The premier conference for EMS and Nursing, the Gathering of Eagles, and EMS ALS and Nursing Competition
Every year, first responders from around Florida and across the US gather for one of the top conferences for EMS and Nursing first responders. This week long conference features classes, competitions, a vendor expo, networking, symposiums, and annual meetings for various first responder groups. They pack a LOT into just one week! Held at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, attendees can spend the week doing hands-on demonstrations, hearing about new techniques, and building their network within the industry.
This year's event started with an opening ceremony featuring an honor guard comprised of local honor guard team members from various departments, a REAL fighter pilot and a welcome message from the event chair and title sponsor.
EMS ALS and Nursing Competitions
One of the highlights of the week is the EMS ALS (Advanced Life Support) and Nursing Competitions.
The ALS competition starts with the preliminary rounds on Sunday. Teams from across the state (and even a few from outside Florida) compete in teams of 3 or 4. A large group of volunteers sets up over-the-top scenarios that test the skills of ALS teams. Judges are in each scenario to evaluate the teams knowledge, accuracy, and time management. These scenarios are always CRAZY.....with volunteer patients hiding and running around, fake wounds, noise and music blasting, and fake actors trying to distract the teams. It's often very challenging to photograph too, as it's super fast paced, lots happening at once, and the lighting is often dark or flashing. Thankfully I have a variety of lenses and lighting options with me at all times.
The top teams from the prelims advance to the finals later in the week. The final scenario this year was a haunted house. OMG it was NUTS! They had clowns, caskets, people with fake chainsaws, Halloween decor everywhere, and a huge audience watching it all go down.
The nursing competition featured teams of 4 that entered a fake hospital setting where patients were set up with all kinds of conditions. They had a pregnant lady, a hunting accident, and an injured firefighter as scenarios. Nurses had to evaluate the patients and get them triaged. Patients are constantly entering the scenes, there's lots of yelling, and there are announcements going on constantly. Nurses are being judged on their treatment of each patient and their ability to triage and manage the scene. It's also SUPER crazy and the audience loves watching it all go down.
The winners from ALS and Nursing receive trophies and prize packages (and bragging rights all year)!
Education
Throughout the week attendees had the chance to sign up for various classes and workshops. One of their big things is the ability for attendees to have hands-on learning experiences. Sponsors brought all kinds of new tools, mannequins, machines, and more for attendees to utilize. Instructors walked them through the latest techniques and the newest tools to make their jobs easier. There were guest lectures, symposiums, and demos all week on dozens of topics. They had a resuscitation workshop, a burn workshop, a leadership symposium, a mobile integrated health (MIH) symposium, a chiefs luncheon, and more!
It was a lot of things to cover at one time, but I wore my running shoes and tried to get to as many rooms as I could to catch all the action.
Vendor showcase
Always a fan favorite, they have a vendor show where businesses can showcase their newest products to all the attendees. Their booths are full of great new products that attendees can see, touch, an learn about. Many of the vendors who had exhibits were also sponsors of the conference in some form. Sponsors are the lifeblood of any conference so I believe it's important to try to get photos of them to provide as a thank you but also to show potential sponsors what the conference is all about. I'm always on the lookout for signs, banners, sponsors interacting with attendees, and any other opportunities to showcase sponsors.
Gathering of Eagles
The other big aspect of this conference is the Gathering of Eagles. The Eagles are a de-facto coalition of physician leaders who serve as the jurisdictional EMS medical directors from most of the largest US municipalities and many of their counterparts in Europe, New Zealand, Australia, and several Pacific Rim metropolitan cities. Led by Dr. Paul E Pepe, participants receive a wealth of knowledge from industry leaders. They learn about new laws, new products, new techniques, and more. At the conclusion of the event, awards are presented each year to top Eagles.
Conference Photography
This year's First There First Care & Gathering of Eagles Conference was a HUGE success! They had record attendance and had the best leaders in the industry there to give a wealth of knowledge to attendees. This was my 2nd year photographing the conference so I had a little more knowledge of day-to-day operations this time around. It was still a LOT to photograph, but it was an amazing week. I put a lot of miles on my shoes...walking nearly 5 miles each day throughout the conference center. My client received nearly 2,000 beautiful images from the week all organized in categories to make sharing images easier. If you have a conference coming up, I would love the opportunity to provide you with a quote and we can chat about your vision for the event! Email me at coastalclickphotography.com or call me at 561-972-8446.