Arkansas Ambulance Association

10/21/2026

Arkansas Stars, National Recognition!

The Arkansas Ambulance Association proudly congratulates Arkansas’s honorees in the American Ambulance Association’s Stars of Life program!

Your dedication, compassion, and commitment to patient care reflect the very best of EMS. Every call you answer and every life you touch makes a difference to the patients, families, and communities you serve.

Thank you for representing Arkansas with pride and for the work you do every day. Join us in celebrating our Stars of Life!

Hadden Barthol, Southern Paramedic, Harrison
Roland Blanchard, EASI, Beebe
Nathaniel Ficklen, MEMS, Greenbrier
Cindy Chiles, EASI, Pine Bluff
Amy Robertson, LifeNet, Texarkana
Chris Sidwell, EASI, Pine Bluff
John Greathouse, LifeNet, Hot Springs
Jacob Harns, MEMS, Conway
Adam Jackson, MEMS, Little Rock
Heather Ledbetter, Pafford, Prescott
Kevin Sabella, MEMS, Alexander
Cheryl Smith, EASI, Benton

10/19/2026

Strengthening rural EMS. Connecting communities. Improving access to care. As Arkansas EMS providers face longer transport distances, aging ambulances, and increasing demands, investing in emergency medical services is more critical than ever. The Arkansas Ambulance Association’s $10 million EMS-CONNECT grant is an important step forward—helping replace aging ambulances, modernize lifesaving equipment, and build the foundation for technology that connects EMS professionals with physicians for real-time patient care support. Our first year will focus on providers serving counties with populations under 25,000, helping address needs in our most rural communities.

Thank you to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for highlighting these challenges and the work underway. We are proud to work alongside our EMS providers to strengthen access to care across Arkansas.

Read the full article below.

The $150 million federal grant announced for Arkansas in July, part of the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act, includes $10 million for the Arkansas Ambulance Association. That money will be used to purchase ambulances, CPR devices, ventilators and IV pumps, according to an application the organization submitted to the state.

Josh Bishop, CEO of Pine Bluff-based Emergency Ambulance Services, says his company needs new ambulances. However, he's also a board member with the ambulance association, and he says the group's immediate goal for the money is to provide "a base layer" of support in rural areas where the needs for emergency services are greatest: "It's almost like applying a tourniquet to the bleeding in year one."

Read more at the link in the comments.

10/09/2026

10/08/2026

ArAA Board of Directors Position Opening

The Arkansas Ambulance Association is accepting applications from representatives of member agencies interested in serving on its Board of Directors. This is an opportunity to help shape the future of EMS in Arkansas and work alongside leaders from across the state.

To apply, email your résumé and a brief statement of interest to [email protected] by October 23, 2026.

We encourage all interested representatives of member agencies to apply!

09/12/2026

Our deepest condolences go out to all of John’s family, friends, and colleagues. 

It is with profound sadness that the Pafford family and our entire Pafford EMS family share the passing of John Pafford.

John was the baby brother to Jamie and Greg, beloved son of James and Carol Pafford, and a deeply loved member of our family. He served as Vice President of Pafford, but the title only tells a small part of who John was.

John dedicated his life to caring for people. Throughout Louisiana, Arkansas, and Mississippi, he helped carry forward his family’s vision of bringing quality emergency medical care to rural communities, small towns, and people who needed someone willing to show up for them.

But John never saw people as numbers, calls, or contracts. He saw people as people.

He had a genuine kindness about him, a sweet energy, and a way of greeting others that made them feel seen and welcome. Whether you worked alongside him for years or had only just met him, John cared about the person in front of him. That heart for others shaped the way he led, the way he served, and the way he lived.

Even in his passing, John’s care for others continues. As an organ donor, his final act will be one of giving, offering hope and life to 5 others when our own family is experiencing such tremendous loss.

John understood that EMS is ultimately about people caring for people. That part of him will live on in the crews he encouraged, the communities he served, the people he cared for, and every life made better because John Pafford was part of it.

Please keep the Pafford family in your prayers, along with the many friends, colleagues, and members of our EMS family who loved John and are grieving his loss.

Funeral arrangements are being prepared at this time and will be shared once available.

Thank you for the tremendous kindness, compassion, and prayers being extended to our family during this incredibly difficult time.

09/08/2026

JUST MOVE OVER — A Simple Action That Can Save a Life

Arkansas launched the “Just Move Over” safety campaign to remind drivers of the important role we all play in protecting those working along our roadways.
The campaign promotes awareness of Arkansas’ Move Over Law and encourages motorists to give space to law enforcement officers, highway crews, first responders, tow truck operators, and others working or stopped along the roadside.

A huge thank you to Speaker of the House Brian Evans, Representative Bart Schulz - ARAA Board of Director, and ARAA Board President Amanda Warren-Newton for helping champion this important safety initiative. This campaign has emphasized the dangers faced every day by those working just feet away from moving traffic. Following Arkansas’ Move Over Law will help prevent accidents and close calls that put these workers at risk. For Arkansas EMS professionals, this message is especially important. Our crews regularly work on the shoulders of busy roadways while caring for patients, often with traffic passing only feet away.

Thank you, Speaker Brian Evans, for using your voice and leadership to bring attention to roadside safety and for helping protect Arkansas’ first responders and roadside workers.

When you see someone on the side of the road, remember: slow down, give them room, and JUST MOVE OVER.

Full Press Release https://portal.arkansas.gov/news/new-safety-campaign-reminds-drivers-to-just-move-over-for-roadside-vehicles/