding imminent birth, whether all is going well, or problems present themselves. We will use our experience as community birth midwives and EMS Providers to help normalize birth for you. We will discuss normal birth, and how to guard that experience and keep it safe for all involved. We will share best practices for birth care, and ways to simplify everything to keep the focus where it belongs, on the mother and baby. We will share tips and insider perspective to help bring birth back to what most of the time it is-a normal, natural event. When things don't proceed in a normal manner, simple basic ideas can help you to keep the process safe and well managed. We will discuss, demonstrate, and drill methods to help with shoulder dystocia, breech babies, cord prolapse, twins, pre-eclampsia, post-partum hemorrhage, maternal mental health disorders, maternal sepsis, and maternal cardiac arrest.

Description: Ethical challenges in EMS rarely arrive neatly labeled—they appear in chaotic living rooms, tense family disputes, confusing refusals, and high-stress scenes where the “right” answer isn’t always obvious. The Ethical Medic and a Moral Mayday equips EMS providers with clear, practical tools for navigating those difficult moments with confidence and professionalism. This session breaks down the core principles of EMS ethics—autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, and justice—and shows how they apply to real-world patient encounters. Participants will learn a simple, repeatable decision-making model designed specifically for field providers who must make high-stakes choices under pressure and with limited information. Through relatable case studies, on-scene examples, and interactive discussion, attendees will explore common dilemmas such as impaired refusals, end-of-life conflicts, limited resources, confidentiality challenges, and partner disagreements. The class emphasizes clear communication, documentation, and strategies for reducing bias and emotional escalation. Whether you’re new to EMS or a seasoned provider, this course will strengthen your ability to make ethically defensible decisions that uphold patient dignity, protect provider safety, and enhance public trust. Come prepared to think, discuss, and sharpen the ethical judgment you rely on every shift.

Description: Post traumatic stress affects 1 in 7 EMS professionals; some research suggests more than 50% of first responders are affected with job related stress. However, we still do not have a robust mechanism for prevention, early detection, and long term management. This presentation offers a unique window between two distinctly different providers. One suffered severe addiction as a result of undiagnosed PTSD and the other has never taken a drink in his entire life. Yet, they both exhibited the same subtle signs of job related stress. This presentation focusses on the progressive, subtle, and cumulative effects of trauma and its recognition. Moreover, the presenters offer realistic and practical solutions for post traumatic growth, a distinctly different approach than traditional management of job related stress.

Description: EMS and public safety leaders are battling the same challenge: we can’t hire fast enough to keep up with who’s leaving. But what if the answer isn’t “more recruitment,” but smarter retention? This powerful, fast-moving session introduces a data-driven framework, The Workforce Utilization Model (WUM), that integrates psychology, adult learning, and business strategy to keep people longer. Participants will explore how to apply the Four Retention Principles (Life-Cycle, Belonging, Success, and Friends & Family) through actionable, evidence-based interventions. Using real EMS data, attendees will learn to calculate retention ROI, identify early “flight risks,” and implement sustainable culture change through Kotter’s Change Model. Walk away with a ready-to-use playbook that transforms retention from an HR problem into a leadership competency.

Description: Grief is an inevitable part of public safety work, yet most responders have never been taught how to process it in a way that protects their mental and physical health while also giving structure and meaning to the hardships they face. This presentation introduces The Grief Protocol—a psychological and physiological framework designed for EMS, fire, police, and dispatch professionals navigating both micro- and macro-level grief. Trauma and resilience specialist Ali W. Rothrock and Yoga For First Responders® founder Olivia Mead combine evidence-based grief theory with research-backed nervous-system regulation to offer a practical, accessible approach to loss. Drawing on Worden’s Tasks of Mourning, Neimeyer’s meaning-making framework, and autonomic nervous system science, this session explains why grief impacts the mind and body so powerfully—and how responders can support themselves through it. Participants will learn concrete tools, including breathwork, movement, and grounding techniques that can be used during and after critical incidents. Through a blend of education and brief guided practices, attendees will leave with a repeatable protocol they can use on duty, off duty, and throughout their careers.

Description: Accurate EMS documentation is more than a compliance requirement—it is the foundation of scientific discovery and evidence-based practice. Writing the Record: How EMS Documentation Drives Discovery will examine the critical role that routine patient care documentation plays in shaping research outcomes and improving clinical decision-making. Participants will explore how documentation quality directly impacts data integrity, research validity, and ultimately, patient care standards. This session will also address the variability in documentation training across the nation and its implications for EMS research. Through discussion and practical examples, attendees will learn strategies to enhance documentation practices, strengthen data quality, and support future scientific advancements. By improving the way we write the record, EMS professionals can contribute to more reliable research and better-informed care delivery.

Description: Join us for a podcast style presentation over several newly published articles related to EMS. Hear perspectives from both a clinical and data perspective, with interpretation of research relevant to everyday practice. Gain a broader understanding about how to interpret the language of academic literature. Hear about important takeaways related to our EMS system that you can bring home to yours.

Description: With the ever-increasing use of petroleum-based materials in manufacturing, structure fires burn hotter and faster than ever before. But that is not the only thing that makes them more dangerous than they used to be. Cyanide poisoning is a leading killer of victims at the scenes of fires all over the world because of the prevalence of petroleum-based products. Yet in school, paramedics are usually only taught about carbon monoxide and its dangers in structure fires – hydrogen cyanide is often completely left out of the conversation. In this presentation, we will discuss how cyanide forms in fires, the prevalence of hydrogen cyanide toxicity, its mechanism, and its treatment, using real-world examples and data.

Description: Today’s EMS classrooms are filled with learners shaped by social media, streaming, and short-form content. Gen Z consumes knowledge in 60-second bursts, while educators are used to hour-long lectures. This generational mismatch can leave students disengaged and instructors frustrated. This session explores how TikTok, memes, and microlearning are influencing modern learning styles. Participants will discover practical strategies to bridge the gap — from chunking content into digestible segments, to weaving pop culture into case discussions, to balancing entertainment with rigor.