Interstate Commission for EMS Personnel Practice

11/03/2026

The EMS Compact Commission recognizes November 9 to 15, 2026, as National Collegiate EMS Week.

Across the country, college students serve their campuses and communities as EMS clinicians while carrying a full course load. They train, they take call, and they answer when someone needs help. Resolution 2026-05, adopted by the Commission's Executive Committee on October 14, commends these clinicians and the collegiate EMS organizations that support them.

Many collegiate EMS clinicians live, study, and serve in more than one state. Through the EMS Compact, a qualified EMS clinician licensed in a participating state holds a Privilege to Practice in the other participating states, so they can keep serving wherever they are.

To every collegiate EMS clinician: thank you for your service, and for the future of this profession.

Read the press release and Resolution 2026-05: https://www.emscompact.gov/the-commission/news/national-collegiate-ems-week-2026-resolution/

The United States EMS Compact creates a Privilege to Practice for licensed EMS personnel across participating states. Official site of the Interstate Commission for EMS Personnel Practice.

10/01/2026

The United States EMS Compact has a new website!

Today we launched a completely rebuilt EMSCompact.gov, designed around the questions we hear every day from EMS clinicians, state officials, employers, and legislators.

What's new:

✅ Find your situation. Clear, plain-language guidance for EMTs, AEMTs, and Paramedics on how the Privilege to Practice applies to your line of work.

✅ Verify PTP Status. One click from any page to confirm a clinician's Privilege to Practice.

✅ Facts & Benefits. The legal framework of the Compact and what it means for clinicians, states, and the public, plus a downloadable factsheet.

✅ Resources for elected officials considering the Compact in their state.

✅ Built for accessibility, with adjustable text size and a high-contrast display.

The message is simple: one license, valid in multiple states. If you hold a current, unrestricted EMS license in a participating state, you already have a Privilege to Practice in every other participating state. No fee. No reciprocity paperwork. No separate "compact license" to apply for.

The EMS Compact is state law in 28 states and operational in 27, covering more than 450,000 EMS clinicians.

09/27/2026

Are you attending EMS World Expo in Orlando this week? Let’s connect!
The U.S. EMS Compact will be on-site from September 28 – October 1.

Whether you represent a state EMS office, agency leadership, or are an EMS professional curious about how interstate cross-border practice, expedited mobility, and member-state recognition work under the Compact, we'd love to chat.

Our Executive Director, Donnie Woodyard Jr., MAML, NRP, WP-C will be available throughout the week to meet, answer questions, and discuss what's next for cross-border EMS mobility.

Drop a direct message right here on LinkedIn
Email us directly at [email protected] to set up a specific time to meet

Safe travels to Orlando.

09/25/2026

One life saved, and one career inspired. In 2009, 7-year-old Drew Harris suffered a traumatic brain injury while on a family camping trip in Colorado. His condition was critical, and his family feared the worst.

Flight for Life medics brought critical care when Drew needed it most, and years later, Drew’s remarkable recovery still inspires his brother Sean. After witnessing the emergency response surrounding his brother’s injury, Sean found his calling.

Today, he serves as a Flight for Life paramedic, helping provide the same lifesaving care that once helped his own family. “It’s not just a job,” their dad, Rob Harris, says. “You do what you have to do to save a life. We can never thank them enough for what they did.” Read the full story. https://ow.ly/uyYI50ZONr4

09/25/2026

ALASKA’S IMPLEMENTATION OF THE EMS COMPACT IS DELAYED

WASHINGTON, D.C. (September 21, 2026). The EMS Compact is not yet active in Alaska; therefore, Alaska clinicians do not have a Privilege to Practice in other states, and clinicians from other Participating States do not have a Privilege to Practice in Alaska. Although Alaska’s EMS Compact law became effective on September 20, 2026, additional implementation steps are required for the state to operationalize its participation in the EMS Compact.

Alaska has not appointed its Commissioner to the Interstate Commission for EMS Personnel Practice, and Alaska’s EMS licensure system is not integrated with the National EMS Coordinated Database.

Until these steps are complete:
EMS clinicians licensed in Alaska do not have a Privilege to Practice in other states.

EMS agencies in Alaska do not have access to the national EMS Compact workforce.

Alaska’s existing state EMS licensure requirements remain in effect for all EMS clinicians practicing in Alaska.
EMS clinicians and EMS agencies should always verify an EMS clinician’s Privilege to Practice status at www.EMSCompact.gov.

The Interstate Commission for EMS Personnel Practice welcomes Alaska’s enactment of the EMS Compact law and anticipates an update on Alaska’s implementation status soon. The Commission will issue an announcement once Alaska’s Commissioner is appointed, database integration is complete, and the EMS Compact is active in Alaska.

Contact
Interstate Commission for EMS Personnel Practice
www.EMSCompact.gov

Or:
Alaska Department of Health

09/14/2026

🚨 Milestone Achieved: Arizona Fully Integrates Licensure System! 🌵

In record time, Arizona has completed full system integration with the EMS Compact.

Over 21,000 Arizona EMTs, AEMTs, and Paramedics now hold an active EMS Compact Privilege to Practice (PTP).

Congratulations to Arizona for setting a new benchmark in cross-border EMS collaboration!

09/12/2026

🚨 Arizona is officially an EMS Compact state! 🚨

Effective September 12, 2026, Arizona becomes a participating EMS Compact Member State. Arizona is currently synchronizing its licensure data with the National EMS Coordinated Database. Once complete, licensed EMTs, AEMTs, and Paramedics in Arizona will have a Privilege to Practice in every other EMS Compact Member State, and qualified EMS clinicians from across the Compact will be recognized in Arizona.

Governor Katie Hobbs signed SB 1235 into law on May 22, 2026, making Arizona the 27th state to enact the EMS Compact. The bill passed the House 45 to 10 and the Senate 27 to 3. Thank you to Senator John Kavanagh and Representative Selina Bliss for their leadership, and to the Arizona Department of Health Services Bureau of EMS and Trauma System for moving implementation forward in record time.

Arizona's EMS system serves major metro areas, remote rural and frontier communities, tribal lands, and one of the busiest aeromedical transport networks in the country. Compact participation expands the qualified workforce available to every one of those communities.

What this means for Arizona EMS clinicians:
✅ No additional fees, no new exams, no new background check for current licensees
✅ Once data synchronization is complete, look up your Privilege to Practice at www.EMSCompact.gov using your 12-digit National EMS ID number
✅ Practice in other Member States through an EMS agency authorized in that state, under physician medical direction

We will post an update as soon as Arizona's Privilege to Practice is live. Welcome, Arizona! 🌵

To learn more about the EMS Compact, watch this video: https://youtu.be/_s_wGvCTcwM

09/04/2026

Congratulations to Alec DiLeonardo on being named Chief of the Virginia Tech Rescue Squad for 2026-2027.

University-based EMS is one of the most underrecognized assets in the national EMS system, and Virginia Tech was among the first in the nation. Students lead the organization, run the calls, and deliver fully licensed emergency medical care to their campus and the surrounding community. That is real service and real responsibility, carried by people who are also carrying a full course load.

The EMS Compact salutes National Collegiate Emergency Medical Services Foundation (NCEMSF) and collegiate EMS providers across the country.

Virginia (Virginia Office of Emergency Medical Services) is an EMS Compact state. That means every licensed member of the VT Rescue Squad holds a license recognized in 25 states, soon to be 28.

Well done!

Attention Hokies!  We’re proud to introduce our 2026-2027 Officer Class, starting with our Chief, Alec DiLeonardo!

Alec is a senior majoring in Public Health, with a minor in Health Communication.

When asked about his favorite memory while being on the Virginia Tech Rescue Squad, Alec shared: “Running calls all night until the sun comes up on weekend duty, and then making breakfast afterwards with the crews” is one of his fondest memories.

Thank you, Alec, for your hard work and dedication to our agency!

09/01/2026

Our Executive Director, Donnie Woodyard Jr., is on the ground in Phoenix this week with the Arizona Department of Health Services, Bureau of EMS and Trauma System, as Arizona prepares to onboard with the EMS Compact.

Arizona became the 27th EMS Compact Participating State earlier this year, and the work now shifts from legislation to implementation: aligning licensure processes, connecting to the Compact’s data systems, and making sure Arizona’s EMS clinicians and employers are ready for multistate privileges on day one.

None of that happens without a strong state partner. We appreciate the opportunity to work alongside such a talented and dedicated team. Their commitment to getting this right for Arizona’s clinicians and the patients they serve is evident in every conversation.

More to come as Arizona joins its fellow Participating States in strengthening EMS workforce mobility across the country.