Please view the PowerPoint presentation, any posted videos, and read all given reference material in order to complete each section of this EMS Refresher course. The content is intended to be viewed at a time and location that is convenient for you, and it is greatly appreciated to receive any feedback you may have. Thank you for participating in this program.
EMS1 Top Articles
- Minneapolis mental health crisis response program in limbo amid vendor fight October 25, 2026A new audit found the city lacks basic oversight of its behavioral crisis response program, which has cost more than $25 million since 2021, as a council vote to keep current vendor Canopy Roots instead of a new contractor faces a mayoral veto
- Calif. county to bid out ambulance contract for first time in 80 years October 25, 2026San Luis Ambulance, the county’s exclusive provider since 1945, will compete against a Paso Robles-led public-private partnership proposal as county supervisors prepare a Request for Proposal update
- Mich. fire departments win $698,000 grant for cardiac monitors October 24, 2026North Oakland County Fire Authority, Oxford, Holly and Groveland Township will use the regional grant to replace 15 aging cardiac monitors
- Ohio voters to decide EMS levy increase to fund 3 new paramedics October 24, 2026North Royalton’s proposed five-year, 2-mill levy would generate about $2.27 million annually, letting the city hire three additional firefighter-paramedics to address rising EMS call volume and an aging population
- Photo of the Week: Houston Mobile Stroke Unit honors Dr. David Persse October 23, 2026Houston Fire Department and Memorial Hermann dedicated the city’s second Mobile Stroke Unit, equipped with CT scanning and telemedicine, in honor of the late Dr. David Persse
- Colo. county rescuers answer 3 calls in 14 hours as first snow hits hunters October 23, 2026First-season snow and plunging temperatures prompted three separate backcountry rescue missions near Yampa and Hayden, including a hypothermic hunter hauled 1,500 feet uphill through snow
- Nev. EMS recruits Australian paramedics to ease Reno-area staffing shortage October 23, 2026Partnering with International Medic Solutions, REMSA Health is bringing trained medics from Australia into its northern Nevada workforce as about 60% of U.S. EMS agencies face staffing shortages
- Learning has no retirement age October 23, 2026How Paul Biddle earned his EMT certification at 70 and expanded his lifelong commitment to service
- Pa. lawmaker proposes sustainability fund to help struggling volunteer EMS, fire departments October 23, 2026Rep. Brenda Pugh’s Bill 2848 would provide grants of up to $25,000 every three years to small fire companies and incentivize voluntary consolidation, building on her earlier bill that offered a $6,000 tax credit for firefighters and EMS personnel
- Paramedic Quinn Reece and her flying machine October 23, 2026Reece and James Robinson describe flying a single-seat eVTOL on 911 calls in rural North Carolina, from simulator drills to landing beside patients
NIST Live Feed
- Super Intelligence in the Fire Service January 26, 2027An interactive workshop discussing the use of super intelligence in the fire service will be hosted, on-site, at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Gaithersburg, MD. The focus of the workshop is on Problems super
- 2026 NIST-NSF Disaster Resilience Research Symposium August 18, 2026In cooperation with the National Science Foundation, the Engineering Laboratory at NIST, Gaithersburg, is proud to host the 9th annual symposium featuring the Disaster Resilience Grant Research Program recipients on August 18th-19th, 2026. This in
- New AI Model Shows How to Evacuate for Fires One Safe Step at a Time June 4, 2026A NIST-led team has created a new AI model that can identify safe evacuation routes in a single-story floor plan during a fire, with a multilevel version in the works.
- Wear and Tear Changes Measurable PFAS Levels in Firefighter Hoods, Gloves and Wildland Gear May 13, 2026In the fourth of an ongoing series of reports, NIST shows that wear and tear increased the levels of PFAS found in hoods and gloves.
- NIST’s Alex Maranghides Receives Service to America Medal July 17, 2025The award recognizes Maranghides for 25 years of work investigating devastating wildfires in the United States and creating actionable guidelines on how to save lives and property.
- 2025 Material Flammability Research Highlights June 30, 2025Members of the Material Flammability Characterization Project recently presented or co-authored a series papers at the 16th International Conference and Exhibition on fire science and engineering (Interflam 2025, UK), the Flame Retardancy of
- 5x5: The Public Safety Innovation Summit June 3, 2025REGISTER NOW 5x5 ― the confirmation of a strong and clear signal ― and the place to make your voice heard and drive public safety communications forward. In 2025, the FirstNet Authority and the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Public
- NIST Updates Critical Wildfire Evacuation and Sheltering Guidance April 24, 2025The ESCAPE report redefines how to save lives in the face of fast-moving wildfires.
- Staff Spotlight - Dr. Brittany Stinger March 10, 2025We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Brittany Stinger to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) as a National Research Council (NRC) Postdoctoral Fellow in the Flammability Reduction Group of the Fire Research Division (FRD). Dr. Stinger
- PFAS Found in Firefighter Gloves, Hoods and Wildland Gear December 17, 2024The amount of PFAS in each sample varied greatly, so it may be possible to design gear that reduces exposure.