Check In opens at 0700hrs Friday, June 26th. Registration and Check In location remains open throughout the day.
Morning Social begins at 7am. Meet and Speak with instructional staff, presenters, and vendors.
Technical rescue incidents present unique challenges for EMS providers operating in hazardous and limited-access environments. This course reviews key principles of providing basic and advanced medical care during technical rescue incidents. Providing “good medicine in bad places” requires effective patient assessment, management of immediate life threats, and strategies for treating and protecting patients during complex rescue operations. Current rescue medicine care bundles and statistics from the City of Pittsburgh Bureau of EMS will be discussed, along with case reviews from incidents meeting these criteria.
Tennessee Task Force 1 - Memphis Fire Department
Packaging for Success is a focused, hands-on course designed to strengthen a responder’s ability to safely and effectively package patients for movement in rescue environments. This 2-hour class emphasizes critical thinking, patient protection, and system integration during low- and moderate-angle operations. Participants will review spinal motion restriction considerations, hypothermia prevention, litter configuration, and securing patients for vertical or horizontal movement.
Instruction highlights proper use of litters, vacuum mattresses, webbing, straps, and patient tie-in systems while reinforcing airway access, ongoing assessment, and crew communication. Students will practice building secure, balanced packaging systems that account for terrain, environmental factors, and rescue dynamics.
Through practical skill stations and scenario-based application, responders will develop confidence in preparing patients for safe movement while maintaining medical priorities. This course reinforces that effective packaging is not just about restraint—it is about protecting the patient throughout the entire rescue operation.
Forging a Unified Front: Interagency Communications and the Common Operating Picture
In today's complex security landscape, seamless communication and a shared, real-time understanding of the operational environment are paramount for public safety and national security. This session explores the critical components of effective interagency collaboration, drawing lessons from high-stakes National Special Security Events (NSSEs) like the Super Bowl and presidential inaugurations.
We will delve into the technologies that form the backbone of a unified response, including the evolution from traditional Land Mobile Radio (LMR) systems to the nationwide, high-speed wireless broadband network offered by FirstNet. We'll examine how the integration of these systems provides both the reliability of voice communications and the data-rich capabilities of LTE, enabling everything from real-time video streaming to the transmission of vital patient data from the field.
A central focus will be the concept of the Common Operating Picture (COP), a single, integrated platform that fuses data from multiple sources to provide all participating agencies with a shared, dynamic view of an incident.
We'll discuss how COPs are used to track assets, monitor threats, and facilitate collaborative planning and decision-making during fast-moving events.
Through case studies of NSSEs and other large-scale incidents, we will analyze the practical application of these technologies and the challenges of achieving true interoperability.
Finally, we will look to the future, exploring the transformative potential of artificial intelligence to enhance predictive analytics, early warning systems, and resource management in emergency response, ultimately creating a more resilient and effective public safety ecosystem.
Reality of RIT is an intensive firefighter rescue program developed by RWGD Fire Tactics LLC to prepare firefighters for the real-world demands of Rapid Intervention Team (RIT) operations. Built from field experience and modern fireground lessons, the program focuses on the reality that firefighter rescues are chaotic, physically demanding, and time-critical events that require preparation far beyond basic classroom instruction.
The course emphasizes air management, firefighter survival, victim packaging, and coordinated team movement in high-stress environments. Students participate in realistic hands-on evolutions that simulate the challenges encountered when rescuing a downed firefighter—limited visibility, restricted spaces, heavy victims, depleted air supplies, and rapidly deteriorating conditions.
Unlike many traditional RIT classes that focus primarily on equipment familiarization, Reality of RIT centers on problem solving and decision-making under pressure. Participants work through practical scenarios that reinforce critical skills such as locating a missing firefighter, stabilizing the victim’s air supply, disentanglement, packaging, and removal through complex environments.
The program also highlights the importance of proactive RIT deployment, situational awareness, and coordinated fireground communication, reinforcing that RIT is not simply a standby assignment but a continuously engaged safety function throughout the incident.
Designed for firefighters of all experience levels, the course blends instruction, discussion, and physically demanding drills to ensure participants leave with practical skills they can immediately apply on the fireground.
At its core, Reality of RIT reinforces a simple principle: when a firefighter goes down, the rescue must be fast, efficient, and disciplined—because seconds matter and preparation saves lives.
During this 1 hour lecture, we'll be discussing skills covering terrain/environment recognition, what is needed to form your own team, discipline specific skills and much more!
The primary goal of this course is to prepare responders for "high-risk, low-frequency" events by analyzing past incidents where things went wrong (close calls) to prevent future fatalities or injuries.
A keynote speech...
The full circle mind set walks the audience through an honest evaluation of my experiences over the last 25+ years in emergency service... what went good, what went bad, and what I would change. From missing opportunities to over committing... how to be mentally successful at any level from probation to chief by setting boundaries, obtainable goals and realistic expectations... the audience departs hopefully with some reflection and the right mindset set to get the most out of this training weekend but their whole future!
Check in and registration is open throughout the event.
This 4-hour Lightweight Rope Rescue course introduces responders to the safe and effective use of 8mm and 9mm rope systems in low- to moderate-risk environments. Designed for EMS, fire, and Search & Rescue personnel, the class focuses on rapid deployment, risk assessment, and understanding the operational limitations of smaller diameter rescue lines.
Participants review rope construction, strength ratings, safety factors, hardware compatibility, anchor selection, and edge protection specific to lightweight systems. Emphasis is placed on redundancy, proper load management, and minimizing shock loading.
Hands-on skill stations include building basic anchors, constructing single-line lowers and raises, and operating progress capture devices compatible with 8mm and 9mm rope. Students will also discuss when lightweight systems are appropriate—and when a situation requires a full technical rescue response.
This course blends concise lecture with practical application, increasing confidence in deploying compact rope kits safely and effectively in the field.
Ron Richards - Task Force 1 Training
Confined space rescues demand speed, precision, and teamwork—where every second and every decision matters. Confined Space Tricks of the Trade takes responders inside the practical techniques experienced rescue teams use to rapidly organize equipment, assess hazards, and deploy effective rescue operations in some of the most challenging environments.
This high-energy session focuses on real-world strategies for quickly building a capable rescue system—from the moment crews arrive on scene to getting a rescuer safely to the victim. Participants will explore proven methods for equipment staging, team coordination, and deploying versatile rigging systems that allow rescuers to access, package, and remove victims efficiently from confined environments.
Designed for firefighters, rescue technicians, and special operations personnel, this program highlights the small operational “tricks” that make a big difference on the scene—helping teams work faster, safer, and more effectively when lives depend on it.
Technical rescue incidents frequently involve fatalities, serious injuries, structural failures, or equipment malfunctions that ultimately lead to investigations conducted by fire marshals, law enforcement, OSHA, or insurance investigators. While rescue operations must always prioritize life safety, critical evidence is often unintentionally altered or destroyed during emergency operations.
“When Rescue Scenes Become Crime Scenes: Evidence Preservation for Technical Rescue Teams” explores the often overlooked intersection between technical rescue operations and post incident investigations. This session examines how common rescue activities such as debris removal, extrication, shoring, rigging, and equipment shutdown can impact evidence and influence investigative findings.
Through discussion and case study analysis involving structural collapse, trench incidents, machinery entrapments, and other complex rescue environments, participants will learn how to recognize when an incident may develop into an investigative scene. The session also highlights practical methods responders can use to document critical observations early in an incident while still maintaining focus on life safety and operational priorities.
This program is designed for firefighters, rescue technicians, company officers, and special operations personnel who respond to complex rescue incidents. By improving responder awareness of investigative considerations, participants will gain a better understanding of how early scene actions can support investigators, protect responders, and help identify the factors that contributed to the incident.
This hands-on course allows participants to apply principles of rescue medicine during a simulated low-angle rope rescue scenario. Students will construct a low-angle rope system and manage a simulated patient by performing a proper assessment, managing immediate life threats, and packaging for movement. The scenario is designed to simulate the challenges of providing “good medicine in bad places” while operating within a technical rescue environment.
This course is designed to maximize the capabilities with the limited staffing operations we are facing across the country. With tool selection, tactics and placement we teach the rescuer to be able to accomplish rapid extrication of any victim they will face. The training and scenarios are based on twenty years of rescue experience and real world application. Students from all levels of experience will be able to take the knowledge learned back to their departments and help save lives.
This presentation will cover the different types of building construction used in parking structures. The student through lecture and presentation will be exposed to the major differences in construction types, structural components and major considerations for first responders when dealing with emergencies in parking structures. With life long roles in emergency services coupled with an over 50 year combined experience Supervising construction and renovation of parking structures our team will deliver in depth knowledge from a rescuers point of view. Students will be shown areas of highest concern and priority, information that will not just be helpful in an emergency but exponential in building preplans and preparing resources...
During this clinic, you'll learn how to use your common systems, but the focus will be on minimal equipment use to build complex systems for mountain and/or remote environments. We bring it back to baseline and put all of the fancy gear on the shelf to develop proficient and efficient responders.
This lecture and open discussion dives into the lack of proper pain management in the wilderness/austere environment, ways to mitigate those issues, ways to move forward in the future, and pearls/pitfalls-pro's/con's of the various treatment modalities presented. We will discuss top leading best practices in the austere space, how those treatments are in accordance with state protocols, or not. Whether they are in the Paramedic’s scope of practice, and how to progress your service to achieve these higher level treatments. We will also discuss how lower level provides can manage pain without Paramedic’s present, all within protocols.
This course is designed to maximize the capabilities with the limited staffing operations we are facing across the country. With tool selection, tactics and placement we teach the rescuer to be able to accomplish rapid extrication of any victim they will face. The training and scenarios are based on twenty years of rescue experience and real world application. Students from all levels of experience will be able to take the knowledge learned back to their departments and help save lives.
This program will focus on efficiencies in rescue utilizing modern equipment in both the high angle and confined space rescue worlds. This includes lanyards, hand and chest ascenders, capstan winches, PPE selection and harness setup, mobile fall arrest devices, and minimal equipment rigging options. Students will also learn to rig more advanced traditional systems to include compound mechanical advantage systems.
Ron Richards - Task Force 1 Training
Tennessee Task Force 1 - Memphis Fire Department
Students will face four technical rescue scenarios--car into a building, scaffolding rescue, fork truck/high rack shelving collapse, and heavy object entrapment using tools (Final details based upon available resources) and equipment found on most extrication companies. Working with ingenuity, teamwork, an understanding of physics and safety, and some basic skills training, any fire crew can mitigate these more common technical rescues. This course will equip rescuers with the knowledge and skills to approach these incidents with a divergent thinking mindset and the ability to complete a rescue while distant resources are still en route.
During this clinic you'll learn how to properly assess, package and extract subjects from high angle environments using various roping methods. We'll also cover simple and complex patient/subject access, rope transfers, deviating lines & span anchoring systems to simplify high angle rescues in mountain and wilderness environments.