November 9, 2023 – November 11, 2023
Seaside Civic & Convention Center
415 1st Ave, Seaside, Oregon, 97138
In-Person and Virtual Attendance Available
Featured Speakers
Kevin Hazzard is a journalist, TV writer, and former paramedic.
His first book, A Thousand Naked Strangers: A Paramedic’s Wild Ride to the Edge and Back, was published in 2016. He now writes for film and TV, with work produced by Hulu, CBS, ABC, and Universal. His journalism has been published at 99% Invisible, the Atavist, Men’s Journal, Washington Post, Atlanta Magazine, and elsewhere. He serves on the Governing Board of Global Response Medicine and is a sought-after voice on emergency medicine. He lives in Atlanta.
Rick Howard, R.N., B.S. Battalion Chief (Ret.)
I’ve worked as a charge nurse, EMT, firefighter, Captain, Battalion Chief, and instructor in EMS education. There really is no place (other than with my grandkids) that I would rather be, than with strong, dedicated, fearless, tireless, funny, smart, loving people who attend this conference. Long live Jimmy Buffett!
Conference Speakers
Dr. Frederic Cole specializes in General Surgery, Trauma Surgery, and Critical Care and is the Medical Director of the Trauma Program at Legacy Emanuel Medical Center.
Dr. Cole is a Fellow with the American College of Surgeons and is board-certified in both Surgery and Surgical Critical Care. Dr. Cole received his undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and attended Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem for medical school. His residency was completed at Naval Medical Center in Portsmouth, Virginia and Fairview Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio. It was followed by a two-year fellowship in Trauma and Critical Care at the Washington Hospital Center in Washington D.C. In his free time, Dr. Cole enjoys choral singing, trumpet, going to the opera, symphony, restaurants and movies, hiking, travel, and time with grandchildren and family. He is also a proud member of the Legacy Brass Band.
Scott serves as the EMS Instructor for Eugene Springfield Fire. Scott obtained an Associates Degree in EMS Operations as well as an Associates Degree in Fire Science. He currently holds instructor certification for PHTLS, TECC, EPC, AHA CPR-BLS, AHA ACLS and NFPA Fire Instructor 1 with credentialing of NFPA Fire Officer 2. In his 12 years in EMS, with nearly a decade of that as a Paramedic, he has conducted several academies and operated as a Field Trainer for new employees and paramedic students.
He has been the physician advisor for several EMS agencies and maintains his dedication to both education and quality initiatives. He has worked with EMS in Oregon and at the national level. Currently he is the chair of Emergency Medicine and the Director of Career Development at Western University College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific, Northwest in Lebanon, Oregon. He is a published author in EMS and Emergency Medicine and a proponent of Provider Wellness. He serves on the executive committee on the Oregon Wellness Program. He is dedicated to the advancement of EMS and strives to bring excellence to all EMS providers.
Shaun Ford, Division Chief of EMS for the Camas-Washougal Fire Department in Southwest Washington and a state of Washington Senior EMS Instructor.
Shaun has been an EMS provider since 1996 and a Paramedic since 2004. Shaun has been a provider and EMS educator in Idaho, Oregon and now Washington with roles including EMT, AEMT, Paramedic, Firefighter/Paramedic, training officer, college program coordinator and AHA Faculty. Shaun is currently the chair of the WA Fire Chief’s Association EMS section and a member of the Eastern Oregon EMS Conference Committee.
Jeramy Houston, FP-C
Jeramy is a life-long Seaside resident with 20 plus years working in EMS. He started as a First Responder in high school volunteering for the local fire department. Jeramy began career in critical care medicine at Life Flight 14 Astoria in 2015 when the base opened. Prior to his career in air medicine, he spent more than 10 years working on a ground ambulance in a 911 system. Additionally, he is a Captain with Seaside Fire & Rescue in Seaside, OR and participates in their rope rescue team. He was the training officer for his ground ambulance service before joining Life Flight, is heavily involved in EMS training and policy development at Seaside Fire & Rescue and has taught at the county level. Jeramy is passionate about sharing what he has learned in his varied career with others and proud to be speaking at the Oregon EMS conference in his hometown. He lives in Seaside with his wife Ashley, children Ella and Archer, and his black lab Boomer. He tolerates the existence of his wife’s two cats, Jay Gatsby and Redford. He believes you can learn 90% of what you need to know about medicine by watching Scrubs.
After a life changing auto accident, Jan Lee left a successful radio broadcasting career to join EMS. 32 years later-she’s still loving it! Having served in EMS starting as a volunteer EMT then as a Paramedic in the Midwest, she moved her family to Oregon where she has served as a Field Paramedic, FTO, Clinical Director, Operations Manager, PIO and Hospital Liaison for Metro West Ambulance, Inc. In addition, Jan has served as a medical mission Paramedic to Ethiopia; as a long time NAEMT instructor; as a local, state and national speaker; has been the recipient of local, state and national awards. She mixes her love of EMS with the importance of customer service and communication skills.
Dr. David Lehrfeld Is the Medical Director for the Oregon Health Authority EMS and Trauma division for the State of Oregon. Dr. Lehrfeld is an EMS Physician with an interest in regionalized systems of care and using data to drive practice. He started his career in medicine as an EMT in 1990 and has worked as an EMT, Paramedic, and Physician both in the military and civilian worlds. Dr. Lehrfeld also works at the Veterans Administration Hospital on the weekends.
Dawn Poetter, Oregon Licensed Paramedic
Dawn has 43 years in the EMS Industry. She worked for Metro West Ambulance for 35 of those years. Retiring from the company in 2015. Dawn is active in EMS Education and is an instructor Trainer in most EMS education venues including PHTLS, AMLS, EPC to mention a few and instructs ACLS, PALS and BLS. Dawn stays active in the EMS community and currently serves as the Vice President of the Oregon EMS Association. She works with the Law community as an expert witness for EMS related lawsuits. Dawn taught Pre-hospital documentation at the college level for 16 years. She is a native Oregonian and is proud to be part of the Oregon EMS family.
Mark Puhlman, Nurse Practitioner
Mark has extensive knowledge of cardiac transplant and Ventrical Assist Devices. He has spent years in the Pacific Northwest working with different VAD programs including Spokan Washington and the Providence VAD prgram in Portland. He is dedicated in bringinh education to prehospital providers about the prehospital care of Ventrical Assist Devices. Mark is married with 5 children.
Nancy has been involved in EMS since 1995 and has worked in 911 systems in NY, TX, and OR. Nancy has always enjoyed learning and has a passion for sharing information and seeing people grow as providers.
Away from work, Nancy enjoys the outdoors, hiking and camping with Milo the adventure nugget, running triathlon, kayaking, and fishing. She summitted her first 14er (Mt Princeton) in 2016 and is looking forward to another (Mt Bierstadt will be Milo’s first)!
Robert Victorino, Clinical Coordinator, PCC
Robert graduated from the Austin Community College paramedic program in 2004 with an AAS and a Bachelor of Health Science degree from Pacific University in 2016.
He is a Certified Healthcare Simulation Educator and has been an instructor at Portland Community College since 2009. He currently practices Paramedicine with Skamania County EMS, in Washington. When he isn’t teaching new paramedics or working as one you can find him either driving his Jeep or playing paintball.
Dr. Wang grew up in a small town in New Mexico and attended the University of New Mexico for undergrad as well as medical school. He went to University of California – Riverside for general surgery residency and completed his trauma surgery fellowship at Oregon Health and Sciences University. He enjoys spending time with his family outdoors, playing soccer, and playing music.