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Emergency Medical Services

The U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) provides training, research and outreach to help keep emergency medical services (EMS) personnel and their patients safe and help prepare fire departments for special EMS operations.

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Photo of an ambulance with lights and siren on.
Infogram
Jan. 25, 2024

New guidance on emergency medical services use of lights and siren

Lights and sirens do not save significant amounts of time but are associated with an increase in ambulance crashes. Learn from lessons learned and change strategies developed during the Lights and Siren Collaborative project.

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Photo of a group of firefighters
Infogram
Jan. 4, 2024

Occupational Safety and Health Administration proposes to expand protections for emergency workers

OSHA is proposing a new safety and health standard to address a broader scope of emergency responders. Among other things, the new standard would align with the current industry consensus standards issued by the National Fire Academy on the safe conduct of emergency response activities.

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Training opportunities

Train with the best to be the best! National Fire Academy classroom and distance learning courses cover supervisory management practices, incident command for medium to large patient incidents, and management and planning of specialized EMS operations.

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Featured course

ON-CAMPUS
Emergency Medical Services: Incident Operations (R0147)

Acquire the skills you need to manage medium to large incidents involving multiple sick or injured patients.

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This course should be required for all front-line EMS supervisors who would find themselves in the role of medical command of a major incident.

R0147 student

Social media outreach

Post these cards on your social channels and include your own content to reinforce the messages.

Pictographs

Use these pictographs to communicate 911 and first aid messages to high-risk populations.

Publications

EMS Safety Practices

Create a safety culture within the EMS department

Learn how to develop a safety program that covers all aspects of EMS operations.

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Emergency Services Ergonomics and Wellness

Make the EMS work environment safer and more productive for the worker

These corrective measures will help to increase the safety of emergency responders, reduce the costs of worker's compensation claims, maximize the longevity of emergency service careers, and assist with sending personnel into healthy retirements.

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Alive on Arrival: Tips for Safe Emergency Vehicle Operations

Arrive safely to an incident scene

Information on the basics of emergency vehicle and roadway operations safety, including the roles of drivers, passengers and the officer in charge.

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Operational Templates and Guidance for EMS Mass Incident Deployment

Prepare for mass care incidents

This guide will help you to prepare and develop response policies for mass care incidents like natural disasters, pandemics and other emergencies.

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Handbook for EMS Medical Directors

Learn about being an EMS medical director

We've created an overview of key roles and responsibilities to assist current and prospective medical directors in performing their important duties.

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Mitigation of Occupational Violence to Firefighters and EMS Responders

Protect yourself from occupational violence

Best practices for preventing and mitigating violence against firefighters and EMS responders.

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Safety and Health Considerations for the Design of Fire and EMS Stations

Design safe and healthy stations

If you are a fire department leader, architect or local government official, this guide will assist you in your efforts to design a safe, healthy and functional facility.

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Emergency Vehicle Safety Initiative

Stay safe in your vehicle and on the roadway

Best practices and recommendations for safer emergency vehicle and roadway incident response.

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EMS reference materials

Get a head start on your EMS research project with these reference materials from the National Emergency Training Center Library.

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New at the NETC Library

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Emergency Medicine, Trauma and Disaster Management: From Prehospital to Hospital Care and Beyond

This book aims to inform and prepare healthcare professionals for the challenges posed by major incidents, so that they can act effectively in medical teams sent on humanitarian missions or into conflict zones.

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