Instructors - Snowy River EMS

EMS Instructional Team

Snowy River EMS Productions prides itself on having active healthcare providers at a variety

of levels as part of our Instructional Team. From our inception it has been our mission to deliver high quality relevant educational programs. Our instructors are up on the latest technology and guidelines being taught.

Dr. J. Hudson Garrett Jr., PhD, MSN, MPH, MBA, FNP-BC, CSRN, VA-BC, GDCN, PLNC, IP-BC, CDONA, FACDONA, FAAPM, NREMT

Dr. Garrett is currently employed as the Chief Executive Officer for Community Health Associates and is the President and Co-Founder of the Infection Prevention Institute. He is also an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University Of Louisville School Of Medicine. He holds a Post-Masters Certificate as a Family Nurse Practitioner, a Post-Masters Certificate in Infection Prevention and Infection Control, and a PhD in Healthcare Administration and Policy.

He has completed the Johns Hopkins Fellows Program in Hospital Epidemiology and Infection Control, and the CDC Fundamentals of Healthcare Epidemiology and Antibiotic Stewardship program. He is board certified in family practice, critical care, vascular access, moderate sedation, infection prevention, legal nurse consulting, and as an emergency medical services provider and Tactical Medic.

Dr. Garrett is an Instructor Trainer and Training Center Faculty with the American Safety and Health Institute, the National Safety Council, the Emergency Care and Safety Institute, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Heart Association Instructor in BLS, ACLS, PALS, PEARs and is an NAEMT Instructor in several disciplines.

Dr. Garrett holds EMS certifications in Prehospital Trauma Life Support, Advanced Cardiac Life Support, Pediatric Advanced Life Support, Neonatal Resuscitation, Advanced Stroke Life Support, Advanced Medical Life Support, Geriatric Emergency Medical Services, Emergency Pediatric Care, and Core Disaster Life Support. Dr. Garrett is also certified as an Emergency Medical Technician through the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians.

Brent Dubois, EMT-P

Brent Dubois has been in EMS/Fire since he was 18. He became a Paramedic in 1998, and since has worked in both very rural and very urban care environments. His field experience includes being a Fire Service Captain, a firefighter Paramedic, a Paramedic Supervisor managing a progressive EMS service running 60,000 calls per year, and serving as a Field Training Officer (FTO) and educator in both the private sector and Fire Service. Additionally, Brent has been a Flight Paramedic for over 6 years.

Brent holds Instructor ratings in a variety of disciplines including ACLS, PALS, EMPACT and PHTLS. He is also a Water Rescue Instructor with Rescue 3 International. He educates from a paramedics perspective, with a street minded approach to field care, which is backed with a deep level of anatomy and physiology. Brent has a passion for pre-hospital education, and unlike some others, is dissatisfied with the typical “pop in the DVD and teach” courses – he adds a practical approach to every curriculum he teaches.

Currently Brent is working as a Paramedic Fire Captain, and when not working, he enjoys backpacking along with anything outdoors while spending time with his kids.

Shawna Whooley, EMT-P

Daniel R. Gerard, MS, RN, NREMT-P

Dan is the EMS Coordinator for Emergency Medical Services for the Alameda Fire Dept. AFD is 1 of 7 pilot projects in the State of California for Community Paramedicine. He is a recognized expert in EMS System delivery and design, education, and program development. He has served as national and regional faculty for a host of EMS educational programs. He was national faculty for the Brain Trauma Foundation as well as regional faculty and program coordinator for PHTLS in Washington, D.C. He got his start in education as a CPR and EMT instructor in Newark, NJ.

Dan has held various positions such as EMT-A and paramedic in urban EMS systems (20 years Newark, NJ), emergency department RN, EMS tour chief, EMS Director, trauma educator for the San Francisco Department of Public Health/San Francisco General Hospital, college professor at the George Washington University, instructor at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, & EMS training coordinator for the Saint Barnabas Health Care System.

Dan has taught across the United States and around the world, presenting programs in India, China, Canada, Mexico, Belize, and the Bahamas. Dan was one of the primary consultants to the Pan American Health Organization/Bahamian Ministry of Health, and he was the lead consultant for the Ambulance Service Re-Design for the Hong Kong Fire Services Department. He was recently invited back to work with AECOM on further development of EMS for Hong Kong.

Author of numerous articles on everything from the treatment of organophosphate poisoning to teaching overseas, he has published book chapters on Human Resources for EMS management text and Ambulance Operations.

Eric Nylander, EMT-P

Eric is a retired San Francisco Fire Department Firefighter/Paramedic Captain with some thirty years of practical emergency medical experience both in hospital (ED) and pre-hospital (EMS) arenas. He has over twenty-five years of experience in adult education with medical professionals and the lay public.

Eric has taught abroad in fifteen countries including the US and hold a Master’s Degree in Educational Psychology and Organizational Development. He is also Training Center Faculty with the American Heart Association, OPS Norfolk, VA spending time in US, Europe and North Africa assisting with the establishment of medical and trauma education programs. Eric teaches BLS, ACLS, PALS, PHTLS, EMPACT courses. He holds a Tactical Medical Certificate and HAZMAT FRO Certificates.

Eric is currently living in Uppsala Sweden where he is teaching basic and advanced ERC and AHA courses. He devotes a large part of my time and energy toward the development of medical training courses (first responder) for Swedish Coast Water Rescue Services, SSRS as well as volunteering on a daily basis for rescue patrol tours. Eric also enjoys traveling abroad with his wife.

Renae Sweet, EMT-P

Shawna Whooley is the principle instructor for our partnership with the Alameda County EMS Corps EMT Program. She began her career as an educator working for Guide Dogs for the Blind, teaching visually impaired individuals how to work with and care for a service dog. She then shifted careers into EMS and worked as an EMT for a private ambulance company in the San Francisco Bay area before becoming a paramedic.

Shawna has been the Lead Instructor for EMT programs at the San Francisco Paramedic Association and University of San Francisco. In addition to currently teaching she works with the Santa Rosa Junior College Paramedic Academy, and as a paramedic for a private ambulance company in Marin County, California.

Renae Sweet, Paramedic/EMS Instructor, has been involved with EMS & Fire since 2006. Renae got her EMT Basic in 2006, EMT Intermediate 2008 & Paramedic 2012. She currently works for Modoc Medical Center EMS and volunteer FF/Paramedic with Cedarville Fire Protection District. While finishing her paramedic school, she completed the California State Fire Marshal Instructor 1a 1b courses.

Renae currently teaches EMR, EMT, CPR for the professional rescuer, community CPR & First Aid, and provides hands on skills training for local area fire departments.

Andy Zanoff, EMT-P

Andy Zanoff began his EMS career in 1985, as an EMT in a 9-1-1 system. He became a paramedic in 1988 and has worked in Salinas, Sacramento, San Mateo, and Oakland, before joining San Francisco’s Department of Health Paramedic Division in 1995.

Currently Andy is firefighter/paramedic and a Paramedic Captain with the San Francisco Fire Department. Andy is an American Heart Association ACLS, PALS, and BLS. Andy recently became a PHTLS instructor.

When not involved in EMS activities, he serves as the Fire Department’s Internal Affairs investigator. Andy designed and oversees the Fire Department’s Narcotics Inventory and Diversion Control program. Andy lives on the coast with his wife, boy-girl twins, and two perpetually hungry Golden Doodles.

"Saving the Patients of Tomorrow Through Education Today"