​National First Responders Day Timeline

​​​September 27, 2017

Colorado made it official

The state approved a bill honoring every first responder.

May 18, 2017

Congress took action

Senators Elizabeth Warren and Tom Cotton, along with Representatives Mark Meadows, Michael Capuano and Elijah Cummings introduced a resolution to establish National First Responders Day.

2013

Boston Strong

Andrew Collier, brother of Sean Collier, an officer killed during the Boston Marathon bombing, helped establish a day of recognition.

1979

ACLS takes shape

Advanced cardiac life support training provides a crucial new tool to treat patients experiencing a heart attack or some other form of cardiac arrest. Still, it’s not required for paramedic training and certification until the mid 1980s.

1972

Emergency! On TV.

The popular TV series shows paramedics providing care in a manner that most Americans had never seen. Although purely fictional, Emergency! sets new expectations for the job and encourages many Americans to pursue careers in EMS.

1970s

EMT training takes shape

Health experts begin to theorize that more could be done in out-of-hospital settings, including advanced airway management, vascular access and medication administration. This leads to the creation and implementation of the emergency medical technician–paramedic (EMT-P) curriculum.

1980

Formal curriculums in college

UCLA and Eastern Kentucky University are the first to invite national accreditors to review their EMT programs.