Take an EMS Road Trip

     If you're planning on attending the 2008 EMS EXPO in Las Vegas, NV, October 15–17, you may want to consider taking a bus to get there—the EMS Study Tour bus, that is.

     The North Central EMS Institute (NCEMSI), in conjunction with EMS Magazine, EMS EXPO and several other sponsors, will be hosting a multi-city tour from October 7–14, 2008, which will offer participants first-hand experience on how four diverse EMS agencies are resolving problems and reacting to today's EMS needs, as well as foster greater collaboration and learning from each other in the EMS community.

     The EMS Study Tour Group will visit private and public EMS and ambulance services in the western part of the U.S. to learn how these services provide care unique to their communities. The tour will begin in Los Angeles on October 7 with tentative plans for a welcome reception at the County of Los Angeles Fire Museum. The tour will then visit San Diego, Tucson, the Grand Canyon and Tuba City, AZ. The travel itinerary will include additional EMS stops along the way and some popular sightseeing locations. The tour will end in Las Vegas on October 14, where tour organizers and participants will address EMS EXPO attendees on October 16 regarding their experiences on the tour.

     "The goal of the tour is to give EMS providers from across the world an opportunity to learn from one another and discuss how they deal with issues such as recruitment, retention, resourcing and response challenges," says Gary Wingrove, NCEMSI president. "The tour is open to anyone who is looking to discover and learn how other countries in the world are evolving EMS to fit their ever-changing needs and how diverse EMS is today."

     Tour organizers expect 15 national and 15 international participants. For more information, visit https://worldemstour.ncemsi.org and www.emsexpo2008.com. Space is limited, so early registration is suggested. Reports from the tour will be featured on www.EMSResponder.com and in a future issue of EMS Magazine.