'WRONG WAY, WRONG WAY!'

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.

EMSAC Advocates for Critical EMS Support at Colorado State Capitol

By Howard Paul, Communications Director

For all attendees of the 2026 EMS Day at the Capitol, we have a group photo and model local news release for your agency's use.

Or copy this text:

Opportunity for EMS agencies, system leaders, and partners across Colorado to contribute to an important statewide effort focused on behavioral health crisis response.

How to help

Looking Back at 2025 and Ahead to an Exciting 2026

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.

Highlights from 2025

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.

Looking Ahead: 2026 Colorado Legislative Session

EMS is an Essential Service, Payment for Treatment in Place

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.

EMS Leadership Charts New Course: Focus on Financial Sustainability, Workforce Resilience and Advocacy

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.

A Note from Tom Anderson, EMSAC President

I’m excited to share the latest updates from EMSAC!

Advocacy

Rural Health Transformation (RHT) Program

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.

• Pre-Hospital and Acute Care Services: The statute identifies emergency care—including pre-hospital and acute inpatient services—as essential components of rural health system redesign.
• Alternative Site of Care Treatment: The law supports infrastructure that enables treatment “in place” during emergency calls, reducing the need for transport and improving response efficiency.
• Investments to Improve EMS Delivery: Funding may be used for projects that enhance the speed, access, and cost-effectiveness of emergency medical services in rural areas.
• Emergency Services Coordination: Rural facilities are encouraged to collaborate with regional systems to coordinate operations and emergency services, aiming to improve quality and sustainability.

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:

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.

The Emergency Medical Services Association of Colorado was formed in Bailey in 1973, during the infancy of the revolution in emergency medical care in the United States, as the Emergency Medical Technician Association of Colorado. It is one of the oldest, and strongest, state EMS associations. EMSAC comprises paid and volunteer professionals both: including EMTs, advanced EMTs, paramedics and emergency medical responders; physicians, nurses, PAs, EMS instructors and emergency medical dispatchers from virtually every region of Colorado.

Through the core association functions of Advocate, Communicate and Educate, EMSAC strives to:

EMS Chiefs, Managers and Directors Section