Emergency Medical Services Expert Witnesses in Arizona

Emergency Medical Services, Emergency Preparedness - Prehospital standards of care, EMS operations, Ambulance transport protocols, EMS documentation practices, EMS scope of practice, Regulatory compliance, Medical direction, Credentialing, Medical disaster response, Emergency preparedness, Hospital Transfers, 911

Professional Summary Steve Tafoya is a practicing Critical Care Paramedic, EMS instructor, former State EMS Program Manager for Nevada, and former U.S. Coast Guard Health Services Technician with over 25 years of experience in emergency medical services, regulatory compliance, healthcare operations, and disaster response. He holds advanced graduate degrees in Healthcare Management (MBA) and Legal Studies (MLS), providing a unique ability to bridge clinical realities with operational standards and regulatory frameworks. He has authored public health legislation, directed interfacility transport programs, led mass-casualty preparedness, and conducted internal audits of credentialing and regulatory enforcement. Steve has overseen statewide EMS compliance for over 60 permitted EMS agencies, along with trauma centers designations, he has deployed nationally with the Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT) under Health and Human Services and taught 70 college-level EMS credits hours at t...

Emergency Medical Services - Ambulance Operations, EMS, EMT, Paramedic, Standard of Care, Medical Malpractice, Cardiac Arrest, Airway, Patient transport, Personal Injury, Refusal of Care, Stretcher drops, Emergency Medical Technician, Ambulance Response, Protocols, Delay of Care, Prehospital medical care, Emergency Medical Services, Wrongful Death, Negligence

Practicing paramedic and EMS officer with more than 35 years of experience in prehospital care, ambulance operations, and emergency services. Active in both field response and supervisory roles, with experience in patient assessment, airway management, cardiac arrest care, scene decision-making, provider supervision, protocol implementation, quality improvement, and EMS education. Retained as an expert witness in more than 80 matters across more than 20 states for both plaintiff and defense counsel. Casework has included issues involving airway management, resuscitation, delayed EMS response, scene management, patient refusals and informed consent, dispatch and triage, equipment readiness, policy compliance, ambulance operations, and stretcher-related injuries. Current roles include Battalion Chief/Paramedic with the City of Albany Department of Fire and Emergency Services and Shift Commander/Paramedic with the Albany County Sheriff’s Office EMS Division. Additional experience i...

Arizona

Emergency Medicine, Emergency Medical Services - General emergency medical malpractice, all sizes of EDs:small community to tertiary academic, EMS, paramedic, law enforcement, helicopter, administration, disruptive physician

I am a board-certified emergency medicine physician. I have been called upon to express opinions in the areas of medical malpractice, personal injury, negligence, standard of care, and causation. I am involved in both plaintiff and defense cases. My qualifications include: o Award-winning emergency medicine physician in active practice with 30 years clinical experience. o Former Associate Clinical Professor of Emergency Medicine (Volunteer) at University of California San Francisco School of Medicine o Current VP of company that staffs 500 emergency departments, helping to oversee more than 5000 providers in risk management and quality assurance issues o Fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians o Past President of the California Chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians o Medical Director of California Highway Patrol o Extensive publication and speaking experience in the area of emergency medicine o Experienced expert witness I pride...

ANTHEM, Arizona

Fire, Emergency Medical Services - Fire Expert Witness, Fire Department Policy, Department Training, Scene Safety, EMS Expert Witness, Firefighter Injury, Use of Force, Forensic Incident Analysis, Incident Command, Response Time Analysis, Responder Conduct, EMS Negligence, Emergency Response, Fireground Decisions, Apparatus Operations, Scene Command Decisions

John R. Storm, MPPA, CFO, retired as an Assistant Fire Chief after 30 years of service in the fire department. He is currently attending Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor School of Law, pursuing a Master of Legal Studies Program with a focus on becoming a Licensed Paraprofessional. John has extensive experience in Fire and EMS operations and administration, including training safety, developing employment policies and practices, conducting forensic evaluations of fire and EMS operations, conducting internal investigations, pre-hospital EMS, Fireground operations and reviews, consulting on risk and emergency management, human resources practices, and classification and compensation studies for public entities. John possesses extensive chief officer experience as well as 25 years as a licensed paramedic. He served as a peer reviewer for the FEMA Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG), Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER), and Fire Prevention and Safet...

Tempe, Arizona

Emergency Medicine, Emergency Medical Services - Airway management, cardiac arrest, arrhythmias, trauma care, stroke care, hyperbaric medicine, psychiatric emergencies, Emergency Medical Services, Air Medical, ED management, MD & APP Education, EMTALA, Detox, Emergency department logistics, telehealth, triage, sepsis

I am a board-certified Emergency Medicine Physician, with over 20 years of experience. After attending University of Minnesota, he completed residency at Maricopa Medical Center in Phoenix, AZ. To this day, he continues to actively care for patients across a broad spectrum of ED’s, from a Level 1 Trauma Center with comprehensive Stroke & Cardiac care, to stand alone Emergency Departments & smaller hospitals that have far fewer available resources. Prior experience in case reviews and depositions, including both plaintiff & defense. Attended SEAK’s How to Start, Build & Run a Successful Expert Witness Practice & SEAK’s How to Excel as an Expert Witness in Medical Malpractice Cases. My initial interest in this career came after my own personal deposition, in which my lawyer remarked "you should look into being an expert witness". Expert Medical Witness work is an important part of my career, and one I expect to continue to grow. However, I am still an active physician and plan to ...

Flagstaff, Arizona

Emergency Medical Services, Emergency Medicine - EMS Standard of Care, Paramedic Malpractice, Prehospital Airway Management, Protocol Compliance, Prehospital Triage, Medical Direction, Negligent Supervision, Wrongful Death EMS, EMS Quality Improvement, EMS Documentation, EMS Medication Error, EMS Transport Decisions, EMS Patient Assessment, EMS Scope of Practice

I am a dual board-certified emergency medicine and EMS physician available for expert witness services in cases involving pre-hospital and in-hospital standard of care. I accept both plaintiff and defense engagements nationwide. The National Association of EMS Physicians (NAEMSP) recommends that EMS medical directors be physicians with EMS clinical experience, familiarity with pre-hospital care and operations, and ideally board certified in the EMS sub-specialty. I meet and exceed each of these criteria as a dual board-certified (EM and EMS) EMS medical director currently directing eight agencies across Northern Arizona. **EMS EXPERTISE:** I am one of a limited number of physicians nationally who hold board certification in both Emergency Medicine and the EMS sub-specialty through the American Board of Emergency Medicine. I completed a dedicated EMS Fellowship at Stanford University and currently serve as EMS Medical Director for Northern Arizona Healthcare, providing medical dire...