"EMS Week is the time we honor the entire EMS profession and its importance in protecting the safety and health of our citizens. Our country’s EMS professionals serve in a broad range of roles, from providing highly skilled care in an ambulance, to serving as educators, to practicing community paramedicine, to conducting research. These individuals are dedicated to improving emergency medical services on numerous levels and are helping to advance the vision of EMS Agenda 2050, that of a data-driven, evidence-based, people-centered EMS system.

May 19-25, 2024 marks the 50th Anniversary of EMS Week. This year’s theme, “Honoring Our Past. Forging Our Future,” reminds us to acknowledge the foundational work of those who came before us, while also striving to build and lead the EMS system we envision for our future. In the 50 years since we’ve been celebrating EMS Week, our profession has made enormous strides in pre-hospital care, data collection, emergency management and community-based healthcare. We’ve developed comprehensive EMS systems that are ready for any kind of emergency–seven days a week, 24 hours a day–whether or not that includes going to the hospital."