posted November 10, 2025

Hands-On Collaboration Strengthens Regional Emergency Response, Patient Care 

PARKER, AZ — NOV. 10, 2025 — TriState CareFlight hosted its inaugural Critical Airway Labs last week for local emergency medical services (EMS) partners in the Parker area, bringing together fire, medical, and TriState CareFlight air medical crews. The Critical Airway Management for EMS Providers is a three-hour training that uses pig lungs and tracheas, along with mannequins, to provide a realistic hands-on experience.  

“We use pig lungs to demonstrate the benefits of using positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP), putting us steps ahead in our resuscitation efforts,” said Flight Nurse and Base Outreach Coordinator Meagan Kimball with TriState CareFlight. “With the added PEEP valve, the lungs go from small and shriveled on expiration to expanded, allowing for gas exchange to take place in the alveoli (air sacs in the lung). The pig tracheas help EMS providers learn to identify ‘landmarks’ and properly perform a surgical procedure because they are extremely similar to the human trachea in their anatomical structures.”  

The airway labs, held at Buckskin Fire Department Station 11 and Buckskin Trahan Station 311, welcomed participants from Buckskin Fire Department, Parker Fire Department, CRIT Fire Department, and AMR–River Medical. 

“Our goal with this event was simple — collaboration, education, and teamwork,” said Kimball. “We work alongside these agencies every day in high-pressure situations, and training together builds the trust and communication that ultimately improves patient outcomes.” 

The Critical Airway Labs featured several advanced, hands-on training stations focused on challenging airway management scenarios that EMS providers face in the field. Participants practiced video laryngoscopy, surgical airway procedures, and the use of advanced airway tools such as bougies and I-gels, all under the guidance of TriState CareFlight’s medical director, Dr. Kenneth Jackimczyk. Participants were also able to practice the suction-assisted laryngoscopy airway decontamination (SALAD) technique with a strategically designed mannequin. TriState CareFlight Flight Nurse Christine Alston led them through a high-stress airway scenario in which the patient vomits and the clinician must use suction to clear the airway.  

High-stress simulations, including performing airway procedures inside a tight space such as an ambulance, gave participants a realistic understanding of the challenges faced in rural emergency environments. Educating on airway management is extremely important because it is an essential skill for keeping patients alive, and it is very difficult in critically ill patients, particularly when the stress level is high and other complicating factors are present. Practicing techniques through the Critical Airway Labs allows participants to build needed muscle memory that is not achieved by watching a video. 

In addition to enhancing technical skills, the labs offered continuing education credits for paramedics and EMTs preparing for certification renewals, providing a free and accessible opportunity for professional development close to home.

“This training wasn’t just about skills,” said Buckskin Fire Station 11 Firefighter Medic and Medical Coordinator Dustin Fernandes. “It’s about building camaraderie, strengthening communication, and ensuring that when we respond together, we do so seamlessly for the patients who rely on us.” 

TriState CareFlight plans to continue hosting the Parker-area Airway Lab annually, furthering its mission to support local EMS providers and improve emergency care throughout rural Arizona and neighboring regions. 

Because emergency and critical care medicine is constantly changing and improving, ongoing training is an essential part of working in the EMS field. TriState CareFlight is part of Air Methods, the leading emergency air medical service provider in the country. All TriState CareFlight clinicians have at least three years of experience in an emergency or intensive care setting before joining a flight crew. They receive ongoing advanced training, and every nurse and paramedic has access to Air Methods Ascend, an in-person and online training program that allows clinicians to perform at the top of their licensure. Ascend’s offerings of innovative education programs are designed to help critical care clinicians and emergency medical responders advance their training, help improve emergent patient outcomes, and meet their continuing education needs. 

“To have the opportunity to provide top-of-the-line education is truly an honor,” said Kimball. “By providing this course, we are offering a critical care view of the airway and utilizing some of the training that our company has provided to us to help strengthen our EMS community’s skills.”