In 1999, EMS Week celebrated its Silver Anniversary. It was 25 years ago that President Gerald Ford signed the first EMS Week Proclamation.

There have been many great strides in emergency medical services in the last 25 years, including better training, improved communications and technology, standardized testing, and successful public education programs, such as "Make the Right Call" and "First There, First Care." In June of 1995, the EMS Agenda for the Future was initiated that created a new vision for EMS in the 21st century. And in the last year alone, we have witnessed new developments in the areas of wireless phone technology, national training standards, state technical assessments, and more. There also are a number of new challenges facing EMS-in clinical care, medical oversight, communications, funding, and research.