Interior Region EMS Council

10/22/2026

🚒 NEW NHTSA MAP HIGHLIGHTS THE IMPORTANCE OF EXTRICATION & COORDINATED POST-CRASH CARE

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has released a new map examining motor vehicle crash fatalities involving extrication across the United States. The findings underscore the critical role EMS providers, firefighters, and other first responders play in delivering timely, coordinated care after a crash.

📊 Key findings from 2020–2024:
🔹 31,448 fatalities involved crashes requiring extrication — 15.3% of all motor vehicle crash fatalities.
🔹 65.3% of these fatalities occurred at the scene or during transport to a hospital.
🔹 52.6% occurred in rural areas, where longer response and transport times can create additional challenges.

For rural and remote communities across Alaska, these findings are especially relevant. Distance, weather, access to resources, and prolonged transport times can make coordinated emergency response even more important.

🚑 Technologies and strategies such as Advanced Automatic Crash Notification (AACN), rapid extrication, and prehospital blood transfusion can help first responders identify serious injuries sooner and deliver potentially lifesaving care.

Every minute matters. Continued collaboration between EMS, fire, law enforcement, hospitals, and other emergency response partners is essential to improving outcomes after serious crashes.

🗺️ Explore the NHTSA map and see the data by state:
https://www.nhtsa.gov/

10/20/2026

🚑 ATTENTION EMS PROVIDERS: YOUR EXPERIENCES MATTER!

Rice University EMS is conducting a research study to better understand the ethically challenging situations EMS providers face in the field and how these experiences affect their well-being.

Have you ever faced a difficult decision involving a patient refusal, uncertainty about decision-making capacity, or a protocol that didn't quite fit the situation? You're not alone, and researchers want to hear about these experiences.

📝 The survey explores:
🔹 How often EMS providers encounter ethically challenging calls
🔹 How stressful or emotionally difficult these situations can be
🔹 Whether training has adequately prepared providers to navigate them
🔹 Connections between these experiences, emotional exhaustion, and thoughts of leaving EMS

⏱️ Time commitment: Approximately 10 minutes
🔒 Participation: Voluntary and anonymous
🎁 Optional incentive: After completing the survey, participants may enter a separate drawing for one of ten $20 gift cards.

Your participation could help researchers better understand the challenges EMS professionals face and identify opportunities to improve training, resources, and provider support.

👉 Take the survey here:
https://riceuniversity.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3vE6t3BxKA8WsoS

Please share this post with your fellow EMS providers and agencies. Every perspective helps build a better understanding of the realities of working in EMS.

Study approved by the Rice University Institutional Review Board (Protocol # IRB-FY2026-407).

10/16/2026

🚨 BIG NEWS FOR ALASKA EMS! 🚑🎉

Alaska has officially joined the United States EMS Compact, marking an important milestone for EMS professionals across our state!

As of October 9, 2026, the EMS Compact is officially in effect in Alaska, making us the 27th state to recognize EMS Compact Privilege to Practice! 🎉

Alaska has appointed Todd McDowell, NRP, as the state's inaugural EMS Compact Delegate and Commissioner.

👏 What does this mean? The EMS Compact helps facilitate interstate practice for eligible EMS professionals, creating opportunities for qualified providers to practice across participating states under the Compact's rules. This can be especially meaningful for a state like Alaska, where rural and remote communities depend on a strong, adaptable EMS workforce.

This is an exciting step forward for EMS mobility, workforce support, and emergency medical services in Alaska!

📢 Help us celebrate this milestone and share the news with your fellow EMS professionals!

10/14/2026

IREMSC will be offering this NAEMT course throughout 2027. Please reach out with questions and register your interest in attending...

10/14/2026

🚑 Ready to take your respiratory care skills to the next level? 💨

Join for a FREE live Zoom workshop on Mastering Flow Control in Manual Ventilation!

Learn how to improve consistency, reduce variability, and enhance your manual ventilation techniques with this educational session from safeBVM.

📅 Tuesday, October 27th
🕓 4 PM ET / 1 PM PT
💻 Live Virtual Zoom Workshop

🎓 BONUS: Earn 1 Hour of FREE CAPCE Credit!

🔥 Don't miss this opportunity to expand your knowledge, sharpen your skills, and continue growing as an EMS professional!

👉 Register today and reserve your spot! https://events.safebvm.com/mastering-flow-control-webinar?utm_source=email_blast_1

10/09/2026

10/09/2026

📣 UPCOMING COURSE: Advanced Life Support in Obstetrics (ALSO) 🤰🏥

The Alaska Academy of Family Physicians (AKAFP) is hosting an Advanced Life Support in Obstetrics (ALSO) course in Anchorage on Saturday, November 7, 2026!

This one-day, hands-on training is designed for healthcare professionals who care for pregnant patients and want to strengthen their skills in recognizing and managing obstetric emergencies.

📅 Date: Saturday, November 7, 2026
⏰ Time: 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
📍 Location: Alaska Family Medicine Residency, 1201 East 36th Ave, Anchorage, AK

👩‍⚕️ Who should attend?
Physicians, physician assistants (PAs), registered nurses (RNs), advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs), certified nurse-midwives (CNMs), and other eligible pregnancy care professionals.

📚 Course format: Blended learning, with an online portion to complete before attending the in-person training and skills assessment.

Led by Ellen Hodges, MD, and her team of instructors, this course provides evidence-based, multidisciplinary training to improve emergency preparedness, patient safety, and maternal outcomes.

🔗 Register here:
https://alaskaacademyfamilyphysicians.regfox.com/2026-also-course

📢 Please share with your colleagues and healthcare networks who may be interested!

Online registration for 2026 ALSO Course.

10/06/2026

🚑 Rural Alaska EMS Needs Survey and We Want to Hear From You!

What does your community need to strengthen emergency medical services?

Southeast Region EMS (SEREMS) is gathering input from rural and remote communities across Alaska to better understand the challenges, needs, and priorities facing EMS.
Whether it’s training, equipment, staffing, funding, resources, transportation, or other barriers, your experience matters. 🩺

📋 Take the Rural EMS Needs Survey:
👉 https://serems.org/alaska-rural-ems-needs/

Your feedback will help identify common needs and opportunities to better support EMS providers and the communities they serve.

Please share this post with your local EMS agencies, first responders, healthcare providers, community leaders, and anyone involved in rural emergency services.

🗣️ Your voice can help shape the future of EMS in rural Alaska.

10/01/2026

CALL FOR VENDORS

2027 IREMSC SYMPOSIUM
APRIL 29 – MAY 1, 2027 | FAIRBANKS, ALASKA

Connect. Showcase. Engage.

Join EMS professionals, agency leaders, educators, healthcare partners, and decision-makers from across Interior Alaska at the 2027 Interior Region EMS Council Symposium.

We invite organizations whose products, services, technology, and expertise support EMS and emergency healthcare to join us as a symposium vendor.

PUT YOUR ORGANIZATION IN FRONT OF ALASKA EMS

The IREMSC Symposium provides an opportunity to:

Showcase equipment, products, technology, and services

Demonstrate solutions directly to EMS professionals

Connect with agency leaders, educators, clinicians, and decision-makers

Build relationships with rural, frontier, and urban EMS organizations

Increase your visibility within Alaska’s EMS community

WHO SHOULD EXHIBIT?

We welcome vendors representing:

EMS & Medical Equipment
Patient care • Airway • Trauma • Monitoring • Simulation • Medical supplies

Ambulances & Operations
Vehicles • Communications • Fleet solutions • Operational equipment

Technology & Innovation
ePCR • Telemedicine • AI • Data systems • Quality improvement

Education & Training
Simulation • Continuing education • Training resources • Professional development

Safety & Provider Support
PPE • Occupational safety • Wellness • Resilience • Workforce resources

Professional Services
Healthcare organizations • Recruitment • Consulting • Insurance • Professional associations

REACH EMS ACROSS INTERIOR ALASKA

Interior Alaska presents some of the most unique challenges in emergency medical care—from urban response in Fairbanks to rural and frontier communities separated by vast distances, extreme weather, and limited access to healthcare resources.

Meet the professionals who use, evaluate, recommend, and purchase the equipment and services that support prehospital care across Alaska.

Be Part of the 2027 IREMSC Symposium

We invite you to bring your organization, your expertise, and your latest innovations to Fairbanks and become part of this important gathering of Alaska’s EMS community.

RSVP: Please register your interest by November 30, 2026, to reserve your space.

Thank you! We look forward to welcoming you to Fairbanks and the 2027 IREMSC Symposium.