AHLS: Advanced Hazmat Life Support
AHLS Hazmat Provider Course For All Healthcare ProfessionalsThe international leading course in this field.
© Image: Rettung St. Gallen
AHLS – Advanced Hazmat Life Support
The Advanced Hazmat Life Support (AHLS) Provider Course teaches comprehensive knowledge in the medical management of patients exposed to hazardous materials. The focus is on systematic response for the medical management on chemical incidents (incl. nerve agents). Incidents with exposure to biological and radiological events are also addressed.
The two-day AHLS Provider Course is the most comprehensive medical training program, teaching critical know-how needed to evaluate and treat victims exposed to chemical spills, toxic terrorism, and other threats.
Learning objectives:
- Principle approach to HAZMAT-events
- Self- and partner protection
- Hazardous substance assessment
- Systematic patient assessment
- Toxidromes
- Poisoning treatment paradigm, including specific antidotes
Target audience:
- Emergency physicians, prehospital emergency physicians, paramedics
- Emergency department nurses
- Toxicologists, pharmacologists and pharmacists
- Occupational health physicians
- NBC-specialist firefighters and army staff
- Military physicians and civil protection staff
Training for interdisciplinary healthcare professionals to care for patients exposed to hazardous materials and dangerous goods. Join the worldwide community of nearly 22,000 healthcare professionals from 84 countries and become a verified AHLS Provider, prepared to face the medical challenges of hazmat incidents.
Credits:
SFG/CSAM: Kat. I = 2; Kat. III = 28; SSCPT: 16; SGARM: 14; SGNOR: 16; SSAPM: 16; SGC: 6; SGI: 16
The AHLS certificate is internationally approved. Course participants will be registered with the international AHLS-Provider-database.
The AHLS certificate is internationally recognized.
Additional Information
With the support of:
In cooperation with:
The AHLS course is part of the curriculum Diploma of Advanced Studies (DAS) Work+Health
The AHLS course is part of the curriculum CAS Medicines and Medical Devices in Emergency and Disaster, offered by the University of Geneva
Course 2025
AHLS–Provider: Advanced Hazardous Life Support Training
Date: October 30./31. 2025
This course is offered in German. Please note, however, that the course book (AHLS Provider Manual) is in English and must be studied in preparation for the course. Approximately four weeks are allocated for pre-course study of the manual.
Venue: USB Basel, Steinengraben 36, 4051 Basel
Course director:
Prof. Dr. med. Mathias Zürcher, Head of SCRED and Program Coordinator SFG, Senior Consultant in Emergency and Disaster Medicine at the Department of Anesthesiology, University Hospital of Basel
Course faculty:
Dr. med. Colette Degrandi, Senior Physician, Tox Info Suisse
Petra Emmerich, Program Director, Emergency Nursing HF NDS, EMP, Z-INA Advanced Technical College, Zurich
Sven Hoffmann, Program Manager DAS Work+Health, University of Zurich
Dr. med. Hugo Kupferschmidt, Poisons Information Centre, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin
Michael Müller, Paramedic NDS HF, Certified Expert in Anesthesia Nursing NDS HF, Rettung St. Gallen
Dr. med. David Schurter, Specialist in Anesthesiology FMH, Senior Consultant in Emergency, Schutz & Rettung Zürich
Prof. Dr. med. Anne Leuppi-Taegtmeyer, Senior Physician, Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, University Hospital of Basel.
AHLS Switzerland is organized by the Swiss Center for Rescue, Emergency- and Disaster Medicine (SCRED, www.szrnk.ch) in context with the National Center for Disaster Medicine SFG and in collaboration with Tox Info Suisse, the Spiez Laboratory, Swiss Federal Office for Civil Protection, and the Coordinated Medical Services (KSD).
AHLS course manual and course preparation
Course preparation is via the AHLS Provider Manual (available online only) and an online pretest.
The AHLS Provider Manual comprises approximately 500 pages and is in English. You will receive the access key for the manual 4–6 weeks prior to the event as an online download. Please allow 24–40 hours for course preparation.
Course fee: CHF 1,100.–
Included are: the license for the online course manual, cours material, international registration and AHLS certificate.
Not included in the course costs are travel and accommodation, which must be arranged individually and are not part of the course package.
Details of administration:
Course registration must be submitted “online”. An email address that will be accessible during the course must be provided. A course cancellation must be made in writing, costs are incurred according to the General Terms and Conditions (GTC).
AHLS Provider Manual
Accommodation:
The Federal Training Centre
Kilchermatt 2, in 3150 Schwarzenburg, offers accommodation.
Please place your interest for accommodation with the SCRED administration:
Link to the web-form
Course registration