Bureau of EMS Annual Awards

New York State EMS Annual Awards Rules and Regulations

  1. Applications for individual or team achievement awards shall be based on a pattern of activities that have culminated in a significant improvement of Emergency Medical Services in the community. Applications for individual or team heroism shall be based on a single unusual event that was beyond ordinary duty. All nominees, in both achievement and heroism categories, must be affiliated with a NYS EMS agency. Agencies must possess a current and valid ID code as an ambulance service or first response service. Individuals must be credentialed to practice within NY State.
  2. In order to be considered, each application must be clearly and completely documented to include time, place and description of event including names of all involved. All patient references must be HIPPA compliant. Applications for a pattern of activities must include details of activities, dates and descriptions of the individual's impact on the EMS community. Applications recognizing a single event must be based on that event occurring in the previous calendar year.
  3. All applications for the New York State EMS Annual Awards must be submitted by the REMSCO using the application form below or in essay format. The Regional Program Agencies have been provided a portal for direct submission. Essay's may not to exceed 1,000 words. All essay submissions must be in an electronic format using a 12 point New Times Roman font; double spaced with 1 inch margins. Supplemental attachments also in PDF format will be accepted. All materials submitted will become the property of the State of New York and cannot be returned and may be used in subsequent public announcements.
  4. Each application for an award will ONLY be considered in one category. Applications submitted for more than one category will be automatically rejected. There are ten categories of awards for submission by REMSCOs; only one application may be submitted to the State by an EMS Region in each of the ten categories. All nominations submitted must be signed by the Regional EMS Council Chair and submitted through the Regional Portal.

Application for NYS EMS Annual Awards (PDF) may be completed and sent to your Regional EMS Council via the awards portal on the Department's website.

Awards are presented as follows:

Basic Life Support Provider of the Year

BLS Provider Criteria: A Certified First Responder (CFR) or as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) to be recognized for contributions to the community including dedication, responsibility, professional behavior, ingenuity, special skill or insight in the EMS environment.

BLS Provider Eligibility:New York State certified Certified First Responder or Emergency Medical Technician.

Advanced Life Support Provider of the Year

Advanced Life Support Provider Criteria: An Advanced Emergency Medical Technician (AEMT), Critical Care Technician (AEMT-CC), or Paramedic (AEMT-P) to be recognized for contributions to the community including dedication, responsibility, professional behavior, ingenuity, special skill or insight in the EMS environment.

ALS Provider Eligibility: New York state certified Advanced Emergency Medical Technician (AEMT), Critical Care Technician (AEMT-CC), or Paramedic (AEMT-P).

EMS Agency of the Year

EMS Agency Criteria: Any agency which strives for consistency in EMS excellence and exhibits exemplary performance when providing or supporting prehospital emergency medical care.

EMS Agency Eligibility:NYS EMS agency that includes, but is not limited to, an ambulance (air or ground), Advanced Life Support First Response or Basic Life Support First Response participating in their local EMS system.

Youth Provider of the Year

Youth Provider Criteria: A Certified First Response (CFR), Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) or First Aid Certified to be recognized for dedication, responsibility, professional behavior, ingenuity, special skill or insight in the EMS Community.

Youth Provider Eligibility: NYS Certified First Responder (CFR), Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), or First Aid youth provider affiliated with a first response or transport under the age of 21 years for the period to be recognized (fire, police or EMS).

Harriet C. Weber EMS Leadership Award

Harriet C. Weber EMS Leadership Award Criteria:An individual exhibiting longevity, innovation/dedication, responsibility, executive and management skills in establishing, maintaining, promoting or expanding EMS organizations, agencies, committees at the community and/or state level.

Harriet C. Weber EMS Leadership Award Eligibility:EMS agency leader; local, county, regional state EMS leader; medical/nursing/career EMS leader.

EMS Educator of Excellence

EMS Educator of Excellence Criteria:an individual who through outstanding teaching, educational administration/coordination, publication or research has significantly improved prehospital services at the local, county, regional or state level.

EMS Educator of Excellence Eligibility: an EMS educator (Certified Instructor Coordinator, Certified Lab Instructor, Course Sponsor Administrator) or equivalent.

EMS Communications Specialist of the Year

EMS Communications Specialist of the Year Criteria:an individual who contributes to the EMS community as a call receiving operator, dispatcher or call taker while showing dedication, responsibility, professional behavior, or special skill or insight to prehospital communications.

EMS Communication Specialist Eligibility: an employee or volunteer with an organized dispatch center in New York state.

Registered Nurse of Excellence

Registered Nurse of Excellent Criteria:a Registered Professional Nurse who demonstrates dedication, responsibility, professional behavior, ingenuity, special skill or insight in the prehospital environment.

Registered Nurse of Excellence Eligibility:NYS licensed Registered Professional Nurse serving the EMS system.

Physician of Excellence

Physician of Excellence Criteria:a physician who demonstrates dedication, responsibility, professional behavior, special skill or insight in the prehospital environment.

Physician of Excellence Eligibility:NYS licensed physician serving an EMS system.

Excellence in EMS Quality and Safety

Excellence in EMS Quality and Safety Criteria: an EMS agency, provider or leader that has implemented a practice or made a significant contribution that enhances the focus on the delivery of EMS in the community.

The practice should lead to a measurable and sustained improvement in EMS provider safety, patient care quality and effectiveness, or the efficiency of EMS response or resource development.

The application must include a program description, the methodology used to achieve change, a description of the outcomes and lessons learned that provide insight into what it takes to accomplish and sustain a successful change.

Excellence in EMS Quality and Safety Eligibility: a New York state based EMS service, individual provider or EMS leader.

Commissioner of Health's Award of Excellence in EMS Activities*

Commissioner of Health's Award of Excellence in EMS Activities Criteria:an individual who exhibits exceptional contribution to EMS activities in any way.

Commissioner of Health's Award of Excellence in EMS Activities Eligibility:an individual may be nominated for any other award in the same year and need not be nominated by a regional council. The award may not be given every year. The selection process will be determined by the Commissioner of Health and the selection will be made by the Commissioner.

Nominations for the Commissioner of Health's Award of Excellence in EMS Activities must be received by July 1st of each year and submitted through the same portal and are routed to the Department directly.

New York State EMS Innovation Awards

Progressive ideas and forwarding thinking agencies have inspired change that has created system sustainability, recruitment, retention, alternative education models and so much more. EMS Agencies, REMSCOs, REMACs, Program Agencies and Course Sponsors over the past year continue to be implementing innovation throughout New York State achieving positive results and advancing the field of Emergency Medical Services. If your agency or you know an agency that has solved a problem/gap using innovation, consider self-nomination or nomination of an agency to be one of the 2024 EMS Innovation Award recipients.

Innovation Award Categories:

  1. Organizational Change Innovations: Innovations in system designs, agency sustainability, and facilitating organizational change.
  2. Clinical Delivery Innovations: Innovations in clinical practices that are leading to positive patient outcomes and/or positive patient experiences.
  3. Recruitment and Retention Innovations: Innovations in recruitment, onboarding, longevity, staff experience and/or staff satisfaction leading to gaining and retaining staff.
  4. Educational Innovations: Innovations in education delivery models, student experience and/or community involvement.

Eligibility: Must be a New York State EMS agency, that includes but is not limited to, an ambulance service, ALS-FR, BLS-FR, REMSCO, REMAC, Program Agency and/or Course Sponsor. All innovation submissions must be in compliance with New York State Public Health Law Article 30 and Title 10 of the New York Code Rules and Regulations. Any submission that does not meet this criteria will be ineligible.

Applications for the NYS EMS Awards may be submitted through here.

Applications for the Innovation Awards must be submitted by July 1st annually.