Over the past year, not a day has gone by in which Americans haven’t considered the hard work and sacrifice of our healthcare workers. Emergency medical services, some of our most important frontline workers, have performed beyond the call of duty during the pandemic.

In 1974, under the recommendation of the American College of Emergency Physicians, President Gerald Ford declared the establishment of the National EMS Week, dedicated to observing the important work of our EMTs, paramedics, and emergency room personnel. After some moving around the calendar, National EMS Week settled in as the third week of May—this year, that’s the 16^th through 22^nd. Now that you know there’s an opportunity to observe the contributions of our EMS workers, here are some ways to celebrate National EMS Week in your community.

Community Events

Speaking of community, one of the most important things we’ve lost over the past year is our in-person social network. We’ve grown lonely, hardly ever seeing our neighbors, fellow parents, or coworkers. A safe and distanced community celebration honoring local EMS workers would be a welcome occasion for those who want to honor their local everyday heroes and simply enjoy a sense of community again. Feature a food truck, events for kids, and most of all, some beautiful late-May weather.

Plan a Blood Drive

Many accidents involve a dangerous loss of blood. As the nation spent most of 2020 under quarantine, necessary blood donation efforts reached historic lows, leading to nationwide shortages across blood banks. As the pandemic begins to recede, now is the time to begin restoring that supply. You can celebrate National EMS Week by doing your part—organize and host a blood drive in conjunction with your local Red Cross chapter. Use door prizes and those famous post-donation cookies as incentives to bring in donors, who can safely give blood under masking and physical distancing protocols—and not a moment too soon. Encourage healthy Type O donors, whose universal-donor type is most in demand.

Fundraise for Uniforms

As a supplier of those who serve, Kel-Lac Uniforms is a proud supporter of EMS Week. In addition to our assortment of OCP uniforms for the Army, Air Force, and Space Force, we also carry lines of civilian apparel, featuring police, fire, and EMS uniforms. If your local EMS personnel are suffering from budget shortfalls, consider fundraisers to help keep them uniformed as they perform their important duties.