There are clinicians who talk about emergency medicine. And then there are those who have lived it across three time zones, at altitudes above 4,000 meters, in blizzards and on mountain slopes, in tactical operations and at the finish lines of hundred-mile races through the Rockies.
Nick Nudell is the second kind.
Hello - I am trying to find the paramedic from Colorado that I met up with running to the WTC on the morning of 9/11. Unfortunately, I cannot remember his name, and we obviously didn't have any time to really talk, but I know he was visiting NY that day and we were both downtown when everything happened and were running down Broadway (or Church St.) in order to provide assistance. I remember that he didn't have his Paramedic ID with him because he was just visiting NY and wasn't expecting to be called into action. I also credit him with helping to save my life. This man and I were on the corner Broadway and St. Peter's church setting up temporary medical triage, pulling people who were hurt off the line of people leaving the building. When the first tower fell not many of us had any idea what was happening because we were so close, just one block from the base. From the sound, I thought that a missile was coming in and I started running across the street.
What I'll never forget is this guy yelling to me 'WRONG WAY, WRONG WAY!' and so I ran back to him, we both crouched down by a very small wall on the corner of the church's property and I remember him saying, 'Just breathe slow and deep' and we covered our mouths with our shirts. When the debris cloud hit us we were in pitch black for about 5 minutes or more and I was starting to hyperventilate and I know I would have lost it had this person not calmed me down with a few words during those crutial moments.
By Howard Paul, Communications Director
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As we close out the year, we hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas, Hanukkah or Kwanza and wish you a Happy New Year. The year ahead promises to be an exciting one for the emergency medical services system, and this is a great time to reflect on EMSAC’s accomplishments in 2025 while looking forward to what’s ahead in 2026.
The past year brought many positive changes for EMSAC. One of the most visible updates was the complete revamp of our website, bringing it up to today’s standards and making it more user-friendly. Our bylaws were also updated, allowing the organization to operate more efficiently and effectively. Additionally, our membership data was refreshed, greatly improving our ability to communicate with members in a more organized and timely manner.
EMSAC is hard at work preparing for the 2026 legislative session. Our ambitious legislative agenda includes finally declaring EMS as an essential service and creating funding mechanisms for treatment in place and transportation to alternative destinations.
The Prehospital Journal Club for Evidence-Based Practices started out from my experiences in research where it is commonplace for labs to meet monthly to discuss literature in the field of study. I wanted to translate that to the field of prehospital medicine and provide prehospital providers with the information necessary to ensure we consistently provide high-quality evidence-based care. We meet once a month on the first Wednesday from 1700-1800 addressing a wide variety of different topics in prehospital medicine.
Some notable topics we have discussed include prehospital blood administration, POCUS for cardiac arrest care and for differentiating CHF vs. COPD exacerbation, REBOA for non-extremity hemorrhage, the debate between supraglottic airways vs. endotracheal intubation, as well as a whole host of other new innovative ideas being studied in the prehospital field.
Over the past couple of years, I’ve had the privilege of delivering keynote addresses nationwide on the future of EMS. Each time I step onto a stage, I’m struck by how quickly technology is evolving and how dramatically the conversation has shifted. What felt like a distant, theoretical discussion about autonomous vehicles, aerial mobility, and machine-assisted response just two years ago has now become a practical, near-term reality. From my perspective, the intersection of these technologies with EMS is no longer a sci-fi dream, but it is now a foregone conclusion. The only questions left are when, and how ready we will be when they arrive.
While this is an intriguing national EMS discussion, it must also be a Colorado discussion. We live in a state where mobility innovation, aerospace engineering, and public safety are overlapping in a meaningful way. The decisions we make in the coming months and years will shape how EMS evolves in mountain communities, frontier regions, and the rapidly growing Front Range corridor.
Ambulance Crashes: Increasing Clinician, Patient and Public Safety
Guidance on Seat Belt Use, Lights and Sirens and Fatigue
Too often, EMS clinicians, patients and others are injured or killed in ambulance-involved crashes. Crash Responder Safety Week is an opportunity to focus on safety practices around seat belts and restraints, lights and sirens use and fatigue mitigation to protect responders and the public.
The EMS Chiefs, Managers, and Directors (CMD) met in Colorado Springs on September 24, 2025, for a crucial brainstorming and prioritization session, aimed at defining future educational topics and initiatives for EMS leaders. The discussions were detailed, honest and invigorating.
The day-long retreat was sponsored by Jon Cloutier, CEO and founder of LifeMed SAFETY. A paramedic himself, Jon has been active in EMS for decades and we extend our gratitude for his support of the EMS Chiefs, Managers, and Directors section of EMSAC. LifeMed Safety is a full-service EMS equipment partner — offering new and re-certified equipment sales, certified maintenance, preventive service programs, and rapid repairs.
Whiteboard Notes
EMSAC Chiefs Session 09/24/2025
Understanding the EMS Agency Affiliation Requirement Under the United States EMS Compact
By Donnie Woodyard Jr., MAML, NRPWhen the United States EMS Compact was first enacted, it represented one of the most significant advancements in the history of our profession: a way to legally extend an EMS clinician’s ability to practice across state lines. Yet, even as the Compact continues to expand—Colorado was the first state to join the EMS Compact, and today there are twenty-five member states—one question remains among the most frequently asked by clinicians, administrators, and regulators alike: What does “EMS Agency Affiliation” really mean?
A Note from Tom Anderson, EMSAC President
I’m excited to share the latest updates from EMSAC!
EMSAC and our allied state EMS organizations learned of the details of the new Rural Health Transformation (RHTP) Program recently passed by Congress as part of H.R1. just weeks ago. H.R. 1 Section 71401 of Public Law 119-21 “empowers states to strengthen rural communities across America by improving healthcare access, quality, and outcomes by transforming the healthcare delivery ecosystem.” It addresses several EMS-specific topics.
We jumped into action and successfully advocated on the professions behalf, with letters to Governor Polis and the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF). As such EMSAC has a seat on the RHTP Application Core Working Group, along with:
A new funding opportunity is available to support the information technology (IT) needs of rural organizations providing health services. The goals of this grant are to harmonize data-sharing capabilities, increase health information sharing, and advance health information exchange. Approved applications will expand HIE and EMR/EHR interoperability and connectivity, support data sharing, analytics, and IT infrastructure improvements, modernize IT systems and enable innovation in patient care amongst Public Health Agencies and EMS, and/or advance affordable care coordination and health outcomes.
Key Details:
Leveraging the EMS Compact for Recruitment and Retention in Colorado EMS
By Donnie Woodyard, MAML, NRP
Executive Director, United States EMS Compact
Colorado made history in 2015 by becoming the first state to pass legislation enacting the Recognition of Emergency Medical Services Personnel Licensure Interstate Compact—more commonly known as the United States EMS Compact. In the decade since, 24 other states have followed suit, creating an unprecedented legal framework for multistate EMS clinician practice. Today, more than 400,000 EMS professionals have a Privilege to Practice in Colorado under the Compact.
The EMS Compact is a practical, underutilized asset that provides Colorado EMS clinicians and employers powerful new tools to address two of the most pressing challenges in our profession: recruitment and retention.
Conclusions of the State Interfacility Transport Task Force
By Scott Sholes
EMS Chief, Durango Fire-Rescue
According to a first-of-its-kind study of interfacility transport (IFT) in Colorado, EMS systems have experienced sharp increases in IFT demand in the past 5 years. Not only has the number of trips increased by 25% during that period, the time required to complete each trip now averages close to 2 hours. The study, a combination of data analysis by CDPHE and statewide research by Sarah Weatherred (CMRETAC) and Austin Wingate (Grand County EMS), revealed in addition to putting a significant strain on Colorado EMS systems, IFTs present significant safety concerns for patients and providers.
