Outdoor Education, River Sustainability, Swift Water Rescue, Wilderness Medicine, Avalanche Safety Education.
My family is my world! We love going on adventures and learning together.
White water kayaking, backcountry skiing, ski patrolling.
2022 CMC Breckenridge & Dillon Adjunct Faculty of the Year
Tom Schwander is an enthusiastic, passionate, self-motivated, and competent Emergency Medical professional and leader. Tom has his beginnings in the United States Marine Corps, serving in the Iraq War, where he initially found his passion for emergency medicine.
After his enlistment he began a career in the civilian sector working and leading teams in ski patrol, ambulance, and hospital settings. He has volunteered for Search and Rescue and works as an Event Paramedic for a wide variety of activities, in the mountains of Colorado.
He has been the Lead Instructor at Colorado Mountain College’s EMT Basic program and has assisted with other EMS and Wilderness Medicine programs since 2015. Tom has experience working on ambulances and in the hospital setting as a Paramedic.
He found himself taking on the Director role for a hospital-based ambulance service in the rural area of Leadville, CO. Tom has since founded a medical consulting and staffing company that operates and consults globally for solutions to a variety of healthcare concerns, including response to COVID-19 in rural and remote places.
Mr. Schwander excels at adapting to changing situations and can manage and lead teams and students into diverse and sometimes undesirable or uncomfortable situations to deliver the highest quality, research-driven emergency medical care.
2018 Faculty of the Year, Steamboat Springs
EducationBen is a WEMT-IV, AMGA certified Single Pitch Instructor and the current President for Summit County Rescue Group. In addition to holding the office of President, Ben is one of 9 mission coordinators, a member of the Rapid Avalanche Deployment Team, Rapid Technical Deployment Team and a Swiftwater Technician.
Ben primarily teaches rock and ice climbing as well as technical rescue classes and wilderness emergency medicine classes. Ben has worked for Colorado Mountain College since 2011 and finds the small class sizes to be a great benefit to students.
Brian has served as faculty at the Breckenridge campus since 2006 when he created the Wilderness EMS program. In addition to directing the WEMS program, Brian is the lead instructor for many of the wilderness rescue & medicine courses.
Brian moved to Colorado in 1994 working as a wilderness guide instructing multi-week expeditions mountaineering, backpacking, rafting & climbing throughout Colorado, Alaska, Canada & Iceland. Brian has been an active member on summit county rescue group since 2000 and has served as training director, team leader, wilderness SAR paramedic and is on the summer and winter Flight for Life Rapid deployment program.
Brian has worked as a paramedic with local ambulance agencies and ski clinics since 2006. Brian and his wife Julia, spend their free time traveling the world, seeking out the next biking, skiing and paddling adventures.
