DALLAS - The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) today announced the 33rd annual Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Week will be celebrated throughout the nation
May 14-20, 2006. The event 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 the medical “front line.”
National EMS Week will feature hundreds of grassroots activities coast-to-coast that will be planned around this year’s theme, “EMS: Serving on Health Care’s Front Line,” which underscores the commitment and dedication of the 750,000 EMS providers who serve their communities.
“As this year’s theme emphasizes, the brave men and women who serve as EMS providers are often first on the scene of a disaster, a motor vehicle crash or other event that may place them in a hazardous environment,” said Dr. Frederick Blum, president of ACEP. “It’s important that we take the time to honor these front line medical responders for often going above and beyond the call of duty to save lives, while risking their own.”
The weeklong series of events will include national and local activities to honor EMS providers (paramedics, emergency medical technicians, first responders, fire fighters, and police) to raise public awareness about health and safety issues, including how to prevent injuries and what to do in a medical emergency. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Health Resources and Services Administration, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention join ACEP as organizational sponsors of EMS Week.
Each year, ACEP develops and distributes EMS Week organizational kits to help communities plan and promote activities for the week. Kits are distributed to hospital emergency departments, state EMS offices, fire departments, EMS services, and the 53 ACEP chapters. The kits are made available free to the public thanks to this year’s EMS Week 2006 corporate sponsors including EMD Pharmaceuticals; Kidde; PDI; Lighthouse Uniforms; First Alert; NBC Universal; Moore Medical; ZOLL; Page, Wolfberg and Wirth, LLC; EMS Magazine; the Journal of EMS; and Best Practices in Emergency Services.
The EMS Week kit also contains the EMS Week Planning Guide, which reports on national and community events held during EMS Week 2005 and highlights activities planned for 2006. The kit also contains numerous fact sheets addressing important injury prevention and health topics.
Special Observances
- May 17—Annual Emergency Medical Services for Children Day. This day focuses on drawing national attention to the essential need for specialized emergency care for children to ensure that every child in the nation receives the highest quality emergency care possible—from primary prevention to acute care and rehabilitation.
- May 27—Annual National Moment of Silence. The National EMS Memorial Service in Roanoke, Va., organizes this national event to honor and remember the nation’s EMS providers who have made the ultimate sacrifice and given their lives in the line of duty. All EMS and communications agencies participating observe 60 seconds of radio silence on this day at 8 p.m. (ET). Visit http://nmos.nemsms.org to download a participation packet or email nmosinfo@naemt.org, and receive an auto-response email containing the participation packet.
EMS Week 2006 is sponsored by ACEP along with EMS Week partners who provide information for the kits and distribute them to their members. ACEP’s 2006 partners include: The National Fire Protection Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Osteopathic Emergency Physicians, American Ambulance Association, American Heart Association, Congressional Fire Services Institute, Emergency Nurses Association, International Association of Fire Chiefs, International Association of Fire Fighters, National Association of State EMS Directors, National Association of EMS Educators, National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians, National Association of EMS Physicians, National Council of State EMS Training Coordinators, Inc., National Volunteer Fire Council, and the U.S. Fire Administration.
For more information or to obtain an EMS Week kit, please call 800-798-1822, touch 6, or visit ACEP’s EMS Week Web site at www.acep.org/emsweek (e-mail: emsweek@acep.org). EMS Week kits can also be obtained from your local state EMS office or any EMS Week partner organization.
ACEP is a national medical society representing specialists in emergency medicine. With more than 23,000 members, ACEP is committed to advancing emergency care through continuing education, research, and public education. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, ACEP has 53 chapters representing each state, as well as Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. A Government Services Chapter represents emergency physicians employed by military branches and other government agencies.