Advocacy in EMS: What Does Engagement Look Like?

In today’s fast-moving world, it can seem daunting to get actively engaged in the political process. Many EMS leaders avoid it completely, whether locally, statewide or nationally. However, allowing policy decisions to happen to us is never a good strategy. The reality of the current EMS environment is that we cannot afford to ignore the opportunity to advocate for our profession and the communities and patients we serve.

Impact on EMS

EMS professionals face a variety of challenges to sustainably provide high-quality, pre-hospital care services. Personnel shortages, drug and supply shortages, funding challenges and a myriad of regulatory expectations make delivering services more complicated than it was 20 years ago. The reality is that government policy is evolving every day, with both direct and indirect impacts on our ability to serve our communities. Changes to Medicare and Medicaid policies, an evolving global geopolitical environment, and many other policy matters are impacting EMS agencies, both in the near term and over the long term.

Key Elements of a Strong Advocacy Effort

Despite these challenges, there are some fundamental elements of an advocacy strategy that can help EMS leaders meaningfully impact the political process.

Get Educated

There are plenty of resources to help EMS leaders understand the policy issues that are impacting our profession. A great place to start is by joining one of the many national and regional professional associations that represent our community. The American Ambulance Association, the National Association of EMTs, the International Association of Fire Chiefs and many others have highly active advocacy programs and tools available to their members. Many of these organizations provide a wealth of information about the legislative and regulatory issues that impact, or have the potential to impact, the EMS world.

Another resource is your vendors and partners; check with them to assess their engagement in advocacy. In our case, both Bound Tree and Digitech have regularly active advocacy teams, working each day to raise awareness and educate lawmakers and regulators about the challenges we face.

Build Relationships

There is a common misperception that those who make policy have their minds made up. The reality is that those who govern are often very open to learning. Take the time to introduce yourself and your organization. Educate those who set policy about the services you provide and the challenges you face. Remember that the people you employ, and the people you serve, are also constituents of your elected officials; a powerful connection that can influence a legislator’s approach to policy decisions.

Build Coalitions

There is value in numbers and consensus. Advocacy isn’t something that succeeds in isolation. Any effort to impact policy is often strengthened by presenting a strong coalition of stakeholders who support an idea or solution. Connect with other organizations, related disciplines and geographically connected groups with which you share common ground. Work together, where possible, to craft and advance your message.

Have an Elevator Pitch Ready

There is always a great deal of noise in the political process, where success is often determined by how simple and memorable the message is. Presenting a 42-point plan to improve the delivery of EMS will not likely get much traction. However, delivering a consistent message regarding the top 3 challenges your organization faces, and 3 “asks” that will help you address these challenges, is something that can build census and momentum. Before you engage with government officials, develop and hone your elevator pitch to tell the story in 10 minutes or less.

Practical Efforts

Whether it’s your town council, state representatives or the U.S. House of Representatives, lawmakers face elections on a regular basis. They are motivated to stay connected to those they represent—and that creates opportunities to interact with them directly.

Hold an Open House

The services you provide, and the way your organization provides them, may not be familiar to lawmakers. Invite them to visit your facility. Scheduling may take some time but get something on the books for when the representative is in town. In some cases, a ride along may be possible. Organize the opportunity around the availability of the official.

Panel Discussions

Ask an elected official to participate in a discussion about EMS. This can be a very valuable experience, as well as a solid relationship-building exercise. Assemble a group of stakeholders, including the representative, to participate on site. This two-way dialogue can both educate the representative about EMS and allow them to help EMS leaders understand the challenges and processes they face.

Photo Opportunities and Remembrances

If you can arrange a visit to your agency, be sure to create a photo opportunity to memorialize the event. A team photo of the representative with your staff, a photo with your equipment in the background, or an action photo with the representative observing a training exercise are examples of compelling images. If you have ever visited a government official’s office, you’ll almost always notice awards and memorabilia the representative has received. The importance of such items cannot be overstated.

Aides are an Important Audience

Most elected officials have staff that assist them in performing their duties and carrying out their service. These individuals tend to be trusted advisors and in many cases are the first step in evaluating whether a specific policy decision is made. Meeting with staff and investing time into building relationships with key staffers is an important part of the process.

Never Too Late to Take the First Step

As you ponder some of these ideas, please don’t allow historical inertia to keep you from moving forward. Start by setting aside some time to get educated, hone your message, seek out and build relationships with key decision makers, and dive in. There is a plethora of policy matters unfolding in the halls of Congress, State Houses, and Governors’ Mansions that will impact how we deliver EMS today and in the future. Don’t let the past limit the future for you and your organization. Now is the time!

For additional insights and ideas, please join us for our Advocacy in EMS Webinar on May 19, 2026. Register here.