Red STAR Wilderness EMS

Red STAR Wilderness EMS RedSTAR was formerly the volunteer Wilderness EMS unit of Powell County Ambulance Service in Kentucky's Red River Gorge.

Today, we offer world class wilderness medical training. As the wilderness special operations unit of Kentucky's Powell County Ambulance Service, RedSTAR provides specially trained and highly capable medical providers to Powell County's Search and Rescue team. We are the only purpose-built, specialized, wilderness-capable Advanced Life Support team in the Red River Gorge. Our roster consists of ha

nd-picked Paramedics, RN's, and Physicians who have demonstrated clinical excellence and backcountry fitness, and receive specialized training in wilderness medicine, rope rescue skills, and search and rescue tactics. Our EMT's, who must demonstrate the same skill level and receive the same training, specialize in assisting our advanced providers with critical wilderness care.

On WMSO’s field exercise last night, students encountered a (simulated) lightning strike MCI resulting from a group of h...
06/18/2026

On WMSO’s field exercise last night, students encountered a (simulated) lightning strike MCI resulting from a group of hikers who sought shelter from a storm under a bridge. Some of the key exercise objectives included:

⛈️ Lightning strike triage and care

🧭 Terrain navigation

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Small team leadership

🪢 Use of mechanical advantage rope systems to move non-ambulatory patients up steep grades

The class worked hard through several hours of arduous circumstances, applying the knowledge gained from the first three days of the course. On to Day 4!

Day 3 of WMSO kicked off with a wound care and closure lab, focused on wound cleaning, suturing, stapling, and appropria...
06/17/2026

Day 3 of WMSO kicked off with a wound care and closure lab, focused on wound cleaning, suturing, stapling, and appropriate antibiotics. This skill set is in the Kentucky Advanced Practice Paramedic scope for WP-C's, intended for use in disaster medicine scenarios and to address wounds in areas like the scalp and face that can often be difficult to bandage for extended operations. Each student leaves our course with their own suture practice kit to take home.

Exertional illnesses, hypothermia, blood transfusions, austere airway management, and a lot of different ways to package...
06/16/2026

Exertional illnesses, hypothermia, blood transfusions, austere airway management, and a lot of different ways to package patients: all in a day (Day 2) of WMSO.

We’re back at EKU’s Maywoods Environmental and Educational Laboratory to deliver our Wilderness Medical Special Operatio...
06/15/2026

We’re back at EKU’s Maywoods Environmental and Educational Laboratory to deliver our Wilderness Medical Special Operations (WMSO) course, with students from local agencies, military units, wildland fire contractors, and major medical centers joining us for the week. We’re looking forward to four more days of hands-on, evidence-based learning designed to prepare students for the WP-C exam and for advanced practice.

Join us in congratulating RedSTAR member Dr. Eric Fuchs, who was inducted today into the Kentucky Society of Athletic Tr...
06/04/2026

Join us in congratulating RedSTAR member Dr. Eric Fuchs, who was inducted today into the Kentucky Society of Athletic Trainers Hall of Fame!

Dr. Fuchs is a professor of Exercise and Sports Science at EKU, an Advanced EMT, and a veteran Athletic Trainer who is nationally renowned for his expertise in sports medicine. With a lengthy resume in search and rescue and EMS in several states, Dr. Fuchs’ skills have been particularly valuable at the numerous wilderness athletic events that we staffed when we were clinically operational. These days, he continues to be a crucial member of our instructor cadre, helping to teach WMSO, HAMR, and several of the specialized skills that are shared between the Athletic Training and Advanced Practice Paramedic scopes of practice.

Reviews like this- from fellow EMS professionals- mean a lot to us! As professional instructors, our primary goal is tha...
05/29/2026

Reviews like this- from fellow EMS professionals- mean a lot to us! As professional instructors, our primary goal is that students leave our courses having learned things that are useful, through structured curricula that challenges them in positive ways.

05/24/2026

“This was one of the most challenging courses I’ve attended. The whole crew from Red River Rescue and RedSTAR do a phenomenal job.”

And that’s a wrap on HAMR 2026! After a final morning of competition lanes that stressed decision making under time cons...
05/22/2026

And that’s a wrap on HAMR 2026! After a final morning of competition lanes that stressed decision making under time constraints, 17 new High Angle Medical Rescue graduates head back to their home agencies with the knowledge and confidence to provide full-scope patient care in a variety of high angle situations.

Thanks to our partners at Red River Rescue, to all of the instructors who make this knowledge sharing possible, and to our students.

“Better that we raise our skill than lower the climb.” -Royal Robbins

Day 4 of High Angle Medical Rescue brought the students an arborist with a chain saw injury, suspension syndrome pickoff...
05/22/2026

Day 4 of High Angle Medical Rescue brought the students an arborist with a chain saw injury, suspension syndrome pickoffs, an overdose on an overlook, manual calculations of MAP and SI, even more rain and mud. With temperatures hovering around 60F and a steady downpour throughout the scenarios, teams had a real world imperative to keep their patient role players warm and dry- using several different purpose-built products and improvisational techniques.

Huge thanks to Mother Nature for keeping it real, and to Kristin “Mother Goose” Gousse for keeping us fed!

HAMR Day 3 featured ventilators, compact traction splints, EJ’s, cross hauls and a torrential rain storm. Despite being ...
05/20/2026

HAMR Day 3 featured ventilators, compact traction splints, EJ’s, cross hauls and a torrential rain storm. Despite being soaked to the bone, our students kept a great attitude through it all! Tomorrow brings three more scenarios, few more skill stations, and more rain!

Address

140 North Madison Avenue PO Box 160
Richmond, KY
40476

Telephone

+16066630376

Website

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