New Jersey EMT and Paramedic Association Supports USEMSA Creation

June 6, 2005

This letter is in response to the brief issued by the Homeland Security Policy Institute, Back to the Future: An Agenda for Federal Leadership of Emergency Medical Services.

The New Jersey EMT and Paramedic Association supports the creation of a single, high-level federal Emergency Medical Services (EMS)
administration within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Modern EMS evolved after the publication of the National Academy of Sciences white paper Accidental Death and Disability: The Neglected
Disease of Modern Society1 and the passage of the Highway Safety Act by Congress in 1966.

The provision of EMS in the United States does not follow a national model,but instead is dictated by community needs. EMS fulfills a complex role: public safety first response; the delivery of emergency health care in a nontraditional environment; and public health.

In light of its complex role, the fragmentation of EMS programs within the federal government has lead to sub-optimal development and has created a situation where, on a federal level, EMS has not kept pace with the rest of
healthcare nor other public safety organizations.

Future improvements and system development cannot happen when EMS is in the shadow of other organizations and must fight for scraps of bread.

EMS is the ‘community safety net2’ catching the members of society at the most risk, weaving a complex tapestry between public safety, public health and emergency health systems in order to protect our communities.

The ‘forgotten first responder’3, one whose mission is complex and technically challenging, cannot afford to have representation by committee.

The ever-changing environment that is healthcare coupled with the increasing demands of a post – 9/11 United States dictates now, more than ever, the time for a single federal EMS administration has arrived.

It is for this reason that the New Jersey EMT and Paramedic Association agrees with the assessment by the Homeland Security Policy Institute and supports the creation of a federal administration for EMS within the
Department of Homeland Security


1 National Research Council. 1966. Accidental Death and Disability: The Neglected Disease of Modern Society . Washington: National Academy of Sciences.
2 Dr. Ricardo Martinez, NHTSA Administrator
3 Emergency Medical Services: The Forgotten First Responder Center for Catastrophe Preparedness and Response, New York University

This message has been edited. Last edited by: cp,

New_Jersey_EMTPA_Supports_USEMSA_June_6.zip (49 Kb, 2 downloads) NJEMTPA ENDORSEMENT