Emergency Medical Services Week, 2013

Proclamation 8982 of May 17, 2013

Emergency Medical Services Week, 2013

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

In every corner of our country, emergency medical
services (EMS) practitioners are hard at work
delivering hope and care to Americans in dire
circumstances. In the face of chaos and tragedy, their
steady hands provide vital, life-saving services, and
their calm under pressure delivers comfort to neighbors
in need. During Emergency Medical Services Week, we
pause to offer our gratitude to these remarkable men
and women, whose dedication is fundamental to our
society's well-being.

In recent weeks, we have again seen the critical role
EMS professionals play in times of crisis. When
explosives went off at the Boston Marathon, EMS
personnel rushed toward the blasts and, with selfless
disregard for their own safety, immediately tended to
the injured. Alongside countless volunteers and
ordinary citizens, they demonstrated the very best of
the American spirit--a spirit that EMS professionals
display every day. My Administration remains dedicated
to providing these courageous first responders,
emergency medical technicians, 911 dispatchers, law
enforcement officers, volunteers, and others throughout
our health care system with the support they need to
aid the American people in their darkest hours.

When Americans find themselves in times of crisis--from
car accidents to national tragedies--our robust network
of EMS professionals ensures that quality medical care
is only moments away. This week, let us recommit to
supporting EMS personnel and thanking them for their
heroic contributions to our lives.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the
United States of America, by virtue of the authority
vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the
United States, do hereby proclaim May 19 through May
25, 2013, as Emergency Medical Services Week. I
encourage all Americans to observe this occasion by
sharing their support with their local EMS providers
and taking steps to improve their personal safety and
preparedness.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
seventeenth day of May, in the year of our Lord two
thousand thirteen, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and thirty-
seventh.