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EMS/First Responder Resources

Helpful Resources All In One Place 

This guide is a good starting point for those interested in becoming EMTs or paramedics, but prospective students can also check out these resources for more information on certification, education and careers in emergency medical services

International Association of EMTs and Paramedics.

This association is a worker’s union representing those in emergency services.

International Association of Flight and Critical Care Paramedics.

The association’s site includes information about what flight and critical care paramedicine entails, along with education and career opportunities, certifications, and state critical care policies.

Journal of Emergency Medical Services.

JEMS provides articles, news releases and other informational resources to emergency medical service providers

National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians.

NAEMT represents all types of EMS practitioners in all settings. Their website provides information about EMS careers and training, education resources and scholarships, health and safety, and industry news.

National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians.

The organization provides information on EMT and paramedic careers, certification requirements and access to a job board.

National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians.

NAEMT represents all types of EMS practitioners in all settings. Their website provides information about EMS careers and training, education resources and scholarships, health and safety, and industry news.

NAEMT Membership

https://www.naemt.org/join/membership-categories

National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians.

The organization provides information on EMT and paramedic careers, certification requirements and access to a job board.

Paramedic & EMT Schools & Programs

National Medical Education & Training Center – NMETC

https://nmetc.com/

AED & CPR Resources

CDC Public Access Defibrillation State Law Fact Sheet

https://www.cdc.gov/dhdsp/policy_resources/pad_slfs.htm

Professional Associations

American Ambulance Association

American College of Emergency Physicians

American College of Osteopathic Emergency Physicians

American College of Surgeons

Commission on the Accreditation of Ambulance Services

Emergency Nurses Association

International Association of EMTs and Paramedics.

International Association of Fire Chiefs

International Association of Fire Fighters

International Association of Flight and Critical Care Paramedics.

International Rescue and Emergency Care Association

National Association of Emergency Medical Services Physicians

National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians

National Association of State EMS Officials

National Volunteer Fire Council

EMS System & Resource Documents 

National EMS Research Agenda 

EMS Education Agenda  For the Future

National EMS Scope of Practice Model

Rural and Frontier EMS Agenda for the Future

EMS Education Standards 

National EMS Core Content 

Strategies of High-Performing Paramedic Educational Programs

NREMT Recourses

The EMS Compact Government Site

https://www.emscompact.gov/

National Registry Data, Dashboard, & Maps

https://www.nremt.org/maps

EMS Media

CMS - Newsroom Center

EMS1

EMSWorld.com

EMSC News

FireRescue1 ⦁    eNewsletter

JEMS.com News  & Articles

JEMS.com Insider Articles

Safety Resources

EMS Voluntary Event Notification Tool (E.V.E.N.T.)

The EMS Voluntary Notification Tool (E.V.E.N.T.) is a tool designed to improve the safety, quality and consistent delivery of Emergency Medical Services (EMS). It collects data submitted anonymously by EMS practitioners. The data collected will be used to develop policies, procedures and training programs to improve the safe delivery of EMS. A similar system used by airline pilots has led to important airline system improvements based upon pilot reported "near miss" situations and errors. Any individual who encounters or recognizes a situation in which an EMS safety event occurred, or could have occurred, is strongly encouraged to submit a report by completing the appropriate EMS Voluntary Notification Tool. The confidentiality and anonymity of this reporting tool is designed to encourage EMS practitioners to readily report EMS safety events without fear of repercussion.

File a confidential and anonymous report:

Report a Near Miss Event

Report a Patient Safety Event

Report a Violence Event

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigations collects complaints about ground ambulance vehicle and equipment defects to determine if a safety-related defect trend exists. If a defect is identified, ODI works with manufacturers and the industry to resolve the issue to help save lives.

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Additional Safety Related Resource Links:

Ground Ambulance Standards  &  EMS Safety

Stop The Bleed

National Traffic Incident Management (TIM) Responder Training - A Free FHWA Web-Based Course

Toward Zero Deaths: National Strategy on Highway Safety

SafeAmbulances.org

National EMS Safety Council

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)

https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/index.htm

National Institute for Standards & Technology (NIST)

https://www.nist.gov/

SAE International (Society of Automotive Engineers)

https://www.sae.org/

National EMS Resources

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services HHS.gov

https://asprtracie.hhs.gov/EMS

NHTSA Office of EMS

https://www.ems.gov/

Federal Interagency Committee on Emergency Medical Services

https://www.ems.gov/

National EMS Advisory Council

https://www.ems.gov/nemsac.html

National 911 Program (NHTSA OEMS)

https://www.911.gov/

NEMSIS – National EMS Information System

https://nemsis.org/

HRSA Maternal & Child Health – Maternal and Child Health Bureau

https://mchb.hrsa.gov/

EMS Fatigue: Evidence Based Guidelines

https://nasemso.org/projects/fatigue-in-ems/

CDC – Centers For Disease Control and Prevention
Guidelines for Field Triage of Injured Patients: Recommendations of the National Expert Panel on Field Triage

https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr6101a1.htm

U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration
Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP) and EMS “Saving Lives Together: The Highway Safety & EMS Connection

https://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/shsp/ems/connection/

American Heart Association

https://www.heart.org/

American Red Cross

https://www.redcross.org/

Blue Campaign
Department of Homeland Security: Blue Campaign. End Human Trafficking

https://www.dhs.gov/blue-campaign

Educational Resources
CoAEMSP
Committee on Accreditation for EMS Professionals

https://coaemsp.org/

CAPCE
Commission on Accreditation for Pre-Hospital Continuing Education (CAPCE)

http://www.capce.org/

National Association of Emergency Medical Service Educators

https://naemse.org/

Disaster Response Resources ASPR
Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response

https://www.phe.gov/about/Pages/default.aspx

Emergency System For Advance Registration For Volunteer Health Professionals (ESAR-VHP)

http://www.phe.gov/esarvhp/Pages/default.aspx

Code of Ethics for EMS Practitioners 

https://www.naemt.org/about-ems/code-of-ethics

Research

FEMA (Emergency Management Institute) – Reading List

http://training.fema.gov/emiweb/edu/readinglist.asp

Curricula

PARAMEDIC TRIPP: Teaching Resource for Instructors in Prehospital Pediatrics

http://cpem.med.nyu.edu/teaching-materials

Government

Centers for Disease Control (CDC)

http://www.cdc.gov/

Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)

http://www.hhs.gov/

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

http://www.fema.gov/

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)

http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/

The National Next Of Kin Registry

http://nokr.org/nok/restricted/home.htm

National

Air & Surface Transport Nurses Association

http://www.astna.org/

Air Medical Physicians Association (AMPA)

http://www.ampa.org/

American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS)

http://www.aaos.org/

American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)

http://www.aap.org/

American Ambulance Association (AAA)

http://www.the-aaa.org/

American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN)

http://www.aacn.org/

American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM)

http://www.abem.org/

American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP)

http://www.acep.org/

American Heart Association (AHA)

http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/

American Red Cross (ARC)

http://www.redcross.org/

Association of Air Medical Services (AAMS)

http://www.aams.org/

Center for Domestic Preparedness (FEMA)

http://cdp.dhs.gov/

Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP)

http://www.caahep.org/

Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services (CAAS)

http://www.caas.org/

Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems (CAMTS)

http://www.camts.org/

Commission on Accreditation for Pre-Hospital Continuing Education (CAPCE)

https://www.capce.org/

Committee on Accreditation of Educational Programs for the EMS Professional (CoAEMSP)

http://www.coaemsp.org/

Council of Residency Directors in Emergency Medicine (CORDEM)

http://www.cordem.org/

Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMS-C)

http://www.childrensnational.org/EMSC/

Emergency Medicine Foundation (EMF)

http://www.emfoundation.org/

Emergency Medicine Residents Association (EMRA)

http://www.emra.org/

Emergency Nurses Association (ENA)

http://www.ena.org/

Institute Of Medicine (IOM)

http://www.iom.edu/

International Association of Flight & Critical Care Paramedics (IAFCCP)

http://www.iafccp.org/

Joint Committee on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO)

http://www.jointcommission.org/default.aspx

Lessons Learned Information Sharing

https://www.llis.dhs.gov/

National Association for Search and Rescue (NASAR)

http://www.nasar.org/

National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT)

http://www.naemt.org/

National Association of EMS Physicians (NAEMSP)

http://www.naemsp.org/

National Association of State EMS Directors (NASEMSD)

http://www.nasemso.org/

National Collegiate EMS Foundation (NCEMSF)

http://www.ncemsf.org/

National Emergency Medical Services Educator Certification (NEMSEC)

http://naemse.wix.com/nemsec

National Emergency Medicine Association (NEMA)

http://www.nemahealth.org/

National EMS Management Association

http://nemsma.org/

National EMS Museum

http://www.emsmuseum.org

National EMS Pilots Association (NEMSPA)

https://www.nemspa.org/

National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)

http://www.nfpa.org/

National Inhalant Prevention Coalition

http://www.inhalants.org/

National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT)

http://www.nremt.org/

National Ski Patrol System (NSP)

http://www.nsp.org/

National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC)

http://www.nvfc.org/

North American Ambulance Alliance

http://www.n3a.org/

Society for Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM)

http://www.saem.org/

Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM)

http://www.sccm.org/

Society of Emergency Medicine Physician Assistants (SEMPA)

http://www.sempa.org/

Society of Trauma Nurses (STN)

http://www.traumanursesoc.org/

The AED Instructor Foundation

http://www.ilsf.info/

STATE

Alaska: State of Alaska Community Health & Emergency Medical Services

http://dhss.alaska.gov/dph/Emergency/Pages/ems/default.aspx

Arkansas EMT Association

http://www.aemta.org/

California Council of EMS Educators

http://www.ccoee.net/

Florida Association of Professional EMTs and Paramedics (FAPEP)

http://www.fapep.org/

The Oregon State Paramedic Association

http://www.oregonems.org/

Washington County/Johnson City EMS

http://www.wcjcems.org/

INTERNATIONAL

Basic Trauma Life Support (BTLS) International

http://www.btls.org/

Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs (CAFC)

http://www.cafc.ca/

International Association of Dive Rescue Specialists (IADRS)

http://www.iadrs.org/

International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC)

http://www.iafc.org/index.cfm

International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF)

http://client.prod.iaff.org/

International Critical Incident Stress Foundation (ICISF)

http://www.icisf.org/

International Rescue and Emergency Care Association (IRECA)

http://www.ireca.org/

Radio Emergency Association Communications Team (REACT) International

http://reactintl.org/

Society for Prehospital Educators in Canada

http://www.my-spec.org/

Miscellaneous

Burn Injury Treatment (Ehline Law Firm Personal Injury Attorneys APLC)

https://ehlinelaw.com/blog/burn-treatment-techniques

CentreLearn Solutions, LLC

http://www.centrelearnsolutions.com/

EMSEduCast Podcast

http://www.emseducast.com/

EMT Prep    

http://EMTprep.com

EMT-CE.com     

http://emt-ce.com

EMTClass.com     

http://emtclass.com

EMTPro Podcast

http://emtclass.com

Physician Preparedness for Acts of Water Terrorism

http://www.waterhealthconnection.org/bt/index.asp

Platinum Educational Group

https://www.platinumed.com/

The Medical Supply Guide

http://www.themedsupplyguide.com/aed

STAR OF LIFE

It is appropriate that Emergency Medical Services (EMS) be distinctively identified for the benefit of not only EMS providers but also their patients and the general public. Recognizing the need for a symbol that would represent this critical public service and be easily recognized by all, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) created the "Star of Life" and holds priority rights to the use of this registered certification mark.

l.png

Adapted from the personal Medical Identification Symbol of the American Medical Association, each bar on the "Star of Life" represents one of six EMS functions. The functions include:
1. Detection,
2. Reporting,
3. Response,
4. On-Scene Care,
5. Care in Transit,
6. Transfer to Definitive Care.

The serpent and staff in the symbol portray the staff of Asclepius, an ancient Greek physician deified as the god of medicine. Overall, the staff represents medicine and healing, with the skin-shedding serpent being indicative of renewal.
The "Star of Life" has become synonymous with emergency medical care around the globe. This symbol can be seen as a means of identification on ambulances, emergency medical equipment, patches or apparel worn by EMS providers and materials such as books, pamphlets, manuals, reports, and publications that either have a direct application to EMS or were generated by an EMS organization. It can also be found on road maps and highway signs indicating the location of or access to qualified emergency medical care.

Learn more about how to use the "Star of Life" from the NHTSA "Star of Life" Manual 
Are you interested in using the Star of Life? Please contact the Public Affairs office at public.affairs@dot.gov for more information.

STAR OF LIFE
Miscellaneous
INTERNATIONAL
STATE
National
Government
Curricula
Research
Code of Ethics
National EMS Resources
Safety Resources
EMS Media
NREMT Recourses
EMS System & Resource Documents
Professional Associations
AED & CPR Resources
Paramedic & EMT
Quick Resources
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