COVID-19 Resources for EMS
The NHTSA Office of EMS has collaborated with partners at the federal, state and local levels to support the EMS and 911 response to COVID-19 since the virus first appeared in the US in early 2020. Below are links and downloads with the latest information and guidance from the Centers for Disease Control, the HHS/FEMA Healthcare Resilience Working Group EMS/Prehospital Team and other agencies.
More EMS COVID-19 Resources
Last Updated: January 4, 2021
Infection Control and PPE Guidance
- Interim Infection Prevention and Control Recommendations for Healthcare Personnel During the COVID-19 Pandemic
US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - Guidance for Preventing Disease Spread During Transport of Patients at High Risk for COVID-19
Federal Healthcare Resilience Working Group EMS/Prehospital Team - Use PPE When Caring for Patients with Confirmed or Suspected COVID-19 Poster (8.5x11) (11x17)
US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - Guidance on COVID-19 Protection and Decon - Detailed Reaction Guide
InterAgency Board for Emergency Preparedness and Response - Guidance on COVID-19 Protection and Decon - Quick Reaction Guide
InterAgency Board for Emergency Preparedness and Response - Strategies for Respiratory Protection During a Pandemic
InterAgency Board for Emergency Preparedness and Response - Guidelines for Structural Fire Fighting Clothing for COVID-19
InterAgency Board for Emergency Preparedness and Response
PPE Supply and Acquisition
- PPE Supply for EMS
Federal Healthcare Resilience Working Group EMS/Prehospital Team - EMS PPE Supply Estimator (Excel Spreadsheet)
Federal Healthcare Resilience Working Group EMS/Prehospital Team - Strategies to Optimize the Supply of PPE and Equipment
US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - PPE Emergency Use Authorizations
US Food and Drug Administration - CDC Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Burn Rate Calculator
US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - Summary Strategies to Optimize the Supply of PPE during Shortages
US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
PPE Decontamination, Preservation and Reuse
- HHS FEMA PPE Preservation Best Practices
Federal Healthcare Resilience Working Group EMS/Prehospital Team - Safe Preservation of Personal Protective Equipment by EMS
Federal Healthcare Resilience Working Group EMS/Prehospital Team - Implementing Filtering Facepiece Respirator (FFR) Reuse
US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - Strategies for Optimizing the Supply of Disposable Medical Gloves
US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - Prehospital Use of the Critical Care Decontamination System for N95 Respirators
Federal Healthcare Resilience Working Group EMS/Prehospital Team - Strategies for Extending the Use Life of Respiratory Protection
InterAgency Board for Emergency Preparedness and Response - Disinfection of Structural Firefighting PPE
Federal Healthcare Resilience Working Group EMS/Prehospital Team - Disinfection and Reuse of Personal Protective Equipment
US Department of Homeland Security - Guidance for Bioburden Reduction Systems Using Dry Heat to Facilitate Reuse of Certain Respirators
US Food and Drug Administration
Patient Care
- Clinical Questions and Answers about COVID-19
US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - Guidance for First Responder Interactions with Suspected/Confirmed COVID-19 Patients
Federal Healthcare Resilience Working Group EMS/Prehospital Team - Managing Patient and Family Distress Associated with COVID-19 in the Prehospital Care Setting: Tips for EMS Personnel
Federal Healthcare Resilience Working Group EMS/Prehospital Team - WEBINAR SERIES: COVID-19 Clinical Rounds
US HHS Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response - Telehealth - For Providers
US Department of Health and Human Services - Interim Guidance: COVID-19 and Field Trauma Triage Principles
Federal Healthcare Resilience Working Group EMS/Prehospital Team - Interim Guidance for Implementing Home Care of People Not Requiring Hospitalization for 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV)
US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Personnel Health & Safety
- Interim Guidance for Risk Assessment and Work Restrictions for Healthcare Personnel with Potential Exposure to COVID-19
US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - COVID-19 Testing for First Responders
Federal Healthcare Resilience Working Group EMS/Prehospital Team - WEBINAR: EMS and COVID-19 Testing
NHTSA Office of EMS, EMS Focus Webinar Series - Instructions for First Responders Who’ve Been Tested for COVID-19
US Public Health Service - Overview of Testing for SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19)
US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - Protecting Yourself from COVID-19 in the Workplace
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences - Heat-Related Stress
Federal Healthcare Resilience Working Group EMS/Prehospital Team
Personnel Mental Health and Well-being
- Mitigating Absenteeism by Protecting EMS Clinician’s Psychological Health and Well-being During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Federal Healthcare Resilience Working Group EMS/Prehospital Team - Burnout, Self-Care & COVID-19 Exposure for First Responders
Federal Healthcare Resilience Working Group EMS/Prehospital Team - Burnout, Self-Care & COVID-19 Exposure for Families of First Responders
Federal Healthcare Resilience Working Group EMS/Prehospital Team - Behavioral Health Resources for First Responders
Federal Healthcare Resilience Working Group EMS/Prehospital Team - How to Cope with Stress and Build Resilience During the COVID-19 Pandemic
US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - Preventing and Addressing Moral Injury Affecting Healthcare Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Federal Healthcare Resilience Working Group - WEBINAR: Living Well and Leveraging Adversity and Stress over the Long Haul
NHTSA Office of EMS, EMS Focus Webinar Series - WEBINAR: Agency Wellness Programs that Work
NHTSA Office of EMS, EMS Focus Webinar Series - Healthcare Staff Toolkit for Emotional Coping
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Research Institute
Crisis Standards of Care
- Considerations, Strategies, and Resources for EMS Crisis Standards of Care
Federal Healthcare Resilience Working Group EMS/Prehospital Team - WEBINAR: Crisis Standards of Care and COVID-19 for EMS
NHTSA Office of EMS, EMS Focus Webinar Series - Crisis Standards of Care: A Systems Framework for Catastrophic Disaster Response
Institute of Medicine - EMS Pandemic Influenza Guidelines
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration - State EMS System Pandemic Influenza Preparedness
Federal Interagency Committee on EMS - Preparing for Pandemic Influenza: Protocol Development for 911 Personnel and PSAPs
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Operations, Emergency Communications and Other Information
- Considerations for State EMS Offices in Response to COVID-19
Federal Healthcare Resilience Working Group EMS/Prehospital Team - 911 and EMS Algorithms
Federal Healthcare Resilience Working Group EMS/Prehospital Team - EMS Personnel Support for Population Testing, Screening, and Vaccination
Federal Healthcare Resilience Working Group EMS/Prehospital Team - Best Practices for COVID-19 Call Screening and Modified Response
Federal Healthcare Resilience Working Group EMS/Prehospital Team - Epidemiology for COVID-19 EMS Providers
Federal Healthcare Resilience Working Group EMS/Prehospital Team - EMS Education Pipeline
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration - Weekly Summary of U.S. COVID-19 Activity
US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - Guidance on Essential Critical Infrastructure Workers
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency - Advisory: Administrator Letter to Emergency Managers
Federal Emergency Management Agency - Redirecting 911 Calls for Information & Low Acuity Medical Complaints
Federal Healthcare Resilience Working Group EMS/Prehospital Team - COVID-19 Literature and Research Resources for EMS
Federal Healthcare Resilience Working Group EMS/Prehospital Team - Rural EMS COVID-19 Preparedness Checklist
Federal Healthcare Resilience Working Group EMS/Prehospital Team - Rural Healthcare Surge Readiness for EMS and 911
Rural Health Information Hub - Prolonged EMS Transfer
Federal Healthcare Resilience Working Group EMS/Prehospital Team - Dry Ice Response Guide
International Association of Fire Chiefs - COVID Nursing Home Testing FAQs
US Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services - EMS Supplement for the Medical Operations Coordination Cells Tool Kit
Federal Healthcare Resilience Working Group EMS/Prehospital Team
Funding and Reimbursement
- WORKSHEET: EMS Grant Funding Tracker
Federal Healthcare Resilience Working Group EMS/Prehospital Team - WORKSHEET: Test Revenue Streams Calculator
Federal Healthcare Resilience Working Group EMS/Prehospital Team - WORKSHEET: Predictive Modeling Tool for Future Fire and EMS Revenue Streams
Federal Healthcare Resilience Working Group EMS/Prehospital Team - FEMA Reimbursement of Costs for Emergency Medical Services during COVID-19
Federal Emergency Management Agency - Supplemental Funding for EMS Agencies Affected by COVID-19
Federal Healthcare Resilience Working Group EMS/Prehospital Team - Public Assistance Program Fact Sheet: Emergency Medical Care
Federal Emergency Management Agency - Public Assistance Program Fact Sheet: Private Nonprofit Organizations
Federal Emergency Management Agency - Public Assistance Program Fact Sheet: Eligible Emergency Protective Measures
Federal Emergency Management Agency - Public Assistance Program Fact Sheet: Non-Congregate Sheltering
Federal Emergency Management Agency - FEMA Public Assistance Program and Policy Guide
Federal Emergency Management Agency - SAFECOM and NCSWIC Guidance on CARES Act Grants
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency
Law Enforcement
- What Law Enforcement Personnel Need to Know about COVID-19
US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
