WASHINGTON — More than 400,000 EMS clinicians across the country are receiving individual recognition from the United States EMS Compact as the system marks a milestone during EMS Week 2026.
The Interstate Commission for EMS Personnel Practice announced that EMS clinicians in all 50 states; Washington, D.C.; Puerto Rico; and U.S. military overseas addresses now hold an active multistate Privilege to Practice through licenses issued by EMS Compact member states.
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The Compact currently includes 25 member states, but a new analysis from the National EMS Coordinated Database shows its reach now extends nationwide.
“EMS Week is about recognizing the people behind the profession,” said Donnie Woodyard Jr., executive director of the Interstate Commission for EMS Personnel Practice. “This year, for the first time in our history, the Commission can recognize them individually, by name, by license level and by state.”
Beginning May 18, EMS clinicians with a validated license and EMS Compact Privilege to Practice record in the database began receiving personalized certificates by email. Clinicians can download a high-resolution certificate and view or validate their Compact privilege through a secure link.
The recognition campaign is the first of its kind for the Commission and is supported through its partnership with the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians.
According to the Commission, more than 12,500 EMS clinicians have a primary mailing address outside the 25 Compact states but hold an active license issued by a member state. In several non-member states, more than 1,000 residents already have licensure from a Compact state and hold the Privilege to Practice.
For EMS clinicians in non-member states, the announcement does not change home-state licensure requirements. However, the Commission said it shows that many clinicians are already using Compact-state licensure to support interstate work, disaster response and cross-border service.
Kraig Kinney, Indiana commissioner and chair of the Interstate Commission, said the milestone reflects the work of state legislatures and EMS authorities that helped establish the framework.
“On behalf of the Commissioners, I want to thank every EMS clinician who carries a Privilege to Practice,” Kinney said. “Your professionalism is what makes this system work.”
The Commission said formal adoption by additional states could reduce administrative barriers for clinicians and bring more states into the governance structure overseeing multistate EMS practice.
The EMS Compact was established through the Recognition of Emergency Medical Services Personnel Licensure Interstate Compact, known as REPLICA. It is designed to support interstate EMS practice while strengthening public protection through data sharing, disciplinary notifications and cooperative investigations.
