Wisconsin EMS Association

06/04/2026

Come & enjoy a summer night at the ballpark with us! On Friday, July 17th, we will be at Fox Cities Stadium in Appleton as the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers take on the Quad Cities River Bandits and everyone is welcome to join us!!! It'll also be Wrestling Night at the ballpark! Catch pre-game wrestling matches before the first pitch, then stick around after the game for postgame fireworks and the always-popular Kids Run the Bases event. Plenty to keep the whole family entertained! Share this with your crew, your family, your friends, and let's make it a night to remember. See you there!

🎟️ Discounted group tickets are $17.50, and $3 from every ticket purchased through our group link will go back to the WEMSA Foundation to support programs and initiatives that serve EMS professionals across Wisconsin.

👉 Purchase your tickets here: https://www.gofevo.com/event/WisconsinEMSAssociation2026

⚠️ Ticket purchase deadline: July 13, 2026 at 12:00 PM CDT so don't wait!

06/03/2026

DHS has released the 2025 State Health Assessment which is a comprehensive snapshot of the health and well-being of Wisconsinites that every healthcare provider should take a look at.

The report identifies key priority areas including economic well-being, housing affordability, mental health, transportation, and healthcare access. These are factors that directly shape the calls our providers respond to every day.

There are a couple of stats in this report that hit close to home for EMS specifically:

🚑 1 in every 5 EMS calls in Wisconsin is for a fall, and nearly three-quarters of those calls involve patients aged 65 and older. In 2023, Wisconsin had the highest rate of unintentional fall deaths among older adults of any state in the country.

⏱️ EMS response times vary significantly across Wisconsin. While the statewide median is 6 minutes, rural counties across Northern and Western Wisconsin can see wait times more than double that.

Check out the infographics below for some fast facts, and be sure to read the full report for some very interesting insights into the state of Wisconsin's health. 👇

06/03/2026

We had another great time visiting with one of our member departments yesterday at Jackson Fire Department! We popped in unexpectedly, so we especially appreciate Assistant Chief / Training Coordinator Jim Huyser and Fire Chief Aaron Swaney for stopping to chat with us AND for paging the crew to come down for a photo! It is wonderful to be able to connect with dedicated men and women serving their community, chat about various legislative updates, and share information about what WEMSA is doing. Thank you to the Jackson Fire Department for the warm welcome!

We also stepped a little outside of our usual routine today and paid a visit to Reliant Fire Apparatus, and we're so glad we did! We had the pleasure of sitting down with David Claussen and JP Rice to learn more about their business and the work they do serving fire and EMS professionals. It was wonderful to tour their facility and hear firsthand how they are making a difference for EMS agencies across our state. We enjoy connecting with local businesses that support our EMS community and look forward to seeing what's ahead!

06/02/2026

Applications are officially open for the 2026–2027 WEMSA Foundation Scholarship!!

Each year, the Wisconsin EMS Association Foundation provides six $1,000 scholarships to eligible Wisconsin residents who are intending to or currently attending an EMS program through an approved Wisconsin training center.

Applicants will need to submit:
Resume or CV
Technical college enrollment information
Letter of recommendation
Explanation of need
Personal statement

Application deadline: July 1, 2026

Please note: Scholarships are intended for students working toward initial licensure or advancing to a higher certification level. Funding is not intended for refresher courses or license renewals.

Questions? Contact [email protected]

Learn more and apply: https://wemsafoundation.org/



Professional Fire Fighters of Wisconsin Charitable Foundation, Inc.
Wisconsin State Fire Chiefs Association Mid-State Technical College - School of Public Safety NWTC Public Safety Education WCTC Fire & EMS Chippewa Valley Technical College Northcentral Technical College Fire + EMS Training Mayville EMS Training Center Door County EMS Lake Country Fire & Rescue Training Center Wisconsin HOSA

06/01/2026

Wisconsin Act 145 is now law, and we are still celebrating! This landmark legislation expands PTSD worker's compensation coverage to EMS providers, part-time firefighters, and volunteer firefighters, a victory years in the making for our first responder community. Spectrum News sat down with our Board President, Chanse Kaczmarski, to talk about what this law means for the providers who need it most. According to the 2024 Wisconsin Fire and EMS Mental Health Survey, nearly 17% of Wisconsin fire and EMS professionals screened positive for probable PTSD in the past year. Wisconsin Act 145 ensures those providers can access the mental health care they need and deserve without sacrificing their time or pay to do it. We are incredibly proud to have championed this legislation alongside so many dedicated advocates across the state.

This expanded coverage means that part-time, volunteer firefighters and EMS professionals won’t have to take their vacation, sick time, or go unpaid to take care of their mental health.

06/01/2026

A stolen password should not be enough to access your EMS systems.

Multi-factor authentication (MFA) adds a critical extra layer of security for email, cloud storage, scheduling platforms, and other tools your team uses every day. For EMS agencies handling sensitive information and time-critical operations, MFA is one of the simplest and most effective ways to reduce cybersecurity risk.

If you have not enabled MFA on your key accounts yet, now is the time.

The WEMSA Cloud, a free data backup option for Wisconsin EMS Departments, supports multi-factor authentication (MFA) and secure account management tools designed to help Wisconsin EMS agencies better safeguard sensitive operational and patient-related information.

Learn more about WEMSA Cloud security features and account protection resources at:
www.wisconsinems.com/wemsa-data-center-security

05/28/2026

Yesterday, we had the pleasure of visiting one of our member departments, Watertown Fire Department, with their Chief Tanya Reynen for a tour of their facility. We also had the opportunity to chat with Chief Ben Patterson of Johnson Creek Fire & EMS Department along the way, and we appreciate both for welcoming us and for their time. We shared updates on current legislative topics impacting EMS across Wisconsin, along with information on the resources and services WEMSA provides to support EMS professionals, agencies, and communities statewide.

We are always grateful for the opportunity to hear about each department's needs, successes, and experiences. It's what helps us continue to advocate for their people and the communities they serve every day. Thank you both for your service and dedication day in and day out! 💙

05/27/2026

🚨 Reminder! Our May free member webinar is TOMORROW night and all EMS personnel are welcome (not just leadership)! Join Heather Blum of Envirozen LLC for "Shielding the Rescuers: Ideas for Internal Health and Safety Programs."

Here's what you'll take away:
✅ Understand why occupational health is essential to long-term organizational sustainability
✅ Learn how culture predicts the success or failure of health and safety programs
✅ Walk away with free tools and frameworks you can implement at your agency right away
✅ A resource sheet with free templates and websites for further reference that will be sent to all attendees after the webinar!

📅 Tomorrow, May 27th | 6:00–7:00 PM CST | Free for WEMSA Members | 1 CEU | Via Zoom

🔗 Register here: https://www.wisconsinems.com/events/may-educational-webinar-shielding-the-rescuers---ideas-for-internal-health-and-safety-programs

Your people are your greatest asset. Are you doing enough to protect them? Join us on Wednesday, May 27th from 6:00–7:00 PM for our May member webinar:

🛡️ Shielding the Rescuers: Ideas for Internal Health & Safety Programs with Heather Blum, Owner of Envirozen LLC

Heather will walk through practical, proactive strategies for occupational health - covering mental and physical wellbeing, free tools and resources you can implement at your agency today, and topics you may not have realized fall under occupational health at all. Whether you're a provider, supervisor, or agency leader, this session has something for you.

✅ Free for WEMSA Members
✅ 1 CEU through CAPCE
✅ Open to all levels

👉 Register now: www.wisconsinems.com/events/may-educational-webinar-shielding-the-rescuers---ideas-for-internal-health-and-safety-programs

Not a member yet? There's never been a better time to join. 💙

05/19/2026

EMS Week Giveaway! 5 Days, 22 Prizes. First Drawing is on Monday, Enter Now! https://hubs.ly/Q04fxCt30