EMS Week: How to be a Proud Partner in Your Community

By Marshall Gardner, EMT-P
EMS and Disaster Preparedness Manager
American College of Emergency Physicians

Being a "Proud Partner in Your Community," this year's EMS Week theme, has a lot of responsibility. It not only means fulfilling ones obligations but includes sharing in a relationship. So, what are the obligations of EMS in a community?

The obvious one is providing emergency medical care, at any time, in any weather, anywhere. That in itself is a hefty obligation to uphold. But over the past several years, it's become more and more apparent that many communities need more than just emergency medical care — and that is where EMS has become a true community partner.

Sharing resources
EMS has answered these needs in a variety of ways by sharing its resources. It is not uncommon to see ambulances at high school sporting events and EMS bike teams at community fairs or carnivals. Even paramedics on horseback are becoming more common place.

However, some additional needs include public education and injury prevention campaigns. Others include developing relationships with community stakeholders, working with public health agencies and community clinics. Some of the target audiences are familiar faces, but their needs have also changed.

Such is the case with older adults, or those with chronic medical conditions. In some communities, EMS has become integral in supporting their needs on a day-to-day basis, as well as during an emergency or disaster. Depending on your community, your list may be different. However, it is most likely you are answering a call for help that is new.

This is where EMS Week tries to help, offering our resources to the EMS community. The first primary goal of EMS Week is to assist with the recognition of EMTs, Paramedics, Emergency Medical Dispatchers and others. The other goal is assisting the EMS industry by providing materials for public education, injury prevention, EMS advocacy and other emerging activities. We encourage EMS agencies to submit their innovative ideas and photos that can possibly be used in future planning guides.

While many communities use this information during the third week of May, other communities host events throughout the rest of the year. To help with these year-round events, the planning guide and EMS Week Web site have been formatted to help assist with this.

The planning guide lists different activities that can be held each month of the year, and is available throughout the year on the Web site. Additionally, the site will be updated monthly with specific planning material that has relevant information for that particular time of the year.

As EMS continues to grow and expand, so will the efforts of the EMS Week planning guide to continually support the needs of being "A Proud Partner in Your Community."