The Florida Center for Emergency Medical Services (FL-CEMS) was established in 2024 through a CDC grant through the Florida Department of Health and is housed at the University of South Florida’s Morsani College of Medicine in downtown Tampa. The Center brings together experts to improve EMS education, system performance, disaster response, and patient care across Florida.
This page serves as a central repository for FL-CEMS research reports. Here you’ll find data-driven studies and policy briefs on EMS workforce trends, system design, clinical innovation, and more. These reports support EMS leaders, policymakers, and educators in building a stronger, more effective EMS system.
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Florida EMS Voices: What Agency Providers Told Us in 2025
Michael Lozano
The 2025 Annual Florida EMS Provider Survey provides a comprehensive overview of Florida’s EMS system, highlighting critical insights into workforce dynamics, resource allocation, medical direction, and service integration across EMS agencies statewide. Conducted from April to May 2025, the survey received robust participation from 249 agencies, covering 74.5% of licensed EMS providers. Key findings underscore regional variability in workforce recruitment, salary scales, mental health support, mobile integrated healthcare (MIH), and preparedness for mass casualty incidents.
Key areas of strategic emphasis include EMT and paramedic mental health and wellness, mobile integrated healthcare (MIH), and local quality improvement (QI) efforts. Notably, recruitment efforts targeting youth and structured retention strategies appear widespread but inconsistently implemented. EMS workforce analyses reveal a stable EMT workforce contrasted by persistent paramedic vacancies, highlighting areas requiring targeted workforce development interventions. Salary disparities across regions and experience levels also suggest opportunities for statewide salary benchmarking and policy adjustments.
EMS agencies demonstrate active engagement in mental health programming, with significant efforts towards resiliency and behavioral health initiatives, although gaps remain in resource consistency and sufficiency. MIH programs, widely present, show promise in addressing social determinants of health, but funding sustainability and inter-agency collaboration require further development.
Overall, the survey identifies critical points of strength and clear areas for improvement, providing foundational data to inform state EMS planning, resource allocation, and strategic policy decisions aimed at enhancing Florida’s prehospital EMS system.
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Vital Signs: Findings from Florida’s 2024 EMS Workforce Statewide Survey
Michael Lozano, Bruce J. Moeller, and Ashley Tobin
The 2024 EMT and Paramedic License Renewal Survey provides a comprehensive analysis of workforce trends, employment characteristics, recruitment challenges, retention patterns, and the mental health and wellness of emergency medical personnel in Florida. Conducted by the Florida Center for Emergency Medical Services (FL-CEMS) in collaboration with the Bureau of Emergency Medical Oversight (BEMO) at the Florida Department of Health (DoH), this survey captures insights from thousands of EMTs and paramedics renewing their professional licenses.
Key findings indicate persistent challenges in workforce retention, particularly for early-career professionals, and a notable decline in satisfaction with compensation. Despite these concerns, EMS personnel express high confidence in medical direction and work schedule flexibility, suggesting that operational support remains strong. The survey also reveals meaningful differences in satisfaction across agency types and community settings, with fire-based EMS agencies demonstrating the highest overall approval ratings. Mental health and wellness assessments indicate a significant symptom burden among EMS professionals, underscoring the need for expanded psychological support systems. Additionally, attitudes toward Mobile Integrated Health (MIH) programs and telehealth suggest growing interest in alternative EMS deployment strategies, though barriers to participation remain.
The findings of this survey provide actionable insights for policymakers, EMS agency leaders, and educators to enhance workforce sustainability, improve job satisfaction, and support professional development initiatives that address emerging trends in emergency medical services.
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Crisis on the Frontlines: Recruitment and Retention Challenges in EMS
Bruce J. Moeller and Michael Lozano
Florida’s emergency medical services (EMS) and fire service agencies face an unprecedented workforce crisis. Compounded by demographic shifts, rising call volumes, and mounting mental health challenges, many EMS agencies are struggling to recruit and retain qualified personnel. Existing models of recruitment—centered on short-term bonuses or messaging emphasizing sacrifice—are failing to resonate with new generations of workers, who prioritize mental wellness, career progression, and work-life balance. Additionally, outdated training pipelines and a decline in volunteerism, especially in rural areas, have weakened the traditional workforce structure, creating gaps that threaten the stability of emergency response systems statewide.
To address these challenges, the report highlights opportunities for strategic, evidence-based reforms to help stabilize and modernize the EMS workforce. These opportunities include expanding access to scholarships and paid training, establishing career ladders and leadership development pathways, and creating a positive, supportive workplace culture to combat burnout and improve job satisfaction. Strengthening onboarding, mentorship, and employee engagement, along with robust data monitoring and evaluation, are essential to ensure these initiatives deliver measurable results. Investing in a resilient, well-prepared EMS workforce is not just an operational imperative—it is a public safety priority that demands coordinated policy and leadership action.
