This week is the 43rd Annual National Emergency Medical Services Week.

According to the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians, National EMS Week was established when President Gerald Ford authorized EMS Week to celebrate EMS practitioners and the important work they do in our nation’s communities. Firefighter and EMT with Knoxville Fire and Rescue, Jacsen Agan, a Knoxville native tells KNIA/KRLS News he had family members in the EMS field which got him interested initially, but it wasn’t until he became a cadet during his sophomore year in high school that he realized it was what he wanted to do with his life. National EMS week runs from May 21st through Saturday, May 27th.