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UP-EMS Conference to be held in Marquette

MARQUETTE, MI--   Nearly 500 emergency services personnel are expected to attend the 36th annual UP-EMS Conference at Northern Michigan University this week.  

UP-EMS Executive Director Bob Struck says personnel from across the state and Wisconsin are coming to learn about more than 50 topics, including wilderness rescue, pediatric trauma, and hazardous materials. He says it’s “like EMS A to Z.”

Struck says the conference allows emergency personnel to learn new techniques and to practice their skills so they can help their communities. That’s important, he says, because those who attend are mostly volunteer.

“They’re the ones that people call on to know what’s going on, and if we can give them that information and show them how to get equipment and they use that to help people, it certainly improves health care and improves everybody’s life,” he says. 

Struck notes last year the state Health Department chose not to give UP-EMS a contract after more than 35 years of hosting the conference. He says the organization is now operating on limited funds, and many of the instructors are now volunteering their time to keep the conference going.

The conference takes place Thursday through Sunday at NMU’s University Center.  

Nicole was born near Detroit but has lived in the U.P. most of her life. She graduated from Marquette Senior High School and attended Michigan State and Northern Michigan Universities, graduating from NMU in 1993 with a degree in English.