EMS Week 2023 Breakdown: Access Daily Resources!

In 1974, President Ford designated the third week in May as EMS Week to honor EMS clinicians and the important work they do in our nation's communities. National EMS Week 2023—held May 21-27—marks our 49th year of this special week set aside to celebrate the EMS profession and its dedicated providers.

Start Your Planning

There are a number of resources available to help even short-staffed agencies plan a fun and meaningful EMS Week celebration. National EMS Week is presented by the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) in partnership with the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT), and they’ve created the Resource Center for National EMS Week at emsweek.org. This website includes a Downloads section with logos, ready-to-go social media posts, fliers and videos you can download and use on your own website or in presentations or promotions. You’ll also find numerous articles highlighting providers, helpful planning resources for agencies and suggestions for ways to celebrate. Check out 30+ Ways to Celebrate EMS Week.

Don’t Forget the EMS Week Theme Days

There are six special theme days for EMS Week, which helps structure the week for planning special events, conducting training and hosting celebrations.

Sunday is “Health, Wellness and Resilience Day” to recognize and care for the health and wellness of EMS clinicians and share ideas on strengthening resilience. It’s an opportunity for clinicians to take care of themselves and their colleagues, just as they care for patients every day. We need to be proactive in managing all aspects of our health!

Monday is “Education Day,” which makes it an ideal day to plan a community education program. Consider in-person or online community education programs related to the prevention and treatment of injuries. The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) “You Are the Help Until Help Arrives” initiative provides tools to educate and empower the public to act in an emergency situation. Learn more at ready.gov/until-help-arrives.

Tuesday is “EMS Safety Day,” a time to focus on risk and injury prevention. Options for program topics include improved situational awareness, driving and roadway safety, vehicle and device maintenance, proper lifting techniques and violence awareness. EMS.gov’s new Resources Hub makes it easy to search for documents, reports, guidelines and policies created by the Office of EMS, our partners and other stakeholders. It’s also a good place to find traffic incident management (TIM) and roadside safety training educational materials to keep clinicians safe. Browse resources at www.ems.gov/resources/

Wednesday is “EMS for Children Day,” an opportunity to raise awareness about improving specialized care for children in prehospital and acute-care settings. Consider planning a pediatric care educational event for your clinicians and a community program related to first aid, emergency preparedness, car seats or bicycle safety. Find out more at the EMSC Innovation and Improvement Center.

Thursday is “Save-A-Life Day” and STOP THE BLEED® Day, a day that inspires the general public to learn and apply steps to help save a life. Consider scheduling community CPR and STOP THE BLEED® educational courses, and take advantage of the many programs and toolkits available that make it easier to coordinate these programs at stopthebleedproject.org.

Friday is “EMS Recognition Day,” an opportunity to acknowledge your local EMS heroes and others who save lives through the EMS system thanks to an unwavering commitment to serve their communities.

This year, agencies can also download a customizable certificate from the Office of EMS to acknowledge the work of their clinicians.

However your agency chooses to mark EMS Week, the key is to set time aside to honor the important contributions of EMS practitioners in safeguarding the health, safety and well-being of their communities.