EMS readiness doesn’t hinge on any single factor — it relies on the balance between provider wellness, clinical competence, strong leadership and the ability to adapt to emerging technology. The What Paramedics Want in 2025 industry report highlights that while many EMS agencies face challenges with staffing, budgets, and supervisor engagement, these barriers also reveal where leaders can make the greatest impact.
People readiness
Burnout remains the most critical threat to readiness, affecting 76% of EMS professionals. Chronic fatigue, injury and poor recovery time are worsening as agencies face persistent staffing shortages. Nearly 60% of respondents say their department doesn’t have enough personnel to meet call volume, and 42% are dissatisfied with wellness support. The data doesn’t lie; wellness isn’t optional — it’s foundational to mission success. Agencies that integrate rest policies, mental health support, fitness initiatives and leadership modeling of healthy behaviors are better able to maintain safe operations.
Clinical readiness
Training deficits are a growing concern. More than a quarter of providers are dissatisfied with their agency’s training program, and many cite limited time and resources for realistic, scenario-based learning. Staffing shortages leave little room for continuous education, resulting in fading competence in high-risk, low-frequency skills. The data calls for training to be protected time, not an afterthought, with emphasis on realism, data-driven design and involvement across all ranks.
Command readiness
Leadership engagement defines agency stability. One-third of respondents are dissatisfied with agency leadership, and most report little feedback, recognition or communication from supervisors. The data shows that disengaged leadership leads directly to burnout, turnoverand operational inconsistency. Effective command readiness requires visibility, two-way communication, supervisor development and recognition of staff performance. Leaders must link their decisions to measurable outcomes like retention, safety and quality of care.
Future readiness
Despite widespread discussion of artificial intelligence, telehealth and data analytics, only a small fraction of agencies have implemented these technologies. Future readiness depends on strategic adoption — aligning technology to mission needs, piloting before purchase, training staff for digital competence, and safeguarding cybersecurity. Agencies must ensure that automation enhances, not replaces, human judgment.
Next steps: Action items to level-up readiness
Here’s how you can elevate your readiness across the board at your agency:
- Treat wellness as operational safety. Protect recovery time, promote peer support and integrate wellness metrics into readiness planning.
- Protect and prioritize realistic training. Build high-fidelity, scenario-based sessions tied to performance data and post-call reviews.
- Rebuild leadership trust. Strengthen two-way communication, feedback consistency and supervisor development.
- Adopt technology intentionally. Create a strategy for AI, data and telehealth integration that enhances care rather than complicates it.
- Use data to guide readiness. Track fatigue, training participation, incident trends and patient outcomes to inform resource allocation.
- Model resilience and accountability. Leaders must demonstrate the same standards of fitness, balance and adaptability expected of crews.
- Foster a culture of learning and innovation. Encourage field providers to share ideas, challenge workflows and participate in pilot programs.
Sustainable readiness depends on an integrated approach — healthy providers, competent clinicians, engaged leaders and adaptable systems working in alignment toward the same goal: ensuring every responder is prepared, every time.
Mission Ready: Every responder, every time
Do you have a sense of how effective your agency is at creating a safety culture? Lexipol Media Group’s 2025 “What First Responders Want” survey reveals perspectives from thousands of firefighters, law enforcement officers and EMS personnel about how safe they feel on duty, how their training prepares them to meet the rigors of their jobs, and how much they trust their leaders to keep them safe.
Join Lexipol Editorial Director Greg Friese for a deep dive into safety culture data on Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025, from 8:45-9:30 a.m. ET, for Lexipol Connect 2025, a virtual conference focused on strengthening total readiness across people, operations and leadership.
Register now for Connect 2025 and ensure your agency is mission ready.
EMS1 is using generative AI to create some content that is edited and fact-checked by our editors.
