International Paramedics Day 2025 highlights teamwork and community impact
International Paramedics Day is held on 8 July 2025 to highlight the power of teamwork and collaboration among paramedics and first responders worldwide.
Paramedicine is a rapidly growing profession, with paramedics working across a wide range of roles and settings. This year, we celebrate the incredible ways paramedics come together to support each other and their communities, overcoming challenges to deliver the best possible care.
Launched in 2022, International Paramedics Day takes place on the 8th of July each year, marking the anniversary of the birth of Dominique-Jean Larrey, often referred to as the father of modern-day ambulance services.
This year, our theme is “Unity and Community” – because no paramedic works alone.
International Paramedics Day has been created, organised and run by the College of Paramedics in the UK, with support from professional paramedics’ organisations from around the world.
Theme for 2025 This year, we will be celebrating International Paramedics Day by showcasing the different ways in which paramedics, their colleagues and partners, work together to support each other and how this camaraderie and team work enables them to overcome challenges and deliver the best possible service and highest levels of care.
“Unity and Community” encapsulates this. It’s about celebrating togetherness and recognising that by working collaboratively and in partnership, we achieve more: – Better outcomes for patients – Higher quality of care – More support for each other – Increased knowledge – Enhanced research – A deeper sense of purpose and belonging
Whatever area of paramedicine you work in, please join us in celebrating International Paramedics Day on July 8th by sharing your stories of collaboration and camaraderie on social media, using the hashtags #UnityAndCommunity and #IPD2025.
Ekurhuleni DEMS crews respond to several incidents, several fatalities including eight children
Over the last weekend in June 2025, Ekurhuleni Emergency Services responded to several incidents including fires at informal settlements, house fires and a structural collapse at a house. The first incident was a shack fire at 2938 Tansy Street in Villa Lisa. William Ntladi, district manager media liaison: Ekurhuleni Disaster and Emergency Management Services (DEMS), reported, “On the evening of 27 June 2025, a devastating fire broke out in a 4-roomed shack in Villa Lisa Ext2, Ekurhuleni, resulting in the tragic loss of four lives, all of whom were children.”
Marble Falls volunteer fire chief among missing in Burnet County, Texas, US
Fire Chief Michael Phillips of the Marble Falls Area Volunteer Fire Department went missing on the morning of Saturday, July 5, 2025, while responding to a water rescue at Cow Creek during the historic Fourth of July flooding in Texas Hill Country. He was driving his emergency vehicle through torrential floodwaters in Burnet County (though the creek is officially in neighbouring Travis County) when his vehicle was swept off the roadway by flash floodwaters. Deputies witnessed the vehicle being overtaken but were unable to reach it in time.
City of Tshwane firefighters rescue a victim from a car crash in Willem Cruywagen Street, Akasia, Pretoria North
The City of Tshwane Emergency Services Department responded to a multiple vehicle crash incident that involved two heavy-duty trucks and a light motor vehicle, in Akasia, north of Pretoria, on the morning of Monday, 7 July 2025. Lindsay Zwelithini Mnguni, acting public information and media liaison officer, City of Tshwane Emergency Services, said, “While Tshwane firefighters were driving towards Wonderboom in the district commander’s unit, at about 09h33, they came across an accident scene at the intersection of Rosslyn Road (R566) and Willem Cruywagen Street.”
Deadly explosion at Esparto fireworks facility in Yolo County, California, US
On the afternoon of Tuesday, 1 July 2025, a fire broke out at a fireworks facility in Esparto, California. The fire resulted in several explosions that culminated into one large eruption, killing seven people and injuring two more. Two to three residential buildings were destroyed and several more were damaged in the explosion. The fire that caused the explosions, the Oakdale Fire, grew to 78 acres (32 ha) and was fully contained by July 6.
City of Cape Town Fire and Rescue responds to 236 accidents in 10 days
The City of Cape Town Fire and Rescue Service responded to 162 motor vehicle accidents and 74 accidents involving pedestrians between Friday, 27 June and Sunday, 6 July 2025. “What’s even more concerning is that these statistics are not exhaustive, as incidents are not all reported to a central point and sometimes, where an incident has not resulted in injuries, the parties involved report it directly to the nearest police station. We caution road users all of the time about adjusting their behaviour to account for the specific conditions” said Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, Alderman JP Smith.
Two new HSE ambulances suddenly catch fire within days of each other, Ireland
The Health Service Executive (HSE) is carrying out an urgent investigation into why two new ambulances suddenly caught fire in recent days. The two vehicles were different makes, models and types, but an initial technical examination had “identified a possible issue”, the HSE said. The matter is “now being urgently explored in further detail with vehicle suppliers”, it said.
Young learners leap into lessons on resilience, Cape Town
The group of 19 learners from the Leap Science and Maths school in Langa will participate in the annual ‘Women and Girls Invisible Force of Resilience’ Programme between 1 and 8 July 2025, hosted by the City’s Disaster Risk Management Centre. The programme takes participants through a range of disaster risks and mitigation measures over the course of a week, including hazard mapping in their communities; the basics of first aid and firefighting as well as climate change and other environmental hazards.
UPDF helicopter crashes at Mogadishu, five deaths reported, Somalia
A Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF) Mi-24 helicopter detached to the African Union (AU) mission in Somalia crashed at Mogadishu’s Aden Abdulle International Airport on Wednesday, 2 July 2025, with five fatalities. A UPDF statement has it the rotorcraft (AUO-015) crashed about 200 metres east of the airport’s north ramp. Five were killed and another three of the helicopter’s eight occupants survived the incident but with severe injuries and burns, said Ugandan military spokesperson, Felix Kulayigye. The impact of the crash had caused munitions on board to detonate, destroying nearby structures and injuring three civilians, he said.
Eastern Cape June floods declared a national disaster
The Eastern Cape Province has officially been declared a national disaster zone in response to the widespread destruction caused by recent severe weather events. Eastern Cape Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) MEC, Zolile Williams said the declaration, made under the Disaster Management Act (Act No. 57 of 2002), comes amid heavy rainfall, flooding, strong winds, and snowfall that have battered large parts of the country, with the Eastern Cape being the hardest hit. Highlighting the provincial government response to the June disaster, Williams said the Department of Social Development, in partnership with private sector organisations, has extended crucial psychosocial support to displaced families, bereaved communities, and schools affected by the loss of learners.
Major fire engulfs Cairo telecom hub, injures 14, crippling phone and internet services, Egypt
A fire engulfed the main telecom company building in downtown Cairo on Monday, 7 July 2025, injuring at least 14 people and prompting a temporary outage of internet and mobile phone services across the capital, officials said. The 14 injured were taken to nearby hospitals, the Health Ministry said in a statement. A witness told news broadcaster Cairo 24 that two emergency responders suffered burns on their hands. The fire started on the seventh floor of a landmark 10-storey Telecom Egypt building in the Ramses area of Cairo, the governor’s office said in a statement.
Featured FRI Magazine article: Disaster search dogs in South Africa by Neels de Klerk
This week’s featured Fire and Rescue International magazine article is: Disaster search dogs in South Africa By Neels de Klerk, station commander: fire safety, Breede Valley Fire, Rescue and Disaster Management Services (at the time of writing this article) (FRI Vol 3 no 7). We will be sharing more technical/research/tactical articles from Fire and Rescue International magazine on a weekly basis with our readers to assist in technology transfer. This will hopefully create an increased awareness, providing you with hands-on advice and guidance. All our magazines are available free of charge in PDF format on our website and online at ISSUU. We also provide all technical articles as a free download in our article archive on our website.
Fire stations of the world: Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service’s Prescot Fire Station, UK
The UK’s Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service required the construction of new fire station accommodation in Prescot as part of their Station Mergers programme. The community fire station, which opened in January 2018 at the junction of Manchester Road and Cables Way in Prescot, incorporates operational and welfare accommodation, community meeting rooms and additional facilities, external drill and training spaces and associated car-parking with additional space allocated on the ground floor for a new Neighbourhood Police Station.
Technology: Norwegian Air Ambulance to continue fleet modernisation with Airbus H145
The Norwegian Air Ambulance and Airbus have signed a frame contract for up to eight H145 helicopters, including the firm acquisition of two helicopters. “We are honoured to open yet another chapter with the Norwegian Air Ambulance, providing up to eight H145 helicopters under this new frame contract,” said Thomas Hein, Head of Europe Region at Airbus Helicopters. “The H145’s global reputation in Helicopter Emergency Medical Services, combined with its class-leading low acoustic footprint, CO2 emissions and operating costs, ensures it’s the ideal choice for continued life-saving missions with the Norwegian Air Ambulance.”
Fitness: Parallette training montage: firefighter workouts
Parallette bars are great for dynamic body weight strength training, metabolic conditioning and core strength development. They are inexpensive, space efficient and fun to use!
Source: Firefighter Peak Performance
Training: Rope rescue course (Part 1 of 5): Progress capture drop loop system
In this firefighter rope rescue training video, instructor Sean Cogan of Harken Safety and Rescue discusses the progress, capture and drop loop system.
Source: Fire Spotlight
Vintage: On The Fire Line: a film from 1985 about the history of forest fire fighting in BC
An historical look at methods of fire fighting in British Columbia.
Source: BC History
Inspiration: Quote of the week
Just for fun
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in the articles and in any corresponding comments are the opinions of the original authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Fire and Rescue International editorial team or its management.
NEFSFPA