Welcome to the 2025 For nearly half a century, PEHSC has worked in conjunction with the Pennsylvania Department of Health to provide accessible and high-quality EMS continuing education. Since 2020, our virtual conferences have been able to reach thousands of EMS providers across Pennsylvania and beyond.
Based on continued overwhelmingly positive feedback, we have decided to once again keep the event virtual.
Although we miss seeing everyone in person, we believe that this format is the best way to keep affordable, high-quality education accessible to as many of Pennsylvania's EMS providers as possible, given the current state of the EMS industry.
We are excited to offer a wide selection of webinars on a variety of relevant topics, presented by both national and local subject matter experts.
09/02/2025 08:00
Anthony Martin09/02/2025 09:15
Alvin Wang09/02/2025 10:30This session aims to broaden EMS providers knowledge for out-of-hospital OB/GYN emergencies. Participants will learn to accurately document OB/GYN histories and recognize key signs and symptoms of obstetric emergencies such as eclampsia, shoulder dystocia, prolapsed cord, trauma in pregnancy, and ectopic pregnancy. The session will also address gynecologic emergencies, including ovarian torsion, vaginal bleeding, and violence against women. Additionally, attendees will gain an understanding of the indications for TXA, oxytocin, and blood products in postpartum hemorrhage, as well as the concept of alloimmunization and its relevance to transfusion decisions.
Cassandra Crouse09/02/2025 13:00In today’s high-demand EMS landscape, driving safety is a critical component of operational excellence. This session explores how the Drive Cam Program is transforming the way EMS professionals approach vehicle operation—not as a system of discipline, but as a platform for growth, self-reflection, and proactive correction. For staff and drivers, Drive Cam empowers individuals to review their own driving behavior, spot unsafe habits, and make meaningful changes without direct managerial correction—unless actions are repeated or of high severity. This supports a culture of ownership and continuous learning, allowing staff to recognize and address potential issues before they escalate. By observing near misses and behavior trends, we help prevent accidents before they happen. For leadership, the program provides a fair, consistent method for evaluating driving practices, supporting employee development, and using objective video data during performance reviews and investigations. This year, we’ve learned that data from the program can reveal not just individual concerns but system-wide patterns—informing improvements in training, route planning, and even policy development. We've adjusted our coaching strategies, streamlined our follow-up processes, and implemented more supportive feedback systems—all driven by insights gained from Drive Cam footage. Join us to explore how recognizing, observing, and correcting behavior leads to a safer, more efficient EMS team. You'll leave with practical strategies for using Drive Cam not just to monitor performance, but to improve it—while fostering a team culture rooted in safety, accountability, and respect.In today’s high-demand EMS landscape, driving safety is a critical component of operational excellence. This session explores how the Drive Cam Program is transforming the way EMS professionals approach vehicle operation—not as a system of discipline, but as a platform for growth, self-reflection, and proactive correction.
Dawn Ray09/02/2025 14:15The majority of patients that prehospital providers encounter are able to, and do, consent to evaluation and treatment by EMS, and transport to definitive care. Other patients will refuse some combination of such evaluation, treatment, and transport, and will be able to do so with an understanding and acceptance of the risks of doing so. But what about those who are not able to either consent to, or adequately refuse, prehospital care? Patients who are not able to consent to treatment, such as those with altered mental status or who otherwise lack the capacity to do so, present a significant social, ethical, and medical challenge for prehospital providers, and, increasingly, present a legal risk in the form of battery or malpractice accusations. This session will review the basics of patient autonomy and consent, and provide a general overview of the law in Pennsylvania as it applies to prehospital providers. We will also review recent court cases from around the country that have touched on prehospital consent issues.
David Goroff09/02/2025 15:30This presentation delves into the EMS Compact, a groundbreaking advancement that revolutionizes interstate licensure for EMS providers. It enables nearly 400,000 EMS professionals in the U.S. to practice in multiple states with a single Home State license. The session explores the history, structure, and purpose of the EMS Compact, highlighting its role as both state law and a multi-state agreement. Attendees will learn how interstate licensure compacts operate and how the EMS Compact can address workforce recruitment and retention challenges. The presentation also examines the compact's implications on state licensure requirements, local credentialing processes, and the regulatory landscape, enhancing EMS provider mobility while maintaining high standards. Insights into the practical and legal aspects of the EMS Compact will be provided, elucidating its significance for agency leaders, educators, and EMS professionals.
Donnie Woodyard09/03/2025 08:00This interactive session will explore the complexities of managing the difficult airway in the prehospital environment, with a focus on practical strategies, real-world scenarios, and teamwork under pressure. Drawing from both EMS field experience and emergency department practice, the presenter will highlight key decision-making principles, tools, and techniques that can improve patient outcomes in high-stakes airway situations. Attendees will also review relevant Pennsylvania EMS protocols related to airway management, with discussion on how to apply them effectively in challenging cases. Emphasis will be placed on integrating protocol knowledge with clinical judgment, optimizing team communication, and recognizing when to pivot strategies.
Lily Roth09/03/2025 10:15Angioedema presents a unique and often anxiety-inducing challenge in the prehospital and emergency setting due to its potential for rapid airway compromise. However, not all cases warrant aggressive intervention. This presentation explores the diverse etiologies of angioedema—ranging from mast cell-mediated to bradykinin-mediated forms—and examines how their distinct pathophysiologies impact clinical presentation and management. Attendees will learn to distinguish between allergic and non-allergic causes, recognize red flags that indicate high-risk airway involvement, and identify scenarios where watchful waiting may be more appropriate than immediate intervention. We’ll also review current evidence-based prehospital treatment strategies, including when epinephrine is—and isn’t—effective. By the end of the session, EMS providers will gain a nuanced approach to angioedema care that prioritizes both patient safety and resource stewardship. Let’s separate the true emergencies from the overreactions
Avram Flamm09/03/2025 13:00Objectives:
Brian Risavi09/03/2025 14:15We as instructors teach EMS in nice defined sections, Heart issues, airway problems, stoke, to name a few. It seems as we are quite adept at assessing and treating these things when they occur separately. But what happens when the 66 year old asthma patient also has a history of COPD, heart failure and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma??
Join EMS author and presenter Paul Werfel in this new and insightful look into the patients we are seeing today where more complex issues, medications, assessment and treatments are the order of the day.
Paul Werfel09/03/2025 16:00Pediatric patients are often a source of concern for EMS providers when the child is dealing with what many would categorize as a routine emergency. However, when a child is already medically fragile and requires the use of additional medical devices, this becomes significantly more complicated. Beyond the medical care needs, there is also a need to integrate equipment that EMS providers are not comfortable with, and concerns that parents/caregivers will have when dealing with medical providers.
Mark Ford09/04/2025 08:00Every day, EMS clinicians encounter dialysis patients. Arguably, dialysis patients may be some of the sickest we encounter, based upon their underlying physiology, chronic disease state, and fragile vasculature. Join me as we explore the underlying causes of dialysis, how the dialyzation process works, and the most common medical emergencies that occur in the dialysis patient!
Jonathon Jenkins09/04/2025 09:15Description: With the Baby-Boomers, single largest population group of people, getting older and beginning to retire, this topic becomes more timely and applicable. Participants will be taken through the normal physiologic changes that occur with the aging process and then relate that to how it affects the traumatically injured victim. Participants will be given the information to help determine the underlying sequence of whether or not it was a medical patient first and then a trauma patient or vice versa. Objectives: Upon completion of this continuing education session the student will be able to; Discuss the epidemiology for trauma in older people. Discuss the assessment findings in older patients with traumatic injuries. Describe management and transport of the older trauma victim. Discuss the risk factors that make older people prone to falls. Discuss essential components of assessing a fall. Identify strategies used for prevention of falls.
David Sanko09/04/2025 11:00We will explore the current model of EMS, which refuses to acknowledge field diagnoses as diagnoses and requires EMS providers to get a signed refusal of service even when all parties involved believe transportation to a hospital emergency department is not necessary. We will look at novel ways a 911 call for service can be dispositioned, including EMS initiated non-transport, stabilizing care with follow up resources provided at the point of care, alternative vehicle response, nurse triage, and the obstacles to this model of EMS.
R. Daniel Bledsoe09/04/2025 13:00Transport care of patients with Infectious Diseases: How to Protect Yourself and Everyone Else Will discuss practical and meaningful tips for obvious recognition of and how to safely transport Patient’s with Flu, COVID, RSV, C Diff, Meningitis, Ebola, Measles (or any other ID you’d like to specifically address). Will also address some basic disinfection tips that would be prudent / applicable.
Mollie Lauck09/04/2025 14:15This presentation takes a deep dive into the prehospital assessment & management of hemorrhagic shock and its underlying causes. A.J. will review the areas of a trauma patient where a large volume of blood can “hide” (unnoticed) and exsanguinate a patient. Injuries to be covered include flail chest, pneumothorax, femur fractures, and pelvic fractures.
Cases will be presented along with several dramatic cadaver videos that will give attendees an unprecedented “inside” look at the human body and its remarkable (and dangerous) capability to lose (and hide) blood and cause patients to die needlessly. Attendees will learn key assessment and treatment tips to help them defeat the Grim Reaper of Shock.
A.J. Heightman09/05/2025 08:00As advanced practice providers, we are expected to be able to discern dangerous rhythms on the ECG—such as the dreaded ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction. Yet, there are a multitude of rhythms that mimic this feared arrhythmia, which are often mistaken for an acute myocardial infarction on the 12-lead ECG. This leads to inappropriate activation of cardiac catheterization lab personnel, as well as inappropriate treatment of patients. This presentation will discuss six commonly misinterpreted STEMI mimics encountered by EMS professionals, and help you distinguish between what is real and what is fantasy.
Chris Ebright09/05/2025 10:00Foreign bodies go in ...but don’t always come out the way we hope. This fast-paced session dives into the high-stakes world of pediatric foreign body ingestion, insertion, and aspiration, from coins and magnets to button batteries and even Rapunzel Syndrome. Learn to spot subtle signs, escalate care when seconds matter, and avoid the pitfalls of missed or delayed diagnosis. With real-world cases, practical tips, and a dose of “you can’t make this up,” this session will sharpen your response when kids sip, swallow, stuff, or sputter their way into your care.
Joyce Foresman-Capuzzi09/05/2025 11:15Great peer support programs are successful without the team knowing they are happening. It shouldn’t be uncomfortable or awkward. 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. Strategies for overcoming organizational resistance, stigma, "bad apples", inadequate funding, and other roadblocks will be discussed.
Objectives:
Nick Carson09/05/2025 13:00
Alvin Wang
R. Daniel Bledsoe09/05/2025 15:15This course covers the varying components of preparing for an event from EMS perspective. It covers goals, staff roles, phases of planning and logistics.
Gary Vinnacombe
A.J. Heightman, MPA, EMT-P, is an experienced (51-year) EMS provider, manager, administrator, author, publisher, consultant and presenter who stays on top of what current and proposed EMS and hospital practices are and will be in the future.
His career spans 51 years, with positions in EMS administration, management, field care, supervision, incident command and operations, and EMS publishing and consulting. He served as an EMS Executive Director for 17 years, an EMS Operations Director for 4 years, an EMS Command Officer for 20 years, and an EMS Editor-in-Chief at JEMS for 26 years.
He is currently the Chief Development Officer and a Senior Advisor with Cambridge Consulting Group. He has 51 years of experience in EMS System Design and Implementation, administration, management, operations, and EMS publishing.
He is also an Adjunct Instructor of Clinical Research and Leadership at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences.
From 1975-1992, A.J. was Executive Director of Eastern PA EMS and regional MEDCOM Advanced Medical Communications System Director.
From 1992-1995, A.J. served as Director of Operations for Cetronia Ambulance, a large multi-county, multi-function, non-profit EMS service near Allentown, PA.
He also served as a paramedic and Command Officer for Bethlehem Township Volunteer Fire Department from 1975 to 1993.
Dr. Flamm is an EMS and Emergency physician who serves as System EMS Medical Director for WellSpan Health and Director of EMS Division of the Department of Emergency Medicine, WellSpan York Hospital. He started his journey in EMS in the late 90s, completed paramedic course in 2001 and has been involved with EMS for over 25 years. Dr. Flamm completed medical school in New York and Emergency Medicine Residency and EMS Fellowship in Pennsylvania where he has been practicing since. Dr. Flamm is an Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at Drexel University. He serves as core faculty for the emergency medicine residency program at York Hospital where he teaches residents and medical students. Dr. Flamm serves as a Medical Team Manager with FEMA Urban Search and Rescue Pennsylvania Task Force 1, as the co-chair of PACEP EMS committee, as a Pennsylvania delegate to national ACEP council, committee member of the national ACEP EMS and Disaster Medicine committees, and holds leadership roles in many other local, regional and national Emergency and EMS groups. Dr. Flamm has presented regionally and nationally and published dozens of peer reviewed studies in the field of EMS, emergency medicine, public health and disaster medicine.
Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine, Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine
Medical Director, ITLS Penn-Ohio
Regional Medical Director EMMCO West EMS Council
Nationally certified Fire Officer III, Fire Instructor II
46 years experience in Fire/Rescue/EMS
Cassandra Crouse is a second-year medical student at VCOM-VA in Blacksburg, VA. Originally from Montoursville, PA, she began her EMS career as an EMT with UPMC Williamsport in 2017. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Emergency Medicine from the University of Pittsburgh in 2021. Following graduation, Cassandra returned to north central Pennsylvania, where she worked as a paramedic and instructor, teaching ACLS, BLS, EMT, and paramedic courses. She currently serves part-time with the Town of Christiansburg EMS in rural southwest Virginia.
Chris Ebright is the Lead Instructor for The University of Toledo EMS Program, where he provides all aspects of primary EMS education in-house, as well as continuing education for numerous EMS services within Toledo and Northwest Ohio. Chris has been a Nationally Registered paramedic for 31 years, providing primary EMS response and critical care transportation. He has taught to hundreds of first responders, EMT's, paramedics, and nurses with his trademark whiteboard sessions, including students from the Cayman Islands, India, and Australia. Chris has also been a featured presenter at numerous local, state, and national EMS conferences over the past 19 years.
David Goroff is a paramedic and attorney, who focuses on heath care regulatory issues and has experience working with health care clients on corporate practice of medicine, regulatory compliance, telehealth and telemedicine, coding, and anti-kickback and referral matters. David has worked as a paramedic in Delaware, Maryland, and Pennsylvania, and as an EMS state regulator in Maryland. David is currently a full-time paramedic with Cecil County, Maryland's Department of Emergency Services, and works as an attorney at a large national law firm.
David has been active in EMS for over 40 years starting in EMS in 1982 with one of private ambulance services in Denver. David has a BA from Boston University and NREMTP from St. Anthony’s – Denver Health. David has been working in the Denver region as a NREMT-Paramedic / Instructor for private and public agencies, Flight for Life Paramedic, volunteer Fire Fighter /Paramedic, adjunct faculty for community colleges, instructor for Denver Health EMTB and Paramedic Schools, and currently with AdventHealth as the EMS Coordinator. David was also a co-founder/ owner of Pridemark Paramedic Services operating in the Denver region. David’s style of dynamic, humorous and engaging educational offerings has been sought after at the national and local levels as a speaker for over 34 years. Days off include officiating soccer games, scuba diving, golfing, skiing, and hunting.
With 30 years of service at Lancaster EMS, including over 20 years as a paramedic and more than three decades of experience driving emergency vehicles, I bring a deep well of knowledge and leadership to emergency medical services. For the past 8 years, I have served as a Captain at Lancaster EMS, where I have focused on improving operational efficiency and promoting safe driving habits across the agency. My career reflects a strong commitment to patient care, professional development, and cultivating a culture of safety and accountability within a fast-paced EMS environment.
Donnie Woodyard Jr., MAML, NRP, is a nationally recognized leader in emergency medical services, with over three decades of experience as an EMS leader, innovator, paramedic, and instructor. His career began in high school as a volunteer EMT in Pearisburg, Virginia, igniting a lifelong passion for prehospital care, education, and policy development. By 19, he became a Paramedic, earning his certification from Sinclair Community College in Dayton, Ohio, while concurrently attending Cedarville University. He later earned degrees from Indiana University and a Master’s in Management and Leadership from Liberty University. Currently, he is completing a Doctorate in Law & Policy, focusing on the intersection of EMS regulation, interstate compacts, and national security.
Donnie has served in multiple key EMS leadership roles, including the State EMS Director for Louisiana and Colorado, a Paramedic Program Director, and EMS Chief, spearheading modernization efforts in EMS education, technology, and governance. His work in EMS policy and interstate practice has shaped regulatory frameworks that enhance clinician mobility and emergency response coordination across states.
His international experience includes leading EMS development in Sri Lanka and South Asia, where he played a pivotal role in establishing the foundation for the modern EMS systems in Sri Lanka. He also led large medical teams responding to regional disaster and conflict zones. Upon returning to the U.S., he was appointed Louisiana’s State EMS Director, where he led efforts to digitize EMS licensure and enhance state-level EMS coordination. He later joined the National Registry of EMTs as Chief Information Officer and subsequently the Chief Operating Officer, overseeing advancements like the National EMS ID system, mobile applications, and the design of the National EMS Coordinated Database.
In 2019, Donnie returned to state EMS leadership as the Chief of Emergency Medical and Trauma Services for the state of Colorado. While in this role he was appointed as Colorado’s Commissioner to the United States EMS Compact. His leadership was recognized nationally, leading to his election as Vice Chair and later Chair of the EMS Compact’s governing body. In 2023, Donnie was appointed Executive Director of the United States EMS Compact, where he continues to advance interstate licensure, national EMS preparedness, and policy integration for EMS governance at the federal and state levels.
Beyond EMS, Donnie is a Scuba Dive Master with over 800 dives and a fixed-wing pilot, currently serving as Squadron Commander with the United States Air Force Auxiliary – Civil Air Patrol. His humanitarian work spans disaster and war zone response missions in Haiti, Sri Lanka, Ethiopia, Ukraine and Bangladesh.
A respected authority in EMS policy, mobility, and workforce regulation, Donnie has authored and consulted on EMS governance, education, and national security initiatives. He is a graduate of the Naval Postgraduate School’s Executive Leadership Program, holds a certificate in Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare from Harvard University, and continues to shape the future of EMS through policy, leadership, and governance reform.
Visit: www.ems-history.com for more information.
Gary Vinnacombe has served as an EMS Chief / Director for the last 20 years in hospital, fire department and event medicine based services. Gary has a Bachelors Degree in Emergency & Disaster Planning and is completing his Masters Degree in Public Administration. Gary has served as President of his counties EMS Council and currently serves on the PEHSC Board of Directors.
Jonathon has been involved in EMS since 2009 and has been a Pennsylvania and Nationally Registered Paramedic since 2015. Jonathon earned a Bachelor of Science in Emergency Medicine from the University of Pittsburgh in 2016 and a Master of Science in Emergency Medical Services from Creighton University in 2024. Jonathon currently serves as the Clinical Research Education Manager for the Linking Investigations in Trauma and Emergency Services (LITES) Network at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, within the Department of Surgery. Prior to joining the LITES Network Team, Jonathon served as the Education and Training Administrator at Mutual Aid Ambulance Service and Program Director of the Mutual Aid-Excela Health Paramedic Training Program, in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. Jonathon works clinically as a Paramedic at Lower Burrell EMS in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, is an EMS Educator with FOAMfrat, and host of the Clinical Concepts Podcast. Jonathon’s academic interests include prehospital blood product administration in hemorrhagic shock, prehospital management of cardiogenic shock, prehospital airway management, and the advancement and development of EMS educators in the realm of clinical quality improvement.
Joyce Foresman-Capuzzi, DNP, RN, CCNS, EMT-P, FAEN is a seasoned EMS and critical care professional with decades of field and academic experience. A former paramedic and current Clinical Nurse Specialist, she brings a unique blend of prehospital, emergency, trauma, and forensic expertise to her work. Joyce is a national speaker, published author, and Fellow of the Academy of Emergency Nursing, known for delivering dynamic, high-impact education to providers across the emergency spectrum.
Lily Roth has grown up in the PA EMS system. Starting at age 15 she spent a summer riding along on the ambulance and quickly fell in love with the unpredictable and fast paced prehospital environment. After becoming a EMT at 16 she went on to become a volunteer EMT at Second Alarmer's Rescue Squad (Willow Grove, PA). In college she majored in Emergency Medicine (University of Pittsburgh, PA) and become a paramedic. Prior to going back to medical school she worked full time as a paramedic both in the North Hills of Pittsburgh (Northwest West EMS and Ross Westview EMS) and Second Alarmer's Rescue Squad. Now an Emergency Medicine Resident in Philadelphia (Jefferson Einstein Philadelphia) she still finds time to work on the ambulance. Despite shifting most of her time working in the in hospital environment she still has a deep passion and respect for the prehospital environment and the providers that serve patients before they get to the ED.
Mark Ford is a dedicated EMT with 24 years of experience, currently serving as a Career Lieutenant at the Bellevue Fire Department. Mark is a proud father of three, including his 10-year-old son, Isaiah, who has a medically fragile condition. Through his course on "Medically Fragile and High Tech Kids," Mark aims to share his knowledge and personal insights to help others provide effective care for children with complex medical needs.
CRNP for the past 14 years; RN for 19; Wide experience in Emergency Medicine and Patient Transport working both Inpatient / Outpatient Settings. Board Certified in Emergency Medicine and Family Practice working as ER Provider and Hospitalist.
Nick Carson, is a Flight Paramedic with the University of Vermont Health Network. He owns Precision Training, LLC, and hosts the Code 321 Podcast. Nick is a national conference speaker specializing in training, safety systems, trauma care, leadership, and active threat response. Nick has authored multiple training programs across emergency response agencies. He has worked in the career fire service, municipal EMS, and critical care medicine. Nick also works for Mind the Frontline Inc. a 503(c) non-profit committed to the mental health and wellness of first responders.
