Proclamation 5706—Emergency Medical Services Week, 1987

We can all be extremely proud of and grateful for those who staff our Nation's emergency medical services (EMS). They make a tremendous difference in our land as they save lives and care for the injured and the critically ill. Dedicated physicians, nurses, paramedics, park rangers, fire fighters, law enforcement officers, and countless devoted volunteers form a system that works daily for the safety and well-being of all Americans. Many perform their tasks under severe conditions, and many risk their lives to rescue accident victims; all of them make EMS a national success.

Most of us can tell from personal experience of quick, efficient EMS teams who have saved the lives of people we know and love. Despite these many successes, however, more than 750,000 Americans continue to lose their lives from emergencies each year. That is why EMS teams across our country strive constantly to improve their remarkable lifesaving record. They work to upgrade their training and skills, to find new methods and better equipment, and to establish nationwide standards for EMS training and the delivery of care. Additionally, they work to teach citizens what to do when emergencies confront us in our homes, places of work, or on the street.

We can all recognize, appreciate, encourage, and support our local emergency medical services teams. We can also improve the current EMS system by developing awareness of accident prevention, by following good health practices, and by learning CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation). These personal efforts can help make life safer for all of us.

The Congress, by House Joint Resolution 134, has designated the week of September 20 through September 26, 1987, as "National Emergency Medical Services Week" and authorized and requested the President to issue a proclamation in observance of this event.

Now, Therefore, I, Ronald Reagan, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim the week of September 20 through September 26, 1987, as National Emergency Medical Services Week, and I call upon all Americans to participate in appropriate ceremonies and activities.

In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-third day of September, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and eighty-seven, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twelfth.

RONALD REAGAN