About the Course

Have you ever taken an ICS course and felt that it somehow fell short of teaching you what you needed to know to manage an EMS incident?  Well… this workshop is for you!  Just as an ICS trained fire officer can still burn a building down because of poor tactics, pure ICS training for EMS still doesn’t teach a provider HOW to manage a major incident. Before a fire officer can be effective in suppression they take many hours of training in fire strategy and tactics. The EMS command school is focused toward the strategy and tactics around commanding EMS incidents from the two car MVA to major long duration incidents.  It is the first in an ongoing series of schools intended to bring focus to issues of strategy and tactics for “the big one”.  Using lectures, tabletop exercises, hands on drills and case studies you will learn the essential concepts and skills you need to be effective at EMS command functions.

Unit #1           Introduction

This unit starts with an introduction and rapidly moves into the basic principles of incident management.  Why EMS often doesn’t manage itself well and discuss what the laws of your state really say. The topic of who’s in charge will be discussed along with the specific role of EMS in MCI operations.

Unit # 2          Command-Control-Communications      

This unit focuses on the concepts of C³I, or command, control, communications and intelligence in incident management. What the role of command is and how to be an effective command officer at an incident. Using common examples positive command behaviors will be emphasized.                   

Unit # 3          Using SOPs and ICS every day                

This unit covers the need for all EMS agencies to have a major incident protocol just as EMS has medical treatment protocols. The elements of SOP will be discussed along with the role of tactical worksheets designed to compliment the SOP.

Unit # 4          Triage

In managing major incidents sorting or triage of patients is a major element in successful use of resources. This unit will cover START, military and conventional triage techniques. Tagging systems will be discussed as well as a triage exercise to practice the concepts.                                                                                             

Unit # 5          Casualty Collection/Transportation

When there are more patients than ambulances and patients must wait to get on “the Bus” a treatment area is needed. This unit covers the essentials of setting up and managing of treatment area operations. In many incidents the sheer number of emergency responders complicates the incident and may hamper operations. In this unit, basic concepts of staging are discussed as well as managing transportation operations.

Practical exercise(s)

1. Simulator board exercise
2. Treatment area set up
3. Triage exercise
4. Arrival and size up drill

Optional Days #1 & 2 EMS Supervisor Boot Camp – Register Separately

REGISTERATION

SEMS Member Registration

Non-SEMS Registration