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EMS Week 2026

In 1974, President Gerald Ford authorized EMS Week to celebrate EMS practitioners and the important work they do in our nation’s communities. NAEMT and ACEP will partner to celebrate EMS Week May 17-23, 2026, to celebrate and recognize the important contributions of EMS practitioners in safeguarding the health, safety and wellbeing of their communities.

Thank you for your sacrifices, dedication and service to your communities. Happy EMS Week from EMS1.

EMS Week: What you need to know

What is EMS Week?

EMS Week is an annual observance in the United States that celebrates the work of emergency medical services professionals, including paramedics, EMTs, and other prehospital care providers, sponsored by the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) in partnership with the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT). EMS Week brings awareness to the role EMS plays in public health, promotes education about emergency care, and provides an opportunity to recognize the contributions of EMS professionals.

When is EMS Week 2026?

EMS Week 2026 takes place from May 17 to May 23.

What is the theme of EMS Week 2026?

The theme for EMS Week 2026 is Improving outcomes, together.

How can EMS agencies celebrate EMS Week?

Common EMS Week activities include community outreach, public education events, social media campaigns, recognition ceremonies and training opportunities.

EMS leaders hold the blueprints as we enter the era of evidence-based practices
In the spirit of today’s theme, we express our heartfelt gratitude to the remarkable members of the EMS community who go beyond the call every shift
It’s on agencies to provide opportunities for community members to learn the skills needed to potentially save the life of a stranger or loved one
This is the winning story for our EMS Week 2012 contest: “More than a job. A calling”
We can recognize our responders and celebrate their victories every day using the tools of social media
We were dispatched for a call where we learned the man was not our victim but the rescuer, and our patient was not a man but a moose.
The theme for this year’s EMS Week is so very real and accurate
It’s good to celebrate EMS this week, but what happens in the weeks after that?
Take inventory and make a plan to live the theme of EMS Week year round
Amidst all the screeching and hissing and enraged yowling, somehow ACEP manages to come up with a theme everyone can agree with
Instead of relegating celebration to a single week in May, consider how to recognize the accomplishments of EMS providers and organizations all year long
Every year, when the pollen count in the South is at its highest, and the ambient temperature begins to resemble equatorial Africa, I pause to think, ''Hey, that’s the third sunburned drunk we’ve picked up from the river in a week! EMS Week must be right around the corner!’'