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Another year has passed since we collectively celebrated the men and women of our regions Emergency Medical Services. While 365 days have come and gone, this week – EMS Week 2025 – we once again pause to recognize and celebrate the 4,066 EMS practitioners who serve our communities tirelessly, 24 hours a day. Across rural, suburban, and urban areas of eastern Pennsylvania, our EMS professionals respond at all hours – on holidays, in severe weather, and under the most challenging conditions. More importantly, you continue to serve your communities even on days when you might have otherwise been celebrating a child’s sporting event, a family milestone, or a loved one’s birthday. As our EMS system continues to evolve, and as both technology and the demand for emergency services continues to advance, the scope and sophistication of pre-hospital care have grown at a pace we could have only imagined just a few years ago. Today, EMS practitioners are interpreting advanced ECGs, identifying life-threatening cardiac dysrhythmias and ST-elevation myocardial infarctions, and delivering cutting-edge trauma care – you are there. From administering blood products at the scene of catastrophic incidents to providing critical interventions in a patient's home during medical emergencies—you are there. You are there in the face of danger, uncertainty, and risk. You respond without hesitation, committed to delivering the highest level of care whenever and wherever it’s needed. Behind the flashing lights. Behind the wailing siren. The chain of survival begins with advanced 9-1-1 technology, continues with the delivery of pre-arrival medical instruction, and is supported by first responder units from our partners in law enforcement and fire services. Our intricate communications networks connect EMS Practitioners with highly trained emergency department physicians, who provide critical guidance and oversight across our six-county EMS region. While our system is often recognized—and at times judged—by the speed at which help arrives, the true value lies in what happens next: deconstructing the chaos, bringing order to rapidly evolving situations, and coordinating efforts that many would turn away from. In many cases, the emergency is brought under control, a solution is initiated, or a family’s fear is eased simply by the arrival of EMS. That sense of calm and continuity of care extends through transport and culminates in the seamless transfer of patients to the skilled hands of our region’s healthcare networks. EMS Week 2025, May 18 – 24 – marks seven days of national recognition but, in reality, We Care. For Everyone. Every Hour. Every Day. On behalf of the Eastern PA EMS Council, we extended our deepest gratitude to each of you for your clinical expertise, your compassion, and your unwavering commitment to what we believe is the greatest profession one could ever have the privilege to serve in. Thank you for being there – every hours, every day, for everyone. Enjoy YOUR week. John G. Kloss Director Eastern PA EMS Council john@easternemscouncil.org Serving the Counties of Berks, Carbon, Lehigh, Monroe, Northampton & Schuylkill Image (fb)