Southern Union EMS Department

Great education and networking opportunities! Come down to the beach in October and see your SU EMS faculty as they teach classes at the Alabama EMS Conference!

THE 2026 CONFERENCE AGENDA IS NOW LIVE!

Planning to attend the 2026 Alabama EMS Conference? The conference agenda is now available online, including educational sessions, pre-conference courses, and special events.

We know many attendees need an agenda to submit to supervisors, agencies, or departments for education and travel approval. You can now plan, submit, and get approved.

Pre-Conference: November 14–16, 2026
Conference: November 17–19, 2026
Orange Beach, Alabama

View the 2026 Conference Agenda:
alabamaemsconference.com

Please note: Sessions, times, speakers, events, and availability are subject to change as conference planning continues. Check the website for the most current information.

Registration is open, and special pricing ends August 15!

The Updated 2026 CoTCCC guidelines change how tourniquets are managed, minimizing the accumulation of products of anaerobic metabolism when blood flow is blocked [1].

Key Updates:
• Repositioning: Moving a hasty “high-and-tight” tourniquet down to bare skin, 2–3 inches above the wound. This localizes pressure to save healthy muscle.
• Conversion: Swapping a tourniquet for a pressure dressing. This is only done if bleeding is controlled and the patient is not in shock.

The Timeline & Interventions:

• Under 2 Hours: Any responder can reposition or convert the device. To prepare for conversion, pack the wound tightly with hemostatic gauze and apply a pressure dressing. Administer TXA (slow IV/IO push) as soon as possible. While delivery within 3 hours is highly preferred for optimal efficacy, current doctrine has removed the absolute 3-hour time cap—do not withhold it for delayed casualties [2]. TXA stabilizes clots during conversion, while early packing preserves local body heat to ward off hypothermia-induced coagulopathy.

• 2 to 6 Hours: Metabolic waste risks rise. Only trained medical personnel can attempt a conversion [1]. At this stage, ensure wound packing is effective and the patient is wrapped in an active hypothermia prevention enclosure to ward off the “lethal triad.” If TXA was not given previously, it may still be administered, as there is no longer an absolute time restriction barring late administration [2].

• Over 6 Hours: The tourniquet must stay on in the field. Releasing it can flush built-up acids and potassium into the bloodstream. Management past this window should only be addressed in a Role 1 facility or higher, where higher-level trained clinicians and damage control specialists are available to manage systemic acidosis and hyperkalemia before the device is touched.

Tourniquet Repositioning or Conversion should include integrating TXA to increase success rates.

It is time to recognize all of the hard work and sacrifices made by our health science students! We invite the community to our summer recognition ceremony on August 3 at 6 pm in the Southern Room on our Opelika Campus.

Congrats to these three, all graduates of our paramedic program. Continue to lead and do great things!

We're Hiring!

Use the link below to apply:

https://www.schooljobs.com/careers/accs/southernunionstate

LAST CALL, EMS EDUCATORS & SPEAKERS!

Time is almost up!

If you’ve been thinking about submitting to speak at the 2026 Alabama EMS Conference… this is your sign to DO IT.

🗓 Deadline: May 1st
🕛 Portal closes at Midnight

Got a topic that challenges, inspires, or pushes EMS forward? We want to hear from YOU. Whether it’s clinical, operational, leadership, or real-world case-based learning, bring it.

Don’t sit on it. Don’t overthink it. Hit submit.

Get your speaker submission in before the clock runs out!

Roll call, Alabama EMS!

Who’s on shift right now? We want to see who’s representing.

Every shift, every call, every crew out there putting in the work, you’re what makes this profession what it is.

Bring that same pride here.

Let’s see your best rig pictures across Alabama!

Drop your truck, your crew, or your setup in the comments.

We’ll be featuring a few across the page.

Reminder: Speaker submissions for the 2026 Alabama EMS Conference are open through May 1st.

CCTMC is next week!