The 49th annual Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Week will be observed from May 21‑27, 2023. EMS is a vital public service. Members of EMS teams provide life-saving care to those in need 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Access to quality emergency care dramatically improves the survival and recovery rate of those who experience sudden illness or injury.
EMS has grown to fill a gap by providing important out-of-hospital care, including preventative medicine, follow-up care and access to telemedicine. Whether career or volunteer, EMS providers engage in thousands of hours of specialized training and continuing education to enhance their life-saving skills.
The U.S. Fire Administration celebrates and fully recognizes the important contributions of the EMS practitioners who safeguard the health, safety and well-being of our communities.
As we come together to observe EMS Week, it is an honor to work with EMS providers who rise to the challenge of providing emergency care to communities, often under the most difficult circumstances and perilous conditions. The U.S. Fire Administration stands with all those who give of themselves to provide EMS to those they serve and to all who support them personally and professionally every day. Thank you for all that you do.
EMS:
WHERE EMERGENCY CARE BEGINS
Each weekday of EMS Week, a topic area is highlighted to increase awareness about job resources for providers or to recognize service.
EMS:
WHERE EMERGENCY CARE BEGINS
Each weekday of EMS Week, a topic area is highlighted to increase awareness about job resources for providers or to recognize service.
Health, wellness and resilience
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.
EMS education
The USFA's National Fire Academy provides classroom and distance learning opportunities for EMS providers. Our courses cover EMS supervisory management practices, incident command for medium to large patient incidents, and management and planning of specialized operations.
Safety Tuesday
The health and safety of EMS providers is a critical issue for both fire departments and third service providers. We offer several research-based guidebooks to help keep EMS personnel and their patients safe and prepare fire departments for special EMS operations.
EMS for children
It's important that kids know how to call 911 in an emergency. Use this pictograph in your community outreach to communicate this message to people with low literacy.
Save-a-life
Use our social media cards and pictographs to communicate life-saving messages about CPR and Stop the Bleed in your community.
EMS recognition
Over the past year, the pandemic has further demonstrated the importance of EMS providers in our communities. The dedication of career and volunteer EMTs, paramedics and other EMS practitioners has rightfully earned them the admiration and gratitude of the people they serve.
The USFA recognizes the many roles of EMS providers and the people behind the scenes who support them. Thank you for all that you do!