NE Colorado RETAC

04/01/2026

Congratulations to the Emergency Communications Center on earning Medical ACE accreditation — the world's 116th — a milestone that belongs to every dispatcher, training officer, and QA professional who built the protocols and culture that made it possible.

Accreditation at this level is not a ribbon-cutting moment. It is evidence of sustained operational discipline: structured protocols followed under pressure, quality assurance cycles that actually change practice, and leadership willing to hold the line on standards when volume and stress push back. That is hard institutional work, and it shows.

For those of us focused on EMS system governance across the region, this matters beyond Loveland. Dispatch accreditation is the upstream infrastructure for everything that happens after the call is answered — unit selection, pre-arrival instruction, scene intelligence. When that layer is performing at a verified standard, every agency receiving those calls is better positioned to deliver care. Medical ACE status is a system-level quality credential, not just an agency one.

Northern Colorado is fortunate to have partners who pursue this standard. Well done to the entire Loveland ECC team.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1FtDatVUBX/?mibextid=wwXIfr
Loveland Police Department

Great news from the Centennial State: Loveland Emergency Communications Center (Colorado, USA) has been accredited for the very first time as the world’s 116th Medical ACE! This is an amazing achievement for everyone involved from the line dispatchers to the training officers to the QAs. We can't wait to celebrate with you at NAVIGATOR in a few weeks!

Loveland Police Department

04/01/2026

NCRETAC is pleased to announce that, effective today, all regional EMS governance in Northeast Colorado will be restructured under a single unified authority: the Northeast Colorado Regional Emergency Medical Services and Trauma Advisory Super Council for Integrated Multi-Jurisdictional Pre-Hospital System Coordination and Oversight (NCREMSATASCIMJPHSCO).

Our new acronym is unpronounceable. Our new logo is pending. Our board meeting agenda is 47 items long.

Happy April Fools’ Day from everyone at NCRETAC — where we keep the name short and the mission serious. 💚

03/27/2026

The NCRETAC hosted the honorable for a two day master class on frontline supervision with attendees from four counties. Sharing nearly five decades of wisdom from his amazing career with our region is truly an honor. We look forward to his return in a few weeks to address the needs of department heads, chiefs, and directors.

03/12/2026

First responder wellness is something we talk about more and more, but meaningful solutions require listening to the people doing the work.

The Northeast Colorado Regional EMS and Trauma Advisory Council (NCRETAC) is working to establish a Regional Peer Support Team and Health & Wellness Committee to better support the well-being of responders in our region and beyond.

This short video explains the effort and why responder wellness matters for the long-term health of our profession.

At the end of the video, you’ll find a very short survey (about 3 minutes) to help us better understand:
• wellness resources currently available
• barriers to accessing support
• priorities for future programs

We welcome perspectives from responders in Colorado, across the U.S., and internationally.

Your input will help inform how we strengthen peer support and responder wellness moving forward.

Watch the video and share your perspective at:
https://bit.ly/ResponderWellnessCO

03/11/2026

Today we are proud to introduce the Northeast Colorado Regional Peer Support Team.

Emergency services professionals routinely carry the weight of difficult calls, long hours, and the cumulative stress that comes with serving others during their worst moments. Peer support recognizes a simple truth: the people who understand this work best are often those who do it alongside us.

The Northeast Colorado Regional Peer Support Team brings together trained peers from across our region to provide confidential support, connection, and resources for EMS clinicians, firefighters, dispatchers, and other first responders. This effort reflects a growing commitment within emergency services to care for the well-being of those who serve our communities every day.

Our guiding principle is simple: Connected in Strength. United in Support.

No one in this profession should have to carry the difficult parts of the job alone.

More information on how to access peer support resources and how to become involved will be shared soon.

03/07/2026

The NCRETAC Injury Prevention Committee is making a difference — and this is a perfect example of why.

Committee member Greg Colton and the UCHealth EMS team have conducted over 3,550 free prenatal seatbelt checks across Larimer and Weld counties, and their data shows it works: 86% of participants continue wearing their seatbelt correctly afterward, compared to just 14% who receive materials alone.

Only 12% of pregnant drivers buckle up correctly. Free checks, infant CPR classes, and car seat installation help are available now — call Greg directly at 970-286-1857.

This is our region doing injury prevention right👏

🔗 https://www.uchealth.org/today/free-seatbelt-checks-buckle-up-correctly-during-pregnancy/

Seatbelts are worn incorrectly 77% of the time by pregnant women, but UCHealth EMS is on a mission to change that with free seatbelt checks.

03/06/2026

KUNC 91.5fm is covering the legislative work that could reshape EMS funding in Colorado — and it’s worth your attention.

HB26-1069 would expand Medicaid and insurance reimbursement for EMS to include treatment in place, behavioral health transports, and telehealth-assisted calls. The current model — pay only for transport to an ER — has been a structural funding problem for decades. This bill addresses it directly.

Nonpartisan fiscal analysts project the measure saves Colorado $2.1 million in its first year and $4.9 million annually thereafter — real numbers in a year when the state is managing a billion-dollar budget deficit.

HB26-1238 provides the statutory foundation. HB26-1069 provides the funding mechanism. Together, they do what the EMS community has needed for a long time.

Both bills passed committee unanimously.
🔗 https://www.kunc.org/politics/2026-03-04/ambulance-services-could-get-funding-boost-while-saving-the-state-millions-under-new-bill

The measure would expand the treatment options EMS agencies can bill for and lower state health care spending by reducing emergency room visits.

03/04/2026

Grateful to Representative Dusty A Johnson and Representative Meghan Lukens for their leadership on HB26-1283 and their commitment to strengthening Colorado’s emergency medical services system.

Our Executive Director, Nick Nudell, had the privilege of testifying in support of the bill on behalf of the RETACs, EMSAC - Emergency Medical Services Association of Colorado, and the Colorado Chapter of National Association of EMS Physiciansr along with his colleagues, all affirming support. The bill advanced unanimously and with enthusiastic support out of committee and now heads to the full House.



Colorado’s EMS system depends on thoughtful policy, strong partnerships, and legislators willing to engage with the realities facing providers and communities across the state. We appreciate the leadership shown here.

02/21/2026

Today we paid our respects to a deeply loved and respected husband, grandfather, friend, colleague, and community member.

In Memoriam – Jerry Morris
Lifetime Achievement Award

Today, we recognize a lifetime of service — and we do so with both gratitude and a heavy heart.

Jerry Morris devoted decades to Emergency Medical Services in Northeast Colorado. As a longtime member of Washington County EMS, Jerry exemplified steady leadership, clinical excellence, and an unwavering commitment to his community. He was the kind of provider who simply showed up — again and again — not for recognition, but because his neighbors needed him.

Jerry earned his EMT-Intermediate certification in 2002 through Morgan Community College and continued to serve with distinction for many years. He represented the very best of rural volunteer EMS: dependable, compassionate, and deeply committed to doing the job well.

Beyond patient care, Jerry also served as an unpaid board member for NCRETAC, ensuring that rural and volunteer voices were heard in regional conversations. He understood that strong systems are built not only in ambulances and emergency rooms, but also in meeting rooms, policy discussions, and collaborative partnerships.

Jerry was selected as the inaugural recipient of our Lifetime Achievement Award — a recognition of sustained, exceptional service and lasting impact on the regional EMS system. Though he is no longer with us, his influence remains woven into the agencies, colleagues, and communities he supported.

On behalf of NCRETAC and the entire regional EMS and trauma system, we honor Jerry Morris — for his service, his leadership, and the example he leaves for all of us.

02/20/2026

https://www.journal-advocate.com/2026/02/19/sterling-regional-medcenter-nurse-honored-with-regional-award/

A local nurse recently received some well deserved recognition. The Northeast Colorado Regional EMS and Trauma Advisory Council presented Jamie Groshans, an RN at Sterling Regional MedCenter, with …