EMS Week 2015: Strength in Numbers

National EMS Week is just days away, scheduled for May 17–23. This year, the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP), in partnership with the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT), launched the EMS Strong campaign to unite and inspire EMS providers, strengthen the profession on a national level, and expand and amplify National EMS Week.

The EMS Strong website (www.emsstrong.org) provides a robust offering of resources, such as inspiring EMS stories and profiles, and EMS Week ideas and  activities. The website also encourages engagement from EMS personnel and invites them to share EMS Strong content with their own social media networks.

The EMS Strong message on the website is very poignant: “EMS Strong is what draws a special few together to do incredibly important work, often under difficult circumstances, and many times with little thanks. EMS Strong is the knowledge that you’re part of something very special. It’s the belief in something bigger than yourself—bigger than your level of certification, bigger than the color of the patch on your shoulder or the union card in your wallet.”

We invite you to share your #EMSStrong stories and photos of your EMS Week celebrations with our readers. E-mail editor@emsworld.com.

And while you enjoy the EMS Week celebrations in your communities, take a few moments to acknowledge the achievements of your agency and/or colleagues by entering the National  EMS Awards of Excellence program, established by EMS World and NAEMT to recognize outstanding achievements in EMS.

Nominations are being accepted for the following: Dick Ferneau Paid EMS Service of the Year; ZOLL Volunteer EMS Service of the Year; NAEMT/Nasco Paramedic of the Year; NAEMT/Braun Industries EMT of the Year; NAEMT/Jones & Bartlett Learning Educator of the Year;  and NAEMT Military Medic of the Year.

Visit EMSWorld.com/awards to enter by June 15 for a chance to win  $1,000 cash, three EMS World Expo core program registrations, and $1,200 for travel and lodging at the 2015 EMS World Expo/NAEMT Annual Meeting, September 15–19 in Las Vegas, NV. Good luck!