NWACC to unveil Jamin Snarr EMS Laboratory

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In honor of more than 30 years of serving its Emergency Medical Services (EMS) program, NWACC will dedicate its EMS laboratory to Jamin Snarr. 

Snarr served as NWACC’s EMS director, retiring in January 2026. The vast majority of EMS providers in Northwest Arkansas – including emergency medical responders, emergency medical technicians, paramedics, nurses and physicians – have either been directly taught by Snarr or trained by professionals he mentored.

His influence spans multiple generations of EMS professionals, touching every fire department, EMS service, emergency department and nursing unit throughout the region.

A dedication ceremony and sign unveiling will be held at 9:30 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 12, at the NWACC Center for Health Professions, located at 3201 SE NWACC Blvd. in Bentonville. The center’s Room 2012 henceforth will be known as the Jamin Snarr EMS Laboratory.

Speakers for the event will include NWACC President Dennis C. Rittle, former NWACC President Evelyn Jorgenson, NWACC Board of Trustee Lori Frank and Snarr. 

"We were privileged to observe and now are humbled to honor a career that has defined EMS education throughout Northwest Arkansas,” Rittle said. “Along with the countless industry representatives he trained or influenced, Jamin’s leadership also significantly strengthened partnerships between NWACC and local fire and EMS agencies, enhanced interagency training collaboration and elevated regional standards of patient care.”

Before joining NWACC in August 1995, Snarr previously led EMS training at Northwest Health in Springdale, where he also helped develop EMS education for what would become NWACC, then known as the “college without walls.” He joined NWACC as a faculty member, later overseeing the EMS and Fire Science programs. 

As the largest EMS education program in Arkansas, NWACC served as a model for the Arkansas Department of Health Section of EMS. Multiple state-level policies and standards were developed based on NWACC program policies created under Snarr’s leadership, several of which remain in use today.

Snarr served for more than 15 years as chair of the Governor’s EMS Advisory Committee. He was appointed by Gov. Bill Clinton and each successive governor since. His contributions have provided sustained leadership and guidance at the state level for decades.

In 2015, Snarr was inducted into the Arkansas EMS Hall of Fame. At the national level, he played a key role in reforming practical evaluation standards for EMS education. These changes were implemented nationwide four years ago as a direct result of his influence.

Learn more about NWACC's Emergency Medical Services program at nwacc.edu/ems.