WEST LIBERTY, W.Va., April 10, 2015 — West Liberty University is offering a training program for first responders and school administrators that addresses concerns on landing zone safety and tactical response in instances when a helicopter must be used for emergency transport. The training will take place from 6 – 10 p.m., Tuesday, April 14 at WLU’s Highlands Center.
“We do these all around the region but this is our first time at the Highlands Center. We are looking for a good response,” said Wesley McLaughlin, flight paramedic and outreach coordinator who lives in Beaver County, Pa.
West Liberty University is one of the first universities in the country to provide tactical response training for emergency medical services (EMS) personnel and is the first post-secondary institution in the country to integrate Tactical EMS program into their continuing education program for first responders, according to Mike Hartle, paramedic and supervisor of Medic Rescue.
The April 14 program will be a two-part training designed for first responders, WLU campus police and campus administrators.
STAT MedEvac will teach participants Landing Zone safety and an introduction to tactical response at the WLU Highlands center. The first part of the program will teach the proper safety when landing a helicopter in case of medical emergencies and the second part teaches what to do in situations like rampage shooters or hostage situations.
“Introduction to Interagency Tactical Response,” the second part of the program, will be led by Hartle.
A paramedic since 1999, Hartle is an operations supervisor at Pennsylvania based ambulance service, which employs nearly 100 Emergency Medical Technicians and paramedics. He is co-founder and team leader of Medic Rescue’s Tactical Emergency Medical Support Team and serves as co-chair for Western Pennsylvania Tactical Medical Support Council. Hartle has authored several professional articles on EMS operations and has been an instructor for the Community College of Allegheny County paramedic program.
The course will introduce conceptual strategies that tactical response teams can adopt. It is intended to be one of a series of classroom and field training programs available to police officers, firefighters, and EMS personnel.
“By placing medical trained responders on the frontlines of tactical situations medical care is available in a much more expedient manner, which can literally be the difference between life and death,” Hartle said.
“No longer is it considered acceptable for basic medical care needs and basic hemorrhage control to be postponed until the scene is considered secure. I’m very grateful for West Liberty’s strong commitment to innovation and proactive approach,” he said.
West Liberty University’s Campus Police under the leadership of Capt. Thomas Hostutler, coordinated the landing zone program with the assistance of Ohio County Emergency Management Agency Director Lou Vargo and Valley Grove Fire Chief Scott Himrod.
WLU’s Highlands Center is located along Cabela Drive in the Highlands shopping complex, near the Marquee Cinema and may be reached by calling 304-217-2800.
For more information on the training program, please call WLU campus police at 304-336-8021 or contact McLaughlin at 412-290-1199.