By Marshall Gardner, EMT-P
American College of Emergency Physicians
Another year has passed, and EMS agencies across the nation are once again celebrating the accomplishments of outstanding responders and holding open house events for the public.
These acts reinforce the role that EMS plays in our communities by providing more than just emergency services. This year’s EMS Week slogan, “Anytime, Anywhere, We’ll Be There,” demonstrates a commitment to not only saving lives, but also providing education and outreach services to communities.
EMS is playing an ever increasing role in communities by not only providing rapid emergency care, but also by providing preventative care and education to try and reduce injury and illness. Additionally, agencies are taking the opportunity to recognize those professionals that have contributed greatly to the improvement of EMS within their community.
This is where EMS Week is trying to help and share our resources with the EMS community. There are two primary goals of EMS Week.
First, to assist with the recognition of EMTs, paramedics, Emergency Medical Dispatchers, and others.
Second, to assist the EMS industry by providing material for public education, injury prevention, EMS advocacy and other emerging activities. As always, we encourage EMS agencies to share their innovative ideas and photos so that they can possibly be used in future planning guides.
And new this year is the creation of the EMS Week Facebook site. Be sure to visit it and become a friend. Read stories about events across the nation and share your own experiences and photos for everyone to enjoy.
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 website have been formatted to help assist with this.
The planning guide lists different activities that can be held each month of the year. As in previous years, the planning guide will be available throughout the year on the website.
We wish you a happy and rewarding EMS Week.