The countdown to Pinnacle is on. Returning this year to San Diego from July 13-16, Pinnacle remains one of the most influential leadership and management conferences in EMS. Now entering its 22nd year, the event continues to attract executives, clinical leaders, innovators, educators and industry partners who gather not simply to learn, but to debate, challenge assumptions and shape the future direction of EMS. EMS1 is proud to be the premier media partner of Pinnacle.
| MORE: What Paramedics Want in 2026: Bookmark this page to get your copy
Joining EMS One-Stop this week is Anthony Minge, senior partner at Fitch & Associates and one of the driving forces behind Pinnacle. Anthony previews the major themes emerging this year, including workforce retention, leadership development, burnout and wellness, preparedness, artificial intelligence, blood delivery, drone technology and the ever-popular What Paramedics Want report.
Throughout the discussion, Anthony emphasizes that Pinnacle’s value extends beyond the classroom. The real learning often happens in the conversations between sessions, over meals and among peers facing the same challenges across the country.
The conversation explores why retention has overtaken recruitment as EMS’s primary workforce concern, how leaders must take greater responsibility for organizational culture, and why emerging technologies such as AI and drone-delivered medical supplies are changing the profession faster than many realize.
Anthony also offers a preview of keynote speakers, including preparedness expert and author William Forstchen, and highlights sessions covering leadership, resilience, operational excellence, workforce wellness and healthcare innovation.
As always, Pinnacle promises to deliver practical takeaways, provocative discussions, and the opportunity to connect with some of the brightest minds in EMS.
Key quotes
- “If we can keep our people, we don’t need to spend as much time trying to replace them.”
- “People don’t leave organizations, they leave managers.”
- “Burnout is still too high. One suicide is way too many.”
- “We can’t push it into the dark corners of our organizations and just hope it goes away.”
- “AI is here to stay. It’s going to help us. It’s going to do some great things.”
- “It is never meant to replace this computer right here.”
- “We practice healthcare. We practice extremely innovative healthcare out there.”
- “It’s amazing the things that are happening out there.”
- “Good leaders share.”
- “Being responsible leaders is probably one of our largest challenges.”
Additional resources
- Pinnacle EMS 2026: Conference information, agenda details, speakers and registration
- Conference dates: July 13-16, 2026
- Location: Sheraton San Diego Resort
- Pinnacle Early Bird Offer: provide the code “EMS26”. This gives early-bird offer provides $100 off the current/regular price
- What Paramedics Want: 2026 Report debuts July 13, 2026
- William Forstchen’s books
Episode timeline
03:00 — The major themes of Pinnacle 2026. Discussion of retention, leadership, financial sustainability, workforce wellness, preparedness, AI and emerging technologies.
06:30 — Recruitment vs. retention. Why keeping employees has become more important than finding new ones and how organizations can build careers rather than simply fill vacancies.
08:15 — Leadership beyond operations. The role of leadership in employee engagement, succession planning, data-driven decision-making and lessons from Matthew McConaughey’s book Greenlights.
11:00 — Burnout, wellness and resilience. Why burnout remains a major challenge for EMS and how leaders must confront it rather than ignore it.
13:00 — Preparedness for the next crisis. A preview of keynote speaker William Forstchen and discussions around resilience, disaster readiness and planning for both natural and man-made events.
19:00 — AI Comes to EMS. Anthony discusses the opportunities and risks associated with artificial intelligence, from documentation and CAD integration, to clinical decision support.
24:00 — Blood, drones and clinical innovation. A look at how blood products, AEDs, naloxone and other critical supplies are increasingly being delivered through innovative technologies, including drones.
29:00 — What Paramedics Want in 2026. A preview of the latest survey findings and the issues currently weighing most heavily on the minds of EMS professionals.
30:00 — Why Pinnacle matters. Anthony explains why networking, relationship building and peer-to-peer learning remain among the conference’s greatest strengths.
32:00 — The conversation EMS needs to have. Anthony identifies leadership responsibility and accountability as one of the most important — and often avoided — topics facing EMS today.
