8:00am to 4:30pm

WRHSAC is offering Vehicle Lift, Stabilization and Extrication Training in Springfield on Wednesday and Thursday, October 25 and 26, 2023. 

The training is designed to challenge students with technically involved stabilization scenarios in order to build upon their skill set using strut & jack systems. Students will be introduced to the latest, most advanced equipment such as Res-q-jacks, Paratech Gold Struts, Rescue 42 and more as they deal with evolutions involving both light & heavy vehicles in compromising positions. Students will learn methods of vehicle stabilization and capturing to facilitate occupant extrication, without putting first responders at risk.

Scene Safety, Stabilization, Door /Roof Removals, Displacements, & Lifting / Capturing are just some of the components associated with a successful rescue operation when dealing with a confirmed vehicle pin. Remove any one of these, and the results could be disastrous for the victim and rescuers.

The training focus will be hands on learning, leading the students through rotations to simulate real life scenarios involving various motor vehicle collision scenarios.  Classroom style orientation will introduce concepts and equipment prior to hands on learning component of the training.

This is a two-day training. Students must be able to attend both days of the training.

The training is free. Registration is required. 

The training is open to first responders in Berkshire, Franklin, Hampshire and Hampden Counties.

Please complete the form below to register.

The class is full. Please complete the form below to be added to the waitlist. 

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The Western Region Homeland Security Advisory Council (WRHSAC) in partnership with Western Mass EMS (WMEMS) are hosting multiple training sessions that fulfill the practical training portion of Chapter 23 of the Acts of 2022 – commonly known as Nero’s Law. Sessions will be held in each of the four counties of western Massachusetts.

Two new training days are scheduled for Berkshire and Franklin County. 

• Wednesday, January 3, 2024 at Berkshire Community College. Sessions at 1pm, 3pm and 5pm.  
• Saturday, January 13, 2024 at JaDuke Theater in Turners Falls. Session at 9am, 11am and 1pm.

Update Friday, Jan 12 – Registration is closed for all sessions.

These will be the final sessions of the training prior to the February 10, 2024 deadline. We are working on coordinating training in Hampden County, however it likely won’t be until March 2024.

To learn more about the history of Nero’s Law and what to expect at the training, view this video WRHSAC created at a training session in Berkshire County in June 2023.

Per Nero’s Law, ambulance services in Massachusetts are required to assess, treat and transport police K9s injured in the line of duty. All certified EMTs (at all levels) must complete a training course of a minimum of 3 hours (1.5 hours didactic, 1.5 hours practical).

All students must complete the didactic training prior to attending a practical session. The didactic training is available online, on demand. To access the didactic training utilize the following link and passcode:

• LMS Portal: https://cmemsc-training.org/login/ and take the following steps:
  • Click register and enter your email address and create password
  • Select “Mass EMS Region 1” and
  • Enter code: Reg1WMA-Nero

Bring a copy (paper or electronic) of a certificate of completion of the didactic training to the practical session.

All students will show the following skills for successful completion of the practical training:

• Demonstrate appropriate assessment, restraint (muzzling) and low-stress handling of injured animals, including the selection and use of commercial and improvised muzzles.
  • Discuss appropriate indications, contraindications, and technique for muzzle application
• Identify relevant anatomic structures in police K9s and differences from human anatomy
• Perform physical exam to non-police dog canine, including primary survey/ M³ARCH² algorithm and to identify trauma (DCAP-BTLS).
• Demonstrate appropriate pulse checks and vital signs measurement in non-police dog canine.
• Assess for life threatening bleeding and provide appropriate hemorrhage control interventions, including the use of hemostatic dressings and non-windless style tourniquet devices.
• Assess for airway obstructions and perform basic life support maneuvers for clearance and to maintain patency.
• Identify and appropriately manage chest trauma, including the use of occlusive dressings, if razor to shave fur is carried on the ambulance.
• Identify and appropriately manage shock.
• Demonstrate assessment and management of cardiac arrest in canines, in accordance with current CPR guidelines, including chest compressions, ventilations using bag valve mask and post resuscitation care.

1.5 OEMS credits will be awarded upon completion.

8:30am to 5:30pm

The Western Region Homeland Security Advisory Council is offering two sessions of Advanced Medical Life Support. The first session will be held on Monday and Tuesday, January 30 & 31, 2023. The second session on Saturday and Sunday, February 25 & 26, 2023. Both sessions will be held at Easthampton Fire Department.

The training is free. Registration is required. Complete the form below. 

NOTE: Registration is now at capacity. You are welcome to join the waitlists by completing the form below.

Advanced Medical Life Support (AMLS) remains the gold standard of education for emergency medical assessment and treatment. Endorsed by the National Association of EMS Physicians, AMLS emphasizes the use of the AMLS Assessment Pathway, a systematic tool for assessing and managing common medical conditions with urgent accuracy.

In the third edition of AMLS, students learn to recognize and manage common medical crises through realistic case-based scenarios that challenge students to apply their knowledge to highly critical patients.  The course emphasizes the use of scene size-up, first impression, history, interactive group discussion on differential diagnosis and potential treatment strategies, and physical exam to systematically rule out and consider possibilities and probabilities in treating patients’ medical crises. The third edition AMLS library of patient simulations offers students an opportunity to apply critical thinking skills to a variety of patient presentations.

The course covers the following topics:

• Respiratory disorders
• Cardiovascular disorders
• Shock
• Sepsis
• Neurological disorders
• Endocrine/Metabolic disorders
• Environmental emergencies
• Infectious disease
• Abdominal disorders
• Toxicological emergencies
• Exposure to hazardous materials

AMLS is appropriate for EMTs, AEMT’s, and Paramedics, and is accredited by CAPCE for 16 hours of CE.

Once accepted into the program you will receive additional information directly from Community911 Training Inc., the course facilitator with important steps to complete your registration for this course. Failure to complete the directions from Comminity911 will forfeit your seat in the class. 

Complete this form to register:

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8:30am to 4:30pm

Many fire departments may not be prepared to respond to the challenges presented by large commercial vehicle accidents, such as a tractor trailer or tanker rollover. The amount of equipment and personnel necessary to handle these types of accidents could easily overwhelm a department.

Stabilizing, lifting and capturing are three vital components associated with a successful rescue operation when dealing with a confirmed vehicle pin. Remove any one of these, and the results could be disastrous for the victim and rescuers.

Vehicle Stabilization and Lift Training for First Responders will help participants to understand the risks inherent in a vehicle rollover and pinning, and provide the skills to be able to lay out a plan of response and implement it.

The training is free. It is a two day training. Registration is required – see below.

The objective of this training is to build a solid operational foundation based on the three aspects of lifting (stabilization, lifting, & capturing) and tie them together to insure a positive outcome. Students will learn methods to facilitate occupant extrication, without putting first responders at risk.

The training focus will be hands on learning, leading the students through rotations to simulate real life scenarios involving motor vehicles, construction equipment, and big rigs.  Classroom style orientation will introduce concepts and equipment on the morning of the first day. The class will then proceed to hands on learning for the remaining day and a half. The two-day training will afford students ample tool time using high pressure airbags, hydraulic jacks, hydraulic rescue tools, Res-q-Jacks, Struts, Griphoists, chain & binders and more.

Departments who are primary responders to the Interstate 91 Corridor will be given priority for this training. Others will be waitlisted and notified if space is available. The training is limited to 32 students.

The training will be held in Springfield on Wednesday and Thursday, November 9 and 10, 2022, 8:30am to 4:30pm. It is a 2-day training. You must be able to attend both days. Please complete the registration form below the video. The training is free.

WRHSAC previously offered this training in Northampton. Watch this video to learn more about the training and to peak your interest in attending.

Thank you for your interest. The training and waitlist are full. Registration is closed for this training. 

8:00am to 5:00pm

This five-day course provides students with a solid foundation of the activities, processes, leadership elements, and the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to function within the framework of a Type 3 All Hazard Incident Management  Team (AHIMT) deployed to an incident or planned event.

The course is fast-paced, highly interactive, and challenging as the students, formed into the Command and General Staff positions on an All-Hazards Incident Management Team, navigate through multiple activities and rapidly expanding incident scenarios. The course includes a comprehensive review of the roles and responsibilities of each of the Incident Command System (ICS) Command and General Staff positions, their roles as leaders of their sections or functional areas, leadership and teambuilding, and decision-making under stress.

Time will be spent explaining the Planning Process, each step within the process, the roles and responsibilities of each ICS position within the process, and the deliverables expected from them (based on their ICS position on the team) at the conclusion of each step. Multiple scenarios are used throughout the class to provide the students with opportunities to practice each step of the Planning Cycle, conduct the meetings and briefings, and produce multiple Incident Action Plans (IAPs). Two of the course days include comprehensive incident scenarios that last approximately five hours and that require the team to manage current incident management operations of a rapidly expanding incident, at the same time as planning for, and completing, an IAP for the next Operational Period.

While this course is ideal for members of the same Incident Management Team to attend to build team skills and relationships, individuals will also find the learning valuable and applicable.

The training is free. Registration is required. Complete the form below. 

This course will assist individual responders to perform as viable team members by:

• Emphasizing the nature and purpose of a Type 3 AHIMT so that others in the community and emergency services are more willing and able to assist or participate in their local Type 3
• Demonstrating the critical role that leadership and teamwork skills play in the success of a Type 3 AHIMT.
• Providing a basic framework for building and maintaining critical interpersonal communications and working together as a team member of a Type 3
• Operationalizing the components of the NIMS and NRF for use in the
• Offering practical experience of on-scene operations through extensive exercises and simulations that provide multiple opportunities to perform as members of a Type 3 AHIMT during simulated incidents.

The training will be held at Greenfield Community College, Wednesday, November 2 – Sunday, November 6, 2022, 8:00am to 5:00pm.

Please register by completing this form.

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