From EMS.gov: Provide Public Comment on Nomenclature of the EMS Profession Draft White Paper Before October 25

Earlier this year, representatives from EMS stakeholder and membership organizations across public safety and healthcare gathered to discuss how the EMS profession describes itself and its activities.

Based on these discussions, which were convened by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Office of EMS and the Health Resources and Services Administration's EMS for Children program, a draft white paper was developed. The white paper summarizes the issue of using different words to refer to the practice of EMS and the people who provide EMS services.

The white paper draft is now available for public review and comment. Following the public comment period, the group of stakeholder association representatives will review and discuss the feedback received from the community before finalizing and releasing the white paper.

The white paper outlines the conversations of the stakeholder group representatives, capturing the diverse range of opinions held across the profession. Over the course of the meetings, this working group tackled topics such as whether the general public understands what EMS is and whether or not "emergency medical services" continues to best describe the profession.

Anyone wishing to provide comments on the summary document can download it here and send feedback via email to [email protected]. Comments referring to specific portions of the draft should use the page and line numbers for reference. Visit the project website on EMS.gov for the more information.