The EMS trend report, What Paramedics Want in 2026, is now available! Get your copy HERE.
This year’s report adds new urgency to a decade of EMS workforce data. This year’s survey shows how staffing, leadership and burnout are now intersecting with another pressure point: whether providers can predict their workload, finish shifts on time and recover between calls.
Burnout remains the top concern facing EMS, but this year’s findings show how closely burnout is tied to day-to-day operations. Respondents linked workforce strain to staffing shortages, unpredictable workloads, frequent overtime, inadequate recovery time and leadership disconnect. The data also showed that providers working in more predictable systems with better recovery opportunities were far more likely to recommend EMS as a career.
Inside, you’ll find:
- What makes EMS work sustainable?
- The workforce retention playbook hiding in the data
- Medics and Gallup agree: Engagement isn’t the problem
- Burnout is an operational issue, not a personal wellness problem
Across 10 years of provider feedback, the message has grown clearer. EMS leaders need to move beyond recruitment alone and build systems where people can stay, grow and recommend the profession. This digital edition connects the data to practical action: staff the system, support the workforce, stabilize the workload and protect recovery time. It is produced in partnership by EMS1 and Fitch & Associates.
The information was also presented during the 2026 Pinnacle EMS Leadership Forum in July.
Leadership Edge
Written by Fitch & Associates partners and consultants, the Leadership Edge provides insight into important topics facing leaders in public safety.
How Agile is your agency?
For today’s EMS and fire organizations, agility means having the people, structure, vision, leadership and access to information to safely and rapidly adapt in these complex times.
