PA EMS Conference

Steve Wirth is a founding partner of Page, Wolfberg & Wirth, LLC, and is one of the best known EMS attorneys and consultants in the United States. Widely regarded as the nation’s leading EMS law firm, PWW represents private, public and non-profit EMS organizations, as well as billing companies, software manufacturers and others that serve the nation’s ambulance industry. In a distinguished public safety career that spans four decades, Steve has worked in virtually every facet of EMS – as a first responder, firefighter, EMT, paramedic, flight paramedic, EMS instructor, fire officer, and EMS executive – and was one of central Pennsylvania’s first paramedics. Steve is a dynamic and sought after speaker at regional, state and national conferences on a variety of EMS and public safety subjects.  He has authored numerous articles and book chapters on a wide range of EMS leadership, reimbursement, risk management, corporate compliance and workplace law topics.

Paul Werfel is a prolific international speaker, and author of over 50 articles, magazine columns, and book sections, Paul brings three decades of EMS experience to the paramedic program. In addition to fourteen years as a NYC Paramedic, he has served as the program coordinator for Advanced Cardiac, Trauma and Pediatric life support at the Emergency Care Institute at Bellevue Hospital- NYU Medical Center in New York City, and as Emergency Care Programs Coordinator at Jamaica Hospital, Queens N.Y.  He also serves as Professor of Clinical Emergency Medicine and Clinical Assistant Professor of Health Science. As a recipient of the 1998 Faculty Achievement Award, he is also a member of the review boards for Pre-hospital and Disaster Medicine, and Pre-Hospital Immediate Care Magazines. He is an expert writer for the National Standard EMT-Intermediate/Paramedic Curriculum revision project, and, a founding Board of Directors Member of the National EMS Educator’s Association.

Pre-Conference Workshops:

Bylaws, Boards, Members & More: Leading the Non-Profit EMS Agency into the Future (6 hours)
EMS is under more scrutiny than ever before in this age of “transparency” and “accountability” in health care. Most EMS agencies are non-profit organizations that must adhere to a variety of laws and regulations. Serving in a leadership role of a non-profit organization brings with it a wide range of legal and ethical responsibilities. This interactive workshop, lead by the nation’s leading EMS law firm, will provide the “nuts and bolts” of managing the top risk areas you can expect in 2019 and beyond. Presented by Attorneys Steve Wirth and Christy Mellott – Page, Wolfberg & Wirth, LLC.

Safely Addressing Violent Encounters (S.A.V.E.) (8 hours)
Foundations & Principles
Emergency responders routinely find themselves in high stress situations with the potential for violence. Unfortunately, little training is provided to effectively address this growing problem. This workshop is a hands-on, interactive program that fills the void in “scene safety” training and education. The participant will be introduced to defensive tactics and principles that will enable the provider to better protect themselves and their space with a focus on awareness and avoidance practices. Presented by Protective Consulting Solutions.

Escapes & Controls 
While building on the skills learned in “foundations and principles,” this workshop will progress into escapes from statically common attacks. Although fleeing danger is almost always the goal, certain incidents do not allow for this reaction. Controlling a violent person, even briefly, is a common necessity in today’s environment. Prior completion of Foundations & Principles workshop required. Presented by Protective Consulting Solutions.

Pediatric Trauma in the 21st Century: Responding to the Unthinkable (4 hours)
This program will take a deep look at what is becoming an all-too-common occurrence, mass violence at a school.  Utilizing historical data from real life incidents, the instructor will discuss operational planning and preparedness, response using current recognized best practices, management of a mass casualty incident involving a large number of pediatric patients, provider safety and situational awareness, and Tactical Emergency Casualty Care (TECC) guidelines and considerations specific to pediatrics. Presented by Katrina Thoma, Special Operations Aid & Rescue, Ltd.