October 6, 2026 | 2:00 PM ET

How to Survive Your Next Crisis: With nearly 20 years of experience in public affairs, media relations, and crisis communications, including leading communications for EMSA’s ambulance operations in Tulsa and Oklahoma City, Adam Paluka, APR, will provide a practical crash course on preparing for the high-risk, high-visibility incidents that keep EMS leaders up at night. Attendees will learn how to build a simple crisis communications playbook, avoid common mistakes, and establish a framework for rapid, coordinated decision-making. Covering scenarios from clinical events and employee issues to vehicle crashes and community concerns, the session will equip EMS leaders with actionable strategies to communicate effectively, protect public trust, and reduce reputational risk when it matters most.

Speaker

Adam Paluka

Adam Paluka, APR has been EMSA’s Chief Public Affairs Officer since October 2020. Adam joined EMSA in 2013 as the Authority’s first Community Relations and Social Media Manager previously working at FOX23 News in Tulsa as an anchor and reporter. As the Chief Public Affairs Officer, Adam oversees the many aspects of communication and marketing for EMSA including media relations, community relations, internal communications, government affairs, and overseeing the marketing for the EMSAcare subscription program. One of Adam’s key responsibilities is to tell EMSA’s story to the 1.2 million residents in EMSA’s service area and help those residents see EMSA as a national EMS leader whose medics administer compassionate and clinically superior care each day in the communities we serve.

Before coming to EMSA, Adam was a reporter and fill-in anchor for FOX23 in Tulsa. Adam graduated with honors from the University of Colorado’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Adam has been involved as a Board Member for many local nonprofit organizations including Domestic Violence Intervention Services, Leadership Tulsa, Health Outreach Prevention Education, and Street School. He is a Past Chair for the Public Relations Society of America’s Southwest District and in 2021 was the President of the PRSA Tulsa Chapter. In 2018, Adam earned his Accreditation in Public Relations and that same year was named the PRSA-Tulsa Young Professional of the Year. In 2023, Adam was named PRSA Tulsa Professional of the Year, an award given to a PR Professional who exemplifies strong talent and passion for communications, leadership skills and dedication to PRSA.