NAEMT Pulse

Yesterday, we honored those who made the ultimate sacrifice on Sept. 11, 2001. It is a sacrifice we will never forget. It is also a reminder of the daily sacrifice made by all first responders across our country and around the globe. We are grateful for your service and sacrifice, and hold your safety and wellness in our prayers.

2023 National EMS Awards of Excellence Recipients Announced

NAEMT and EMS World are pleased to announce the recipients of the 2023 National EMS Awards of Excellence. The awards will be presented during NAEMT’s General Membership Meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 19, and at the Opening Ceremony of EMS World Expo on Wednesday, Sept. 20 in New Orleans, LA. We congratulate the following recipients and recognize their outstanding contributions to the EMS profession and the patients they serve. 

View Announcement

Richard “Ricky” Battle, Paramedic, Hawthorne, California

2023 NAEMT/Velico Paramedic of the Year Award

Wayne Chan, EMT, Monroe Volunteer Ambulance, Monroe, New York

2023 NAEMT/Demers-Braun-Crestline-Medix EMT of the Year Award

Eric Bauer, MBA, FP-C, CCP-C, C-NPT, Paramedic, Bowling Green, Kentucky

2023 NAEMT/Jones & Bartlett Learning Public Safety Group EMS Educator of the Year Award

SSG Sean Clerkin, Paramedic, Manassas, Virginia

2023 NAEMT/North American Rescue Military Medic of the Year Award

Matthew Letizia, DO, FACOEP, Elizabeth, New Jersey

2023 NAEMT/Bound Tree-Sarnova EMS Medical Director of the Year Award

Jennifer Anders, MD, Baltimore, Maryland

2023 NAEMT-AAP/Handtevy Pediatric EMS Award

Plum Emergency Medical Services, Inc., Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

2023 NAEMT-ACEP/Technimount EMS Safety in EMS Award

Salem (VA) Volunteer Rescue Squad, Salem, Virginia

2023 Digitech Volunteer EMS Service of the Year Award

Jamie Gray, BS, AAS, NRP

2023 EMS World/Dynarex EMS Caring Award

Sheldon Community Ambulance Team, Sheldon, Iowa

2023 EMS World/FirstNet^®, Built with AT&T Wellness and Resilience Award

Sachse Fire-Rescue, Sachse, Texas

2023 Dick Ferneau Career EMS Service of the Year, Sponsored by Ferno

Special Member Giveaway in Honor of National Preparedness Month

September is National Preparedness Month, observed to remind all first responders of our shared responsibility to maintain readiness. Each week this month, NAEMT will hold a special drawing for NAEMT full members and award a first aid kit or deluxe emergency preparedness kit to one of our members. Drawing winners will be announced in Top News on the NAEMT website and on the NAEMT Facebook page. Our first week’s drawing winner is Nick Reis of Springfield, NE. Congratulations, Nick!

Preparedness Resources | Ready.gov | #beready resources

With 22 renowned trauma experts and 16 focused topics and research, you won’t want to miss this day of extraordinary trauma education. For those who are not able to attend the live event in New Orleans on September 19, you can still participate virtually. Presentations will include:

• Sports Trauma-Induced Cardiac Arrest
• Controversies in TBI Care: Pediatric and Adults
• Industrial Emergencies: Case Studies from New Orleans EMS and the UMC Burn Center
• Dive Emergencies: Case Studies from the Deep
• Why Triage Systems Fail
• Trauma in the Alaskan Wilderness
• Controversies in Airway Management: Pediatrics and Adults
• Tourniquet Field Assessment and Conversion
• Penetrating Wounding Ballistics
• The Science Behind Prehospital Advanced Resuscitation Protocols
• Is it Trauma or is it a Stroke: Field Determination
• Reduced Mortality with Prehospital Whole Blood in the Hemorrhaging Trauma Patient
• Impact of Helmet Law Repeal on Motorcycle Crash Incidents Attended by EMS in Missouri



View Program | Register Today

Attending the NAEMT Annual Meeting? Join us for the General Membership Meeting

NAEMT Members! If you are attending the NAEMT Annual Meeting and EMS World Expo in New Orleans, please join us on Tuesday, Sept. 19 for an evening to celebrate our association and profession at the NAEMT General Membership Meeting. Sponsored by FirstNet^®, Built with AT&T and Columbia Southern University, both the meeting and reception following are open and free of charge to NAEMT members. Join us for a warm welcome and to hear from association leaders and to recognize this year’s recipients of the National EMS Awards of Excellence. View Annual Meeting events and NAEMT-sponsored courses here.

EDUCATION

New Release: GEMS 3rd Edition Course Now Available in English

Register for Free CE Webinars – Managing Difficult Airways & Violence Against EMS Practitioners

NAEMT is pleased to provide our members with rich, experience-based webinars offered at no charge. Each webinar will offer 1 hour of CAPCE continuing education (CE) credit for participation in the live webinar.

Managing Difficult Airways / Oct. 11

Airway management is a critical skill for prehospital practitioners. It can also be one of the most stressful interventions practitioners must perform. Understanding airway anatomy and physiology and recognizing best practices for airway management can bolster practitioner success.  Presenters: Dr. Michael Levy and Dr. Ameera Haamid, NAEMSP.

Reporting and Research on Violence Against EMS Practitioners / Oct. 26

Violence against EMTs and paramedics has been described as a ‘serious public health problem’ but one that remains ‘vastly underreported’ because of organizational cultures that stigmatize reporting. Researchers will share both their research and their multi-year effort to address violence against EMS practitioners, as well as how it is being addressed by health leaders. Presenters: Drs. Elizabeth Donnelly and Justin Mausz, Researchers, and Mandy Johnston, Paramedic, Peel Regional Paramedic Service.

Scholarship Application Reminder

NAEMT education scholarships enhance the ability of full members to advance their education and careers. To apply or learn more, login to the Member Portal and select Scholarships from the left navigation menu.

NAEMT EMS Scholarships: Application deadline for EMS programs beginning in February through July, 2024 due by Sept. 15.

• First Responders (to become EMT-Basic) – up to $500 each 
• EMT-Basic (to become EMT-Paramedic) – up to $5,000 each
• Paramedics (to advance education in the realm of EMS) – up to $2,000 each

Columbia Southern University Scholarship: Exclusive NAEMT scholarship covers up to 60 credit hours toward one online degree program. Individuals who have a current paramedic certification could receive up to 30 hours of transfer credit towards one of CSU's EMS degrees. Applications are being accepted now through Oct. 31.

Learn more and submit your applicationhere.

NAEMT Letters Advocate for EMS Agencies and Practitioners

• On Sept. 12, NAEMT coordinated letters signed by 13 national EMS organizations to House and Senate leaders urging passage of the EMS Counts Act.View House Letter | View Senate Letter

• On Sept. 5, NAEMT sent a letter in response to questions posed by the Ground Ambulance Payment Billing Advisory Committee (GAPBAC) regarding options, best practices and standards to prevent instances of balance billing; steps that can be taken by State legislatures, State insurance regulators and State attorney generals, consistent with current legal authorities regarding consumer protection; and legislative options for Congress to prevent balance billing. View Letter

• On Aug. 18, NAEMT sent a joint letter to the Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary requesting a delay and meeting on the final rule entitled “Change in Rates VA Pays for Special Modes of Transportation” to help ensure continued access for veterans to vital ground ambulance services. View Letter

Congress is Back in Session. There’s Still Time to Support EMS Legislation

Many bills will be acted on this fall. Contribute your voice to getting key EMS legislation passed by using NAEMT’s Online Legislative Service, a free service for sending emails on the critical federal legislation that will strengthen EMS. It takes only 30 seconds to send an email to your senator and representatives to reauthorize and Fund the Siren Act, ensure that our federal government accurately counts the EMS workforce and Extends Medicare Add-Ons.

• Learn Who is Running for Office. Visit the Elections page on NAEMT’s Online Legislative Service to learn who is running for office in the upcoming general elections on Nov. 7. Click on your state in the map, then click on an election group to obtain information about the candidates.

Welcome Our Newly Appointed NAEMT Advocacy Coordinators

NAEMT Advocacy Coordinators build and support NAEMT’s advocacy efforts within their respective states. We thank all advocacy coordinators for their dedication and support to EMS issues. We welcome the following newly appointed advocacy coordinators. Learn more

EMS News

• Florida man who 'exited' a moving ambulance is run over and dies; paramedic falls out trying to save him. Read more
• NFL announces more steps to reduce head injuries. Read more
• Plano, Texas man publicly thanks paramedics, doctors who saved his life through unique partnership. Read more
• Oregon experiments with relaxing emergency responder credentials. Read more
• Coming soon in Colorado: A robot to help first responders. Read more

Become an NAEMT Lighthouse Leadership Mentor – Apply Today

The Lighthouse Leadership Program provides an opportunity for an experienced EMS professional to become a mentor, offering career and leadership development to a program mentee through teaching and coaching, inspiring and motivating, providing constructive and corrective feedback, managing risk and networking. Learn more

National Observances Aim to Raise Awareness of Important Health Issues

• Pain Awareness Month | Sept. NAEMT offers education for treating prehospital patients experiencing pain in its Advanced Medical Life Support (AMLS) and Emergency Pediatric Care (EPC) courses.

• World Stroke Awareness Day | Oct. 29 – With a continued focus on the importance of knowing the signs of stroke and the power of saving #PreciousTime, World Stroke Day will be recognized on October 29. Learn More



• Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness Month | Oct. – Sudden Cardiac Arrest is a leading cause of death in the United States, taking the lives of more than 356,000 people each year, including more than 23,000 youth under age 18. Learn More | Train Bystanders

PCRF Sept. 22 Webinar Focuses on Augmented Reality for Augmented Learning 

Attend the Prehospital Care Research Forum for a webinar on Sept. 22, Live from EMS World Expo: Augmented Reality for Augmented Learning? Pediatric patient encounters are in the EMS setting and can be high risk/high acuity. Augmented reality programs that mix the virtual world with the haptics of a real-world experience, has the potential to augment learning. But is it feasible, usable, and useful in EMS? You will hear discussion on the study that tested one pediatric AR simulation program on a group of EMS professionals to answer that question. Register

A Very Warm Welcome to Our New Agency Members!

We are pleased to welcome you to the NAEMT family and look forward to representing and serving you.

• Brighton Volunteer Ambulance, Rochester, NY
• City of Osage Beach Ambulance, Osage, MO
• Lexington County EMS, Lexington, SC
• Pleasant Gap Fire Company – EMS, Pleasant Gap, PA
• West Columbia Fire Department, West Columbia, SC

Sign up to become an NAEMT agency member and your agency will receive access to a complimentary NAEMT Mental Health Resilience Officer (MHRO) online course.

Looking for Top Quality NAEMT Brand Apparel?

Lands’ End is NAEMT’s provider of top-quality apparel and legendary customer service. Available promotional discounts will appear during the shopping and ordering process. Learn More

Attend Virtual NAEMT Committee Meetings in October

Last week, an email was sent to full NAEMT members announcing the opportunity to participate in virtual NAEMT committee meetings in October. At these virtual meetings, members can learn about committee activities, participate in discussions on trending issues and topics, and ask questions. Members who wish to attend any of these virtual meetings will need to register in advance. Contact membership@naemt.org if you did not receive an invitation to register. Thank you.

• Not a full member? You can upgrade your membershiphere!

Featured Member Benefits & Specials for Full NAEMT Members

NAEMT provides a host of benefits and monthly specials. Log in to Access Your Benefits and take advantage of these and other promotions.

• EMS WorldExpo offers $125 off the 3-day core conference registration.
• ODP (formerly Office Depot) offers up to 75% off on Best Value Items and FREE shipping with $30 purchase now through Oct. 31.
• 5.11, Inc., buy one-get one 50% off all hats, in-store and online.
• MemberDeals offers savings of up to 60% on summer concerts, theme park tickets, and events.
• Avis and Budget – book a minimum consecutive three-day rental and spend at least $175 to save $15 on base rates with Avis or $10 on base rates with Budget, through Sept. 30, 2023. 
• ReelDx offers up to 20% discount on Institution subscriptions, an online library of real patient video cases.

New on the website

• Recruitment & Retention
• Sepsis Awareness