COMMISSION ADOPTS RESOLUTIONS RECOGNIZING EMS WEEK AND EMS FOR CHILDREN DAY 2026
Interstate Commission Adopts Four Resolutions at 2026 Annual Meeting,
Recognizing EMS Week, EMS for Children Day, and Key Partner Organizations
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WASHINGTON (30 APR 2026)— The Interstate Commission for EMS Personnel Practice, the governmental body that administers the United States EMS Compact across twenty-five member states and more than 450,000 licensed EMS clinicians, today adopted four resolutions at its 2026 Annual Meeting at the InterContinental Kansas City at the Plaza, held in conjunction with the National Association of State EMS Officials Annual Meeting.
Two of the resolutions formally recognize national observances of the EMS profession. Resolution 2026-01 recognizes the week of May 17 through 23, 2026, as Emergency Medical Services Week, commemorating the fifty-second anniversary of the observance. Resolution 2026-02 recognizes May 20, 2026, as Emergency Medical Services for Children Day.
EMS Week and EMS for Children Day
Through Resolution 2026-01, the Commission affirmed that emergency medical services are a vital public service and that EMS practitioners are professional medical providers ready to deliver lifesaving care twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. The resolution recognizes the full breadth of the EMS workforce, including first responders, emergency medical technicians, paramedics, emergency medical dispatchers, firefighters, police officers, educators, administrators, prehospital and emergency nurses, emergency physicians, and trained members of the public. The resolution also recognizes State EMS Offices as the lead executive branch agencies responsible for the licensure of EMS personnel and the administration of state EMS systems.
Through Resolution 2026-02, the Commission recognized that thirty-five million children receive emergency medical care each year due to illness or injury, and that the medical needs of children differ materially from those of adults. The resolution affirms the work of the Emergency Medical Services for Children Program in helping states and communities prepare for pediatric emergencies, supporting research and improvement science across the prehospital and hospital continuum, and partnering with multidisciplinary teams of clinicians to reduce child and youth disability and death from severe illness or injury.
Both resolutions encourage the EMS community to observe these dates with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities.
“EMS Week and EMS for Children Day are moments for the entire profession to take stock of what its clinicians do every day, often without recognition. The Commission was created to protect the public by enabling those clinicians to serve across state lines, and these resolutions reaffirm that mission,” said Kraig Kinney, Chair of the Interstate Commission for EMS Personnel Practice.
Recognition of NREMT and NASEMSO
The Commission also adopted two resolutions recognizing organizations whose contributions are essential to the operation of the EMS Compact.
Resolution 2026-03 formally recognizes the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT) as an indispensable partner in the operation of the U.S. EMS Compact. The resolution acknowledges that NREMT certification is the foundation upon which the Recognition of Emergency Medical Services Personnel Licensure Interstate Compact rests, providing the uniform, nationally recognized standard of competence that makes interstate Privilege to Practice operationally and legally coherent. The resolution further recognizes NREMT’s sustained financial, technical, and in-kind contributions, including the operation of the National EMS Coordinated Database through which member states verify licensure status and exchange adverse action information.
Resolution 2026-04 formally recognizes the National Association of State EMS Officials (NASEMSO) as a peer organization and standing partner of the Commission. The resolution acknowledges NASEMSO’s sustained advocacy for state enactment of the Compact since its formation, ongoing joint policy development on matters such as EMS representation in the federal Rural Health Transformation Program, and its hospitality in hosting the Commission’s annual in-person meeting in conjunction with its own Annual Meeting each year.
“The Compact does not operate in isolation. NREMT’s certification standard and its in-kind contribution of the technology that runs our coordinated database, together with NASEMSO’s sustained advocacy and the convening that brings Commissioners together each year, are the reasons twenty-five states can administer interstate EMS licensure as a coherent system,” said Donnie Woodyard, Jr., Executive Director of the Commission. “Formally putting that recognition on the record matters.”
Formal copies of Resolutions 2026-03 and 2026-04 will be presented to the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians and the National Association of State EMS Officials, respectively.
About the EMS Compact
The Interstate Commission for EMS Personnel Practice is a governmental body established by the Recognition of Emergency Medical Services Personnel Licensure Interstate Compact (REPLICA). The EMS Compact facilitates the interstate practice of EMS personnel while strengthening public protection through coordinated data sharing, real-time notification of disciplinary actions, and cooperative investigations. The Compact currently includes 25 member states, whose legislatures enacted the legislation with overwhelming bipartisan support—3,250 total “YES” votes against 61 “NO” votes, representing 98% legislative approval. For more information, visit www.EMSCompact.gov.
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