Lead insight
EMS readiness begins with people. A provider who is fatigued, in pain or emotionally spent cannot perform at peak capacity 鈥� and patient safety suffers when provider wellness is neglected.
The What Paramedics Want in 2025 report revealed that burnout now ranks as the No. 1 critical issue facing EMS, affecting 76% of professionals. Chronic fatigue, inadequate rest, poor nutrition and limited agency support are eroding morale and readiness.
People readiness is not a 鈥渨ellness perk.鈥� It鈥檚 operational safety. Physically and mentally healthy providers make better decisions, experience fewer injuries and stay in the profession longer 鈥� stabilizing staffing and sustaining mission performance.
On the ground
The What Paramedics Want in 2025 report paints a clear picture of strain:
- 59% of EMS professionals say their agency doesn鈥檛 have enough personnel to respond effectively to 911 calls.
- 41% report chronic pain impacts their health, and 40% rarely or never get the recommended weekly physical activity.
- 42% are dissatisfied with their agency鈥檚 wellness support.
- 29% are dissatisfied with available mental health services.
- 33% express dissatisfaction with agency leadership, often citing lack of recognition or care for personnel wellbeing.
Providers report that long shifts, inconsistent recoverytimeand poor communication from leadership compound the problem. When leaders do not model healthy behaviors or support physical and mental wellness programs, burnout accelerates 鈥� and readiness declines.
Action items
To strengthen people readiness, EMS leaders should:
- Integrate wellness into readiness planning. Treat physical and mental health as operational priorities. Include wellness goals and recovery metrics in readiness assessments and after-action reviews.
- Protect recovery time. Establish policies to limit excessive overtime and ensure post-incident rest. Encourage crews to take downtime seriously and avoid the 鈥渁lways on鈥� culture that drives burnout.
- Support functional fitness. Incorporate short, movement-based warmups before shifts. Offer access to simple, evidence-based programs focused on mobility, flexibility and core strength. Even 10 minutes a day can reduce injury and fatigue.
- Normalize mental health conversations. Train supervisors to recognize early warning signs of stress, irritability and withdrawal. Build trust by discussing behavioral health during routine briefings, not just after critical incidents.
- Model healthy behavior. Leaders must visibly take part in fitness and mental resilience activities. When chiefs and supervisors demonstrate participation, it signals organizational commitment.
- Empower peer support. Expand trusted peer support teams and make behavioral health resources accessible 24/7. Promote them consistently so providers know where to turn before a crisis.
- Measure progress. Track fatigue-related injuries, time-off requests and wellness program participation. Use data to adjust policies and justify continued investment in people readiness.
Readiness reflection
Ask these questions to assess your organization鈥檚 people readiness:
- Do we protect time for rest and recovery after demanding shifts?
- Are supervisors trained to identify and address early signs of burnout?
- Does leadership visibly model physical and mental wellness?
- Are wellness and safety data reviewed as readiness indicators, not HR metrics?
- Do our policies treat provider wellbeing as mission-critical?
Mission ready: Every responder, every time
Sustaining EMS readiness starts with safeguarding the people who respond. Join public safety leaders on Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025, from 1-4:30 p.m. ET, for Lexipol Connect 2025, a virtual conference delivering practical tools and real-world strategies to strengthen total readiness across people, operations and leadership.
Don鈥檛 miss Dr. Jaime Brower鈥檚 session, 鈥�5 Warning Signs in Personnel Behavior,鈥� as she shares red flags to problems lying in wait and proactive steps leaders can take to intervene before the signs lead to adverse outcomes.
SA国际传媒 is using generative AI to create some content that is edited and fact-checked by our editors.
