About Us
About the Bear Creek EMS Program
Mission Statement: Provide enhanced, accelerated education to National Ski Patrol (NSP) certified Outdoor Emergency Care (OEC) personnel allowing them to test and certify as Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT), fulfilling the ongoing need for essential first line medical service providers to our communities and ski slopes.
Vision: We seek to grow the number of certified EMTs available to communities by providing state approved training to currently certified Outdoor Emergency Care technicians.
The Program and Advisory Board is made up of volunteer patrollers, EMTs and EMS providers who are dedicated to providing accelerated EMT certification courses and continuing education classes to patrollers within Pennsylvania.
Our Origins
Our history started Eric Snyder of the Bear Creek Ski Patrol. He recognized patrollers within the Eastern Pa Region of the National Ski Patrol had a desire to become EMTs and prior to 2014, were only recognized as Emergency Medical Responders (EMRs) by the state of Pennsylvania's Bureau of EMS even though their Outdoor Emergency Care (OEC) training superseded the EMR certification.
In 2017, through a partnership with Lehigh Valley Health Network's GEMI, the first EMT certification class for members of the National Ski Patrol was held at Bear Creek Mountain Resort, lead by Eric Snyder and a group of instructors consisting of both active patrollers and EMS providers.
In 2023, the Bear Creek EMS Program officially became an independent accredited EMS institution by the Pa Bureau of EMS and a 501(c)3 nonprofit.
Since then the Program has grown regionally, developing different continuing education and professional enrichment courses for patrollers within the Eastern Pa Region and the EMS Community.
Its Advisory Board consists of both patrollers and EMS providers dedicated to patroller recognition and providing both EMT certification and continuing education classes to the EPA Region and EMS Community.
