By Tammy Chatman
May 18-24 marks the 51st anniversary of National EMS Week, a time to recognize the dedication and sacrifice of EMS professionals across the country. First established by President Gerald Ford in 1974, this week shines a spotlight on those who serve their communities in times of crisis, often under the most challenging conditions.
This year’s theme — “We care. For everyone.” — is a powerful reminder of the compassion and commitment that define emergency medical services. As EMS continues to evolve and face new challenges, we must never lose sight of the history that brought us here, or of the nearly 1,000 EMS and air medical providers who gave their lives in the line-of-duty.
In 1991, EMT Kevin Dillard and members of the Virginia Association of Volunteer Rescue Squads founded the National EMS Memorial Service (NEMSMS). Their mission: to honor fallen EMS and air medical personnel — a group that, unlike police and firefighters, had no national recognition for line-of-duty deaths at the time. That mission lives on today through the NEMSMS and the Weekend of Honor, an annual gathering to remember the fallen and support the families they left behind.
With no permanent national memorial, the “Tree of Life” stands as a symbolic tribute. This temporary structure features individual brass leaves engraved with the names, agencies and the last call of the honorees. Each year, volunteers add new panels and names, then carefully store them until the next year — a labor of love in hopes of one day having a permanent home for this remembrance.
Unlike other national memorial services, the National EMS Memorial Service has no dedicated funding and depends solely on donations. Each year, the all-volunteer NEMSMS board must raise enough to keep the Service and the Weekend of Honor going.
To provide a more stable source of funding, the board launched the REMEMBERship program in 2024. “The REMEMBERship program allows supporters to be an active part of our mission and carry forward the legacy of their friends, colleagues and loved ones,” said Scott Davis, NEMSMS president, told EMS1.
To join or learn more about the program, click here.
This year’s Weekend of Honor will take place July 18–20 at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City in Arlington, Virginia. Two events are open to the public and media:
- Friday afternoon: The arrival of the National EMS Memorial Bike Ride’s Ride of Honor marks the start of the weekend. Riders present one of the two dog tags they carried to the families of the honorees they rode for. The ceremony concludes with the laying of the National EMS Memorial Service Wreath.
- Saturday Evening: The formal National EMS Memorial Service includes a candle lighting, invocation, honor guard procession and the presentation of commemoratives — an American flag flown over the U.S. Capitol, a white rose and a memorial medallion. A tribute video follows, along with a moment of silence and candlelight remembrance.
|More: Why they ride. Participants in the National EMS Memorial Bike Ride honor the fallen and support their loved ones
Weekend of Honor grows not just in attendance, but in meaning. For families, it brings comfort. For EMS providers, it reaffirms their calling. For everyone, it is a chance to reflect on the lives lived in service to others.
This year, we will recognize 29 EMS and air medical honorees. As we gather to honor their memory, let us remember it is not how they died that matters –– it is how they lived and the legacy of caring for others they left behind.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Tammy Chatman is public information officer, National EMS Memorial.