Emergency Medical Services (EMS) fellowship

We will begin accepting applications for the 2027-2028 academic year on May15, 2026. 

The Penn Medicine EMS Fellowship Program requests that physician applicants forward the following materials to PennEMSFac@uphs.upenn.edu

1. Current Curriculum vitae
2. Cover letter with personal statement describing your interest in EMS in general, and the Penn EMS Fellowship in particular
3. Three (3) original letters of recommendation, one of which must be from your current or most recent program director

The Penn EMS Fellowship includes the following EMS agencies:

Philadelphia Fire Department

The PFD, or as locals call it, “Fire Rescue”, is the largest fire department in Pennsylvania. More than 80% of PFD’s calls are medical, for a total of approximately 275,000 EMS calls per year. In fact, PFD is home to the nation’s busiest EMS unit, located in the Kensington neighborhood. PFD encompasses both BLS and ALS level of care, across 60 fully-staffed ambulances. The EMS fellow’s rotation with PFD will include ride time, incident response, prehospital addiction medicine initiatives, paramedic education, communications, and event EMS.

Upper Merion Township EMS

UMT EMS provides BLS and ALS level of care to Upper Merion Township, which includes the well-known community of King of Prussia. The department is run by the township (a “third service” municipal agency) and is made up of both career and volunteer members. UMT EMS staffs two ambulances at all times and responds to approximately 4,000 calls annually. UMT EMS covers the majority of Valley Forge National Historic Park, adding a wilderness component to the service.

Malvern Fire Company EMS

Malvern EMS is a fire-based EMS service providing BLS and ALS to Malvern Borough as well as parts of neighboring townships, all in the western suburbs of Philadelphia. The department operates two ambulances and two medic responder units. Malvern EMS is made up of both career and volunteer members and responds to 2,500- 3,000 calls annually. 

Berwyn Fire Company

Berwyn Fire Company is a fire-based EMS service which provides ALS and BLS care to Easttown and Tredyffrin Townships. These two townships, in the western suburbs of Philadelphia, include communities such as Berwyn (the fire company’s namesake), Devon, Chesterbrook, and Paoli. The department operates three ambulances and one medic responder unit. Berwyn Fire Company is made up of both career and volunteer members and responds to approximately 2,500 calls annually.

Radnor Fire Company

The Radnor Fire Company is a fire-based EMS service which provides ALS and BLS care to Radnor Township in Delaware County and parts of Tredyffrin Township in Chester County. Radnor covers a busy section of I-476, as well as  provides ALS coverage of Villanova University. The staff is made up of both career and volunteer members and responds to approximately 2,500 EMS calls annually. 

Lancaster EMS

LEMSA provides ALS and BLS care to 260,000 residents in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, amounting to approximately 40,000 EMS calls per year. LEMSA operates in a unique setting, as its catchment area covers from the medium-sized city of Lancaster to the vast farmlands and rural communities of the greater county. In addition to 911 emergency services, LEMSA employs a Community Paramedicine model to provide high-quality primary care and preventative services to medically vulnerable patients.

PennSTAR

PennSTAR provides critical care ground and air medical transportation to and from Penn Medicine facilities. PennSTAR handles interfacility transport of critical care patients by ground and by air, as well as “on-scene” response at trauma-related incidents. The service operates three air medical helicopters and two critical care ambulances 24/7, for a total of 1,500 flights and 1,300 ground transports per year.  

CHOP Emergency Transport Program

CHOP’s critical care transport service specializes in expert care and safe transport of critically ill or injured infants and children between facilities. The program uses several modes of transportation, including ground transport (ambulance), rotor wing, and fixed wing. At minimum, four to five crews are scheduled daily, for 24/7 service.