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The National Association of EMTs (NAEMT) board of directors voted on Friday, May 13, 2005, to support in concept the consolidation of EMS into a single, high-level, federal EMS agency within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on par with fire and police.
The decision came after careful review and discussions with the NAEMT board of governors and members about a recent report published by the George Washington University Homeland Security Policy Institute (HSPI) that also advocated an EMS agency in DHS.
In reflecting upon the board’s vote, NAEMT President Ken Bouvier said, “This is a very complex issue, and a lot of EMS stakeholders are concerned about what the future will bring. Decisions that we make now will directly impact EMS for many years. The NAEMT board of directors took its position after carefully reviewing the GWU report and talking with the NAEMT governors and members. NAEMT represents the EMTs and paramedics who work in the streets every day. They have expressed that they want to see a change and would like to be recognized at the same level as fire and police.”
The NAEMT board also voted to conduct a formal survey of its membership regarding expected services to be provided by a federal EMS agency. That survey will be conducted by an outside agency. Information regarding the survey will be posted on the NAEMT Web site, www.naemt.org, in the near future.
The National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT) is the nation’s largest and oldest organization solely representing the professional interests of EMTs and paramedics.
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