Kyle Narron

Conducting clinical research in 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.

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 session 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 nonveterans, 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.