Four Great Ideas For EMS Week 2019

As you may know, EMS Week was May 19 - 25. This was a good opportunity for your corps to promote itself among community residents. EMS Week promotions are also good recruitment opportunities. If your corps runs a campaign that attracts prospects to your website, there is a chance to recruit many new members. Remember how much time each of us "thought about joining" before we did? Then, one day, we stepped up and joined. Everyone needs a motivator, and maybe, this year's EMS Week promotion could it! Here are some ideas we’ve gather for successful corps promotions.


1. Create a Themed Week of Activities.
This will allow your squad to communicate often with quality content. For instance, take a topic that can be covered with your town's residents each day.

Mon - Training Day
Tues - Safety Day
Wed - Save a Life "CPR"
Thurs - Save a Life "Stop The Bleed"
Fri - Recognition Day

Start posting EMS Week on Facebook, a month in advance. Link the Facebook post to your organization's website. Describe the event, with a mention of what will be covered each day. Keep on promoting the event on Facebook with the target of getting viewers to your website. Then the day before each topic day release the topic.

Each page that is listed on your site should include links to your recruitment ad. "Learn how you can become an EMT."

The topics are easy to fill with content. Just do a search and you will have no problem with any of the items listed above.

Training Day explains how EMTs train as professionals. It includes initial training, ongoing training, and specialized training.

Recognition Day highlights your members with a paragraph or so explaining why they joined.


2. Offer Kid-Friendly Activities & Food
Run a pancake breakfast at your building at which time residents can bring their kids. Set-up some tables for equipment demonstrations and let kids put splints or cravats on each other and show them how to do other simple things. Ask the parents what activities they’re involved with and simply ask if they would be interested in joining.


3. Get Your Local Schools Involved
This one sounds great! Have the 3rd and 4th graders in the community draw posters for EMS Week. Let the teachers know the theme with instructions for the kids to write “Join” and “EMS Week” on the posters. Run the campaign as a contest with a prize of 2 free Pizza’s at a local pizzeria. 


4. Include a Special Attraction at your Open House
One corps we know of did an open house. As their attraction, they had Northstar land a helicopter on the field across the street from their ambulance building. Lucky for them, the LZ was so close. Many people attended to see the helicopter and talked with the pilots. They set up tables in their driveway with equipment to demonstrate.

We hope you enjoy EMS Week!