Emergency medicine residents participate in on-site medical coverage for city-sponsored special events throughout the year, including distance runs and mass gatherings. Through ambulance ride-alongs, lectures, and hands-on fireground training, residents get a better appreciation of the capabilities of, and challenges facing, prehospital medical providers and their firefighting colleagues.
EMS Continuing Education
Penn Acute Care Education (PACE) offers many education courses, webinars, and conferences for all healthcare providers, including EMTs, paramedics, and PHRNs. Continuing education credits are available for most offerings.
Learn more about EMS Training
C. Crawford Mechem, MD
- Professor of Emergency Medicine
- Medical Director, Emergency Medical Services Command
- Division Head, Emergency Medical Services, Department of Emergency Medicine
Since 1998, Dr. Crawford Mechem has served as the EMS Medical Director for the Philadelphia Fire Department (PFD), the sole 9-1-1 EMS response agency for the City of Philadelphia. In this capacity he oversees the medical care provided by over 250 paramedics and 1000 firefighter EMTs. Dr. Mechem is also the Philadelphia Regional EMS Medical Director, functioning as the physician liaison between the Pennsylvania Department of Health Bureau of EMS and the City of Philadelphia. Finally, for over a decade he has been a tactical physician for the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team of a federal law enforcement agency. Dr. Mechem is board certified in the sub-specialty of Emergency Medical Services by the American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM).
Edward T. Dickinson, MD, NREMT-P, FACEP
- Professor of Emergency Medicine
- Director, Emergency Medical Services Field Operations
- Medical Command Physician, PennStar Flight
- Medical Director, PennStar Flight
Edward T. Dickinson, MD, NREMT-P, FACEP, is professor and director of EMS field operations for the Department of Emergency Medicine. He is medical director of the Malvern, Berwyn and Radnor Fire Companies, and the Township of Haverford paramedics in suburban Delaware and Chester counties. His interests include fire service and tactical medicine. He also serves as the Medical Director of the PennStar Flight Program.
Dr. Dickinson began his career in emergency services in 1979 as a firefighter-EMT in upstate New York. He has remained active in fire service and EMS for more than 30 years. He frequently responds with EMS units and has maintained his certification as a National Registry EMT-Paramedic. He is the Medical Editor of the Journal of Emergency Medical Services (JEMS) and was a co-author of the recently published FEMA publication Handbook for EMS Medical Directors.
Dr. Dickinson is board certified in the sub-specialty of Emergency Medical Services by the American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM).