The Federal Interagency Committee on Emergency Medical Services (FICEMS) was established by Congress in 2005 to ensure coordination among Federal agencies supporting local, regional, State, tribal, and territorial EMS and 911 systems. FICEMS was also created to improve the delivery of emergency medical services (EMS) throughout the nation.
FICEMS Member Agencies
The Department of Defense provides criteria, guidance, and instructions to inform the delivery of EMS in appropriate DoD programs. Worldwide, DoD active duty and civilian EMS personnel respond to emergency incidents both on military installations and (through mutual aide agreements) in the local community. Unique to the DoD, EMS personnel trained both to community standards and specialized levels of care, deliver EMS in forward deployed and hostile areas including combat and combat support.
More on DoD
The Department of Health and Human Services is the United States government's principal agency for protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services. Specifically related to EMS, DHHS provides technical assistance, subject matter expertise, and direct program services to help States, tribes, territories, local communities, and other countries prepare for, respond to, and rapidly recover from disasters and emergencies.
More on DHHS
The Department of Homeland Security provides the coordinated, comprehensive Federal response in the event of a terrorist attack, natural disaster, or other large-scale emergency while working with Federal, State, local, and private sector partners to ensure a swift and effective recovery effort.
More on DHS
The Federal Communications Commission, through its Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau (PSHSB), works to ensure that first responders, including EMS personnel, have access to reliable, interoperable equipment during emergencies. The PSHSB provides information on federal resources available to EMS personnel, assists in the development of emergency communications plans, and enrolls first responder organizations in priority services, including the telecommunications service priority (TSP), wireless priority service (WPS), and government entity telecommunications service (GETS).
More on FCC
The Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), through its Office of EMS reduces death and disability by providing leadership and coordination to the EMS community in assessing, planning, developing, and promoting comprehensive, evidence-based emergency medical services and 911 systems. Specifically, NHTSA partners with peer agencies to advance a National vision for EMS, and collects and analyzes the data EMS managers need to make critical decisions.
National Pre-Hospital and Hospital Data Integration Summit
The vision set forth in EMS Agenda 2050 calls for a people-centered approach to EMS that includes a more seamless, less siloed system. FICEMS and the HHS Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) partnered to host an invitation-only listening session to gain insights from State and local authorities, professional societies, health systems, hospitals, health information exchanges, and private sector companies on the exchange of health data and information. Click here for more information.
Learn MoreFICEMS Strategic Plan
FICEMS member agencies collaborated to develop a strategic plan to guide the Committee’s activities. The development process resulted in the creation of a mission and a vision statement for the FICEMS.
FICEMS Vision statement: A Federal interagency committee that enhances coordination and ensures the strategic alignment of EMS priorities among Federal agencies to ensure quality patient care.
FICEMS Mission statement: Ensure coordination among Federal agencies supporting local, regional, State, tribal, and territorial emergency medical services and 911 systems, to improve the delivery of EMS services throughout the nation.
Learn more about the FICEMS objectives and planned activities in the 2013 Strategic Plan. Read the Congressional statute that established FICEMS in 2005 and view the list of current FICEMS members.
FICEMS Meetings
Public meetings of the Federal Interagency Committee on EMS are held twice per year. Learn more about upcoming dates, agendas and opportunities for public comment, or download meeting materials from FICEMS meetings since 2006.
Learn More
Reports
FICEMS provides a report of its activities to Congress each year, offering an overview of federal activities in EMS. It also releases documents and memos regarding issues that affect EMS such as infectious diseases, information about funding EMS data collection and provider wellness.
Learn More
