A1 - Understanding EMS Law

B1 - Suicide: When Things Get Bad

C1 - Baby, it’s Cold Outside

Doug Wolfberg, Attorney
This session will review the types of lawsuits EMS providers may find themselves in, and explain the legal basis for a negligence suit against an ambulance service. You will be provided with principles that can be applied to difficult field situations involving consent for and refusal of care. We will explore the law as it applies to withholding and discontinuing resuscitation. The importance of effective documentation will also be discussed.

Dwight Polk, MSW, NREMT-P
"I just don’t understand why he did it!" We’ve all heard it before after we arrive on the scene of someone who has killed himself or herself. This presentation takes a look at the reasons why people commit suicide, the ways they carry out the act, and what happens to those who are left behind. The role of the EMS provider and how we should respond to the suicide call will also be discussed.

Mike Smith, EMT-P
Be ready for the next call you get for someone who decides to tempt fate on thin ice. This session focuses on the assessment of the hypothermic patient. Along with the essentials of assessing and managing hypothermia, this presentation also touches on some of the more controversial aspects of this topic. Don’t let this one fall through the cracks – learn how you can help your freezing patients.

A2 - Syncope: A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing

B2 - Pediatric Pearls and Jeopardy Jewels

C2 - Maximizing the Platinum 10 Minutes

Jon Politis, MPA, NREMT-P
Syncope (or fainting) is perhaps one of the most under-assessed complaints seen by EMS providers. In fact, syncope is a potentially lethal chief complaint and needs to be worked up with the same urgency as chest pain, breathing difficulty, and other serious complaints. The major causes of syncope will be discussed along with assessment and treatment of the various causes in this case study-based presentation.

Scott DeBoer, RN, MSN, CCRN
In this highly interactive game show format, you’ll come away asking, "does CE stand for ‘Continuing Education’ or ‘Constantly Entertained?’" Come take part in this fast-paced learning experience. This presentation will review and reinforce the assessment skills, clinical findings, and management priorities for successfully handling a wide variety of common and not so common pediatric emergencies.

Jon Politis, MPA, NREMT-P
Getting off of an emergency scene in 10 minutes or less is a lot easier said than done. A lot of the things we do take time, and some take more time than others! What are some of the tricks of the trade that can be used to help you move faster? Are there better ways to organize? This presentation will cover techniques and industry tricks to help all levels of EMS providers get off the scene faster.

A3 - Trauma in the Elderly

B3 - The Rude Unhinging of the Machinery of Life

C3 - Strike Three: Youth Sports Injuries

Dwight Polk, MSW, NREMT-P
Things like this are not supposed to happen to our senior population. But what happens when the geriatric patient experiences multi-system trauma? Are they the same as a 35-year-old patient? Do they compensate the same? Do they die the same? Come find out the answers to these questions in this session and how you can make a difference on your next geriatric trauma call.

Deborah McCoy-Freeman, RN, NREMT-P
Shock is a staged death, and the early stages may go unnoticed. Review and renew your relationship with this obscure condition as Deb simplifies shock and its assessment. At the completion of this session, you will be able to define and explain the shock process, describe compensatory mechanisms, define hypovolemic, cardiogenic and neurogenic shock, assess the shock patient, and much more.

Christopher Suprun, EMT-P / Firefighter
There’s a saying that America’s favorite pastime is baseball. The game has gone on for parts of three centuries and is still popular among adults and children. America’s youth who play this game today do so harder than ever before and have the injuries to show for it. This presentation will cover the issues of baseball-related trauma, pitching injuries, and heat exposure.

A4 - Do or Die: Anaphylaxis

B4 - Getting to the Heart of the Matter

C4 - Neuro Assessment in Five Easy Steps

Paul Werfel, EMT-P
Anaphylaxis is a Greek word meaning "against or opposite." These exaggerated allergic reactions account for 400 to 800 deaths per year in the U.S. Please join JEMS Case of the Month author Paul Werfel in this new and insightful look into this problem that demands fast recognition and treatment. Antigen-antibody reaction, immune responses, and the lymphatic system will be among the topics discussed.

Connie Mattera, MS, RN, TNS, EMT-P
"The heart is a masterpiece of efficiency. Nestled only inches inside the rib cage, on average, it beats more than 100,000 times a day, silently maintaining the rhythm of life." (Cooke, 2002). Studying the anatomy and physiology of this marvelous organ provides incredible insight into the causes of cardiac dysfunction, and how EMS personnel can intervene to support cardiac output.

Connie Mattera, MS, RN, TNS, EMT-P
Come explore a fast and easy way to obtain a pertinent history, evaluate mental status, test cranial nerves, and measure motor and sensory integrity. Accurately assessing the nervous system in the field provides essential information and establishes a benchmark against which later responses are measured. You’ll gain confidence and expertise using nothing more than a penlight, cotton swabs, and critical thinking skills.

A5 - How Full is Your Bucket?

B5 - Cases That Made Us Blink

C5 - EMS Caught in the Crossfire

Mike Smith, EMT-P
How full is your bucket? Is it so full that it’s dragging you down emotionally and physically? It’s time to lighten your load! Mike Smith will help you build off the platform of "positive psychology" and help you leave this session ready to face the everyday rigors of EMS. You will learn how to develop positive strategies for both work and personal settings. This session is great for all levels of EMS providers and nurses.

John Elder, CCEMT-P
It is easy to get distracted while on the scene of the more intense EMS calls we respond to. How long did it take you to realize that not everything we need to know to successfully navigate these calls can be found in a textbook? This lecture will review some of the more interesting and challenging cases seen by our crews over the last year. You will be the judge as to whether or not the right decisions were made.

Doug Wolfberg, Attorney
Recent amendments to EMTALA have changed some of the definitions, but how will these amendments help you where the "rubber meets the road?" What legal rights and obligations belong to the ambulance service in these situations? How about the patient? The hospital? What is your liability for transporting a patient to another facility, or for transporting a patient to a hospital that tells you it’s on divert status?

A6 - It Doesn’t Hurt When I Laugh

B6 - Straight from the State

C6 - Ethics in EMS

Ed Racht, MD
Let’s face it: What we see and what we do in EMS can be extraordinarily stressful. One of the biggest risks we face in EMS is the risk of burnout, whether we recognize it or not. How do we manage our world and protect our sanity (what little we may have)? Humor! This presentation will focus on looking out for number one through a healthy sense of (sick) humor.

Brian Litza, EMT-P and Keith Wesley, MD, FACEP
Join Wisconsin EMS Section Chief Brian Litza and State Medical Director Dr. Keith Wesley as they bring you up to date on the latest happenings in the Wisconsin EMS office, including news on the Interfacility Transport Guidelines, Statewide Trauma System, EMS Advisory Board activities and recent cuts within the office. Don’t miss this opportunity to get caught up on the latest EMS information.

Paul Werfel, EMT-P
Today more than ever, personal ethics and morality are on everyone’s mind and a frequent topic of discussion. With recent political events highlighting personal behavior, it is not surprising that EMS should have its share of ethical dilemmas, as well. JEMS Case of the Month columnist Paul Werfel will present this new and thought-provoking session on examination and reflection.

A7 - 10 Ways to Stay Alive on the Fireground

B7 - Training Like You Mean It!

C7 - Initial Actions of the First Due Unit

Troy Webster, Fire Captain
This program will focus on 10 ways to stay alive during fireground operations and explore ways to minimize injuries and deaths from ever happening. This training session will explore recent fireground fatalities, firefighter near misses, and case studies where injuries occurred on the fireground, attempting to avert such tragedies.

Ed Buchanan, Fire Chief
This program will provide a detailed description of what is actually missing from modern firefighter training programs and how to incorporate the missing elements at little or no cost to the department. If you feel like your training program could be just a little bit better, this is a program for you.

Troy Webster, Fire Captain
The decisions made in the first few minutes by the first due engine can greatly impact the outcome of the incident. This fast-paced presentation will focus on critical actions to consider when arriving on the scene, first due. Topics to be covered include scene size-up, fireground cues, apparatus placement, and strategic concepts.