In 1974, President Gerald Ford authorized EMS Week to celebrate EMS practitioners and the important work they do in our nation's communities.
'Where Emergency Care Begins'
National Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Week brings together local communities and medical personnel to publicize safety and honor the dedication of those who provide the day-to-day lifesaving services of medicine's "front line." This year's theme is "EMS: Where Emergency Care Begins."
The emergency medical services system consists of first responders, emergency medical technicians (EMTs), paramedics, emergency medical dispatchers, firefighters, police officers, educators, administrators, pre-hospital nurses, emergency nurses, emergency physicians, trained members of the public, and other out-of-hospital medical care providers.
EMS practitioners save lives from sudden cardiac arrest
and trauma; get people to the hospitals best equipped to treat heart attacks and strokes; and show caring and compassion to their patients in their most difficult moments.
Members of EMS teams are ready to provide life-saving care to those in need 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and access to quality emergency care is known to dramatically improve the survival and recovery rate of those who experience sudden illness or injury.
EMS Week is a time to thank paramedics, EMTs and the entire EMS workforce for their service and sacrifices.
Mercy Flight photo by Joe Cascio.
