05/22/2026
Today, on EMS Recognition Day, we not only recognize the dedication and sacrifice of EMS professionals everywhere but also reflect on the history and growth of Emergency Medical Services in the United States.
Modern EMS has evolved tremendously over the last several decades, shaped by military medicine, community responders, and the landmark 1966 report โAccidental Death and Disability: The Neglected Disease of Modern Society,โ which helped bring national attention to the need for organized emergency medical care. Since then, EMS professionals have become an essential part of healthcare and public safety โ providing lifesaving care, compassion, and reassurance during some of lifeโs most critical moments.
At the Surry Community College Emergency Medical Program, we are proud to continue that tradition and deeply grateful for those who helped build the foundation before us. We would like to recognize and thank the former program directors, instructors, coordinators, and educators whose vision, leadership, and dedication helped shape this program and the countless EMS professionals who have come through it over the years. Your impact continues to be felt in classrooms, ambulances, hospitals, and communities every single day.
We are equally thankful for our current adjunct instructors and preceptors who continue that legacy by investing their time, knowledge, and mentorship into educating the next generation of EMS providers. Your dedication helps shape skilled, compassionate clinicians who will carry this profession forward.
Thank you to every EMR, EMT, Advanced EMT, Paramedic, dispatcher, educator, adjunct instructor, preceptor, past and current leaders, and first responder for the sacrifices you make and the lives you impact every day.
Happy EMS Recognition Day! ๐