About AZ ACLS

AZACLS provides recertification training when and where you need it. We offer condensed training sessions for physicians and healthcare professionals whose busy schedules don’t allow them to attend all-day classes at off-site training facilities. You can conveniently schedule private, on-site training at the time and location that works best for you. And since our training is geared toward medical professionals who currently hold ACLS certification, BLS certification or PALS certification, you can renew all three

Mark Barbee has spent his career doing one thing: making sure people are ready when it matters most.

Mark has worked as a firefighter since 2001 and currently serves as an EMS Deputy Chief for a Valley fire department, working the calls, leading the crews, and responding to the moments most people never want to face. He became a nationally certified paramedic in 2005 and holds a degree in Homeland Security and Emergency Management. He’s not a classroom instructor who learned from a textbook. He’s someone who has lived the scenarios he teaches.

Mark started teaching CPR and emergency cardiac care in 2006, and in 2010 he founded AZ ACLS with a simple goal: make high-quality certification training accessible to everyone in Arizona. He specializes in teaching physicians, CRNAs, and hospital professionals, the clinicians who need more than a checkbox course. His reputation in that space led to a long-standing role as an instructor at the Arizona Nurse Anesthetist Conference, where he has trained hundreds of advanced practice clinicians over the years.

Since then, AZ ACLS has grown to teach more than 750 classes every year and has certified thousands of healthcare professionals across the Valley, from new graduates to seasoned ICU teams.

What sets Mark apart isn’t the credentials. It’s the perspective. When he teaches chest compressions, he’s drawing on real resuscitations. When he explains why the ratio matters, it’s not theory. That experience shapes every class AZ ACLS offers, whether you’re sitting in a live session or completing your certification online.

If you’re here to get certified or renew, you’re in the right place.

Michael Patten brings 22 years of fire service to AZ ACLS, including 18 with Glendale Fire as a firefighter/paramedic, hazardous materials team member, EMS educator, and supervisor of the AirEvac/Glendale Fire flight program. He served four years in the United States Marine Corps and holds a bachelor’s degree from NAU. Michael has been an Arizona DHS approved EMS instructor for 25 years and was a long time paramedic instructor at a community college, teaching and mentoring hundreds of Arizona paramedics over the years. In 2012 he survived a sudden cardiac arrest with zero deficits, and he has worked with Dr. Bobrow and agencies across Arizona to prove continuous compressions save lives.

Arya Covington is an American Heart Association (AHA) instructor with a background in Emergency Medical Services (EMT). Passionate about emergency preparedness and lifesaving education, Arya provides hands-on training in CPR, First Aid, ACLS, PALS and other essential emergency response skills. Currently also working for Dignity CommonSpirit.

Joey Pacheco is a Valley fire department captain with 20 years of service, 24 years as a paramedic, and 22 years of experience teaching and mentoring others in emergency medical services. He is passionate about supporting crews, developing future medics, and providing dependable service to the community.

Outside of work, Joey is a proud husband and father of two teenagers, ages 14 and 16. He values family, leadership, and helping others grow, both on and off the job.