About EMS Week

Honoring Our Past. Forging Our Future.

Half a century ago, a presidential proclamation called on the nation to support efforts to improve emergency medical care across the country. It also established the first national EMS Week, a tradition we proudly continue today. Much has changed since 1974, yet there is still much we can learn from those trailblazing clinicians who helped EMS evolve into the sophisticated branch of medicine it is today. Their dedication, commitment and sacrifice inspire us to take bold steps of our own, to continue to seek out ways to better serve our patients and our communities.

This year, we celebrate EMS Week by honoring our past—by taking a pause to recognize the contributions of each generation, the people who dreamed that we could save more lives and have less suffering, and then found ways to make it happen. EMS Week is never just about the past, however. It’s also about inspiring the EMS clinicians just starting out and the young people who haven’t even discovered EMS yet. It’s about learning from the challenges and building on the successes of the last five decades. It’s about forging our future—a future in which the next generation has the tools they need to deliver compassionate care and alleviate suffering in communities everywhere.

The History of EMS Week

In 1974, President Gerald Ford authorized EMS Week to celebrate EMS practitioners and the important work they do in our nation's communities. National Emergency Medical Services Week brings together local communities and medical personnel to honor the dedication of those who provide the day-to-day lifesaving services of medicine's frontline. EMS Week is presented by the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) in partnership with the National Associations of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT). Together, NAEMT and ACEP lead annual EMS Week activities. These organizations are working to ensure that the important contributions of EMS practitioners in safeguarding the health, safety and well-being of their communities are fully celebrated and recognized.

The National Association of EMTs Welcomes You to EMS Week 2024

Susan Bailey, MSEM, NRP

President, NAEMT


EMS Week Theme Days

Having special theme days during EMS Week helps to structure the week in terms of planning special events, conducting training and hosting celebrations. Remember all the days of EMS Week when planning your agency’s activities. 

Sunday is Health, Wellness, and Resilience Day
To promote the health, wellness and resilience of EMS providers and patients. Health, Wellness, and Resilience Day highlights the need to recognize and care for the health and wellness of EMS providers and patients and share ideas on strengthening resilience. It is an opportunity to step back and take care of ourselves through self-care as well as to care for our fellow EMS professionals and the patients who are in our care every day.

Monday is Education Day
Highlighting public education programs and EMS provider education Education Day seeks to highlight community educational programs, as well as the importance of continuing education for EMS practitioners. This is the ideal day to plan a community injury or illness prevention program and a special CE course for your agency. Consider in-person or online community education programs related to the prevention of falls, burns, poisoning or drowning.

Tuesday is EMS Safety Day
To promote Safety for the EMS provider, the patient, and the public Safety Day encourages first responders to focus on risk and prevention rather than possible negative outcomes and aims to promote the advancement of safety measures for both the community and the profession. This is a great day to highlight stress reduction, self-care and mental health awareness programs. Other options for programs include improved situational awareness, driving and roadway safety, vehicle and device maintenance, proper lifting techniques or violence awareness.

Wednesday is EMS for Children Day
To highlight the special needs of caring for children EMS for Children Day highlights the distinctive physiological and psychological aspects of caring for children and serves as an opportunity to raise awareness about improving specialized care for children in pre-hospital and acute care settings. Consider planning a pediatric care educational event for your clinicians and a community program related to first aid, emergency preparedness, car seats or bicycle safety.
Thursday is Save-A-Life Day
To promote Stop the Bleed, public CPR programs and other programs It doesn’t matter how quickly EMS practitioners get to a scene—bystanders will almost always be there first. Save-A-Life Day empowers the general public to learn and apply steps that can be taken to help save a life. This is an ideal day to schedule community CPR and Stop the Bleed educational courses. Take advantage of the many programs and toolkits available that make it easier to coordinate these programs.

Thursday is also STOP THE BLEED® Day
Please check out the STOP THE BLEED® website and all of the programs for STOP THE BLEED® Day including:
  • STOP THE BLEED® Day
  • STOP THE BLEED® Day Scholarships - over $150,000 awarded to date! Applications now open!
  • STOP THE BLEED® Day Grants - expanded program opens up in April. Grants from $1,000 to $100,000!
  • The STOP THE BLEED® Trainathon - the entire month of May!
  • The fast growing STOP THE BLEED® Day Ambassador program (now in 75+ countries)

STOP THE BLEED® Day
STOP THE BLEED® Day is a rallying point for the campaign, meant to create broader awareness of STOP THE BLEED® and to drive training activity.
There are a number of ways that organizations involved in the campaign can participate to elevate their STOP THE BLEED® activities and support the overall growth of the campaign, including the following:
  1. Sponsor STOP THE BLEED® training classes during the month of May and/or on STOP THE BLEED® Day.
  2. Offer special product discounts in recognition of STOP THE BLEED® Month.
  3. Talk about STOP THE BLEED® Day/Month on your website and include a link to STOP THE BLEED® Project website. You can also provide a link to the Stop the Bleed Coalition' training resources page so that people can find organizations qualified to teach STB STOP THE BLEED® classes as well as other training information.
  4. Donate kits or bleeding control equipment to the Stop the Bleed Coalition to be given as awards to schools as part of the STOP THE BLEED® Scholarship program.
  5. Put up posters at trade shows and other public events that provide information about Stop the Bleed Day and encourage people to get trained.
  6. Let us know what you are doing so we can promote it on the STOP THE BLEED® Project’s website and in our various newsletters and social media accounts. That includes sending us pictures of any events you sponsor.

Friday is EMS Recognition Day

To recognize your local EMS heroes and those who save lives through the EMS system. On EMS Recognition Day, we honor members of the EMS community who regularly go above and beyond what’s expected. It’s a day to give gratitude to first responders for their unwavering commitment to serve their communities. Plan a memorial ceremony, an awards event, a special meal, a gift-giving event and other honors for EMS Recognition Day.


Saturday is EMS Remembrance Day

To honor emergency medical services personnel who have died in the line-of-duty and to recognize the ultimate sacrifice they made for their communities. We thank them for their service to EMS and for bringing comfort and lifesaving care to their patients. They leave us with the proud memory of their commitment and dedication to EMS. This day is set aside to recognize those fallen EMS professionals and their families. Some ideas for this day include: Plan a memorial ceremony, hold a moment of silence event, create a Wall of Honor, host a ceremony to recognize families or establish a memorial scholarship.

Need Help Writing Your Own EMS Week Proclamation?
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