National Awards

There are many award programs open to EMS practitioners at local, state and national levels. We know your time is tight and sometimes the entry form may seem overwhelming, but there are many benefits to entering award programs. Plus, someone has to win, and that someone could be you!

• Being nominated is a morale boost: By nominating your colleagues and/or agency, you are demonstrating pride in their hard work and excellence.
• Entering awards makes you assess achievements: Most award programs have an entry process that involves supporting the nomination by setting out details of the success and how it has been achieved. Many entrants discover that one of the most rewarding aspects of competing for an award is the process of sitting down and thinking about what has happened and the reasons for the success. In many cases, this leads to further thoughts and future improvements. This information can also be used for other purposes such as enhancing grant or scholarship applications and sending out press releases to local news media.
• Being mentioned as a finalist will be a positive boost: You can use the opportunity of being listed as a finalist to promote your achievements in your community and garner support for your colleagues and agency.
• Winning an award can open doors: For award winners, the process is an ongoing one. The thrill of the awards ceremony, the internal and external positive public relations, and the satisfaction from winning are all benefits that can result from entering an awards competition. The awards ceremony can also provide a unique opportunity to gain maximum exposure and network with high-level industry professionals.
• Add to your resume: Awards can be used to boost resumes for future job applications for individuals or grant applications for agencies.
• Raise the profile of EMS: Don’t just limit yourself to industry awards. If you know someone in EMS who is a shining star or an agency that has transformed its operations, look further afield to mainstream award programs, thereby helping to raise the profile of the EMS profession as a whole.

Nominations are open for the 2013 EMT and Paramedic of the Year awards. Click the award name below to submit a nomination. The deadline for submitting nominations for the 2013 awards is June 14. 

National EMS Awards
 The National Association of EMTs and EMS World have established the National EMS Awards of Excellence program to recognize outstanding achievement in the EMS profession. The following National EMS Awards of Excellence will be awarded:

• NAEMT/Braun Industries EMT of the Year: Recognizes an emergency medical technician who demonstrates excellence in the performance of emergency medical services, with their primary role being that of prehospital patient care.
• NAEMT/Nasco Paramedic of the Year: Recognizes a paramedic who demonstrates excellence in the performance of emergency medical services, with their primary role being that of prehospital patient care.
• NAEMT/Jones & Bartlett Learning Educator of the Year: recognizes as EMS educator who demonstrates excellence in providing EMS education to students. Look for the application April 1. 
• Dick Ferneau Paid EMS Service of the Year: Presented by NAEMT and sponsored by Ferno - recognizes outstanding performance by a paid EMS service.
• Impact Volunteer EMS Service of the Year: Sponsored by Impact Instrumentation, Inc. - recognizes ourstanding performance by a volunteer EMS service.

Award recipients receive a monetary award, three core program registrations, plus $1,000 for travel and lodging at EMS Word Expo/NAEMT Annual Meeting in Las Vegas, Nevada, September 8-12, 2013. Award recipients are announced in EMS World Magazine and recognized at the opening ceremony of EMS World Expo.

The EMT of the Year, Paramedic of the Year, Educator of the Year, Paid Service of the Year and Volunteer Service of the Year awards also are presented at the NAEMT General Membership meeting and are recognized in NAEMT News. 

Lifetime Achievement Award
The most prestigious award granted by NAEMT is the Rocco V. Morando Lifetime Achievement Award, sponsored by the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians. Applications are not accepted for this award; rather an outstanding professional working in the field of EMS is chosen. View a list of the past award winners here.

If you have any questions about the NAEMT awards or the application process, please contact us at awards@naemt.org or 1-800-346-2358.

AAA Stars of Life Program
For the past 20 years, the American Ambulance Association (AAA) has honored paramedics, EMTs and other ambulance service personnel who exemplify what is best about the EMS field. These appropriately designated Stars of Life are selected by their peers to represent them in Washington, DC, as part of National EMS Week activities. During their stay in DC, the Stars of Life meet with their members of Congress, participate in events to interact with fellow Stars, sightsee in our nation’s capital and are recognized during a banquet in their honor.

Past Stars of Life award recipients have included paramedics and EMTs who were part of the remarkable rescue efforts during emergencies like the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center and provided evacuation and response to the victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in the Gulf Coast. This program also pays tribute to those ambulance service personnel whose heroic acts or community service activities may not have made the news, but were just as meaningful to the people they aided. Since the inception of the program, more than 1,500 EMS professionals have received Stars of Life awards with representation from almost every state in the country.
For more information, click here.

James O. Page Award
This award is presented annually by the International Association of Fire Chiefs to an individual who has played a key role in creating an/or promoting non-clinical innovation and schievements in fire-service EMS management and leadership that has had a positive impact nationally.

The Award in named in honor of James O. Page, who has been a visionary and a national leader in fire-service EMS for over three decades. View past James O. Page award recipients here.