Welcome to Killarney and EMS2027 Congress, 13–15 April 2027!
Welcome message from Cathal O’Donnell, Clinical Director, National Ambulance Service of Ireland
I am pleased to welcome EMS friends from Ireland, Europe, and across the world to the 2027 European EMS Congress here in beautiful Killarney. Our Congress theme this year is “Connecting Care AcrossCommunities”.
As we face the uncertainties and challenges of the modern world, community is more and more important. In the words of an ancient Irish proverb “Ar scáth a chéile a mhaireann na daoine” which means “ People live in each other's shadows" or, more deeply, "In the shelter of each other, the people live”. I hope you enjoy everything EMS2027 has to offer and that you build knowledge, grow friendships and return to your community energised and optimistic.
About the EMS Europe Congress
The European EMS Congress is the biennial meeting point for the international prehospital emergency care communities. Since its launch in Copenhagen in 2016, the congress has grown into one of the world's leading gatherings in Europe dedicated to Emergency Medical Services,
bringing clinicians, operational leaders, researchers, innovators, exhibitors, key opinion leaders and EMS leadership together to share the best practices, research and new thinking in the field. The main theme of the EMS Europe Congress is “It Takes a System to Save a Life”.
The most recent edition, held in Stockholm in June 2025 welcomed over 1,200 delegates from 47 countries across 6 continents. Across three days, the programme combined keynote sessions, scientific presentations, interactive workshops and the European EMS Championship Competition, alongside more than 200 research posters — cementing the congress's reputation as a genuinely international forum for advancing prehospital care.
In April 2027, EMS Europe brings the congress to Killarney in Ireland, hosted in partnership with the National Ambulance Service of Ireland. Under the subtheme “Connecting Care Across Communities,” EMS2027 will explore how EMS systems connect patients, families and healthcare providers across diverse communities and across countries, examined through the lenses of technological advancement, innovation, sustainability, reactivity and human factors. Set against the backdrop of Killarney's National Park, the congress will combine world-class scientific content with the warmth of Irish hospitality.
Who Should Attend
The EMS Congress is designed for anyone working in or around prehospital emergency care, including:
- Paramedics and emergency medical technicians (EMTs)
- EMS and emergency physicians
- Prehospital and emergency nurses
- Emergency medical dispatchers and call takers
- Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS) and critical care transport teams
- EMS managers, service leaders and policy makers
- Resuscitation scientists and prehospital researchers
- Educators and supervisors
- Patient safety and quality improvement specialists
- Disaster medicine and major incident planners
- Students and early-career professionals entering the field
Whether delegates work at the frontline, in research, in dispatch and control centres, or in the leadership of an EMS system, the congress offers a shared space to learn from international peers and bring new ideas back to their own services.
Connecting Care Across Communities
The theme for the 2027 European EMS Congress is "Connecting Care Across Communities"
It takes a system to save a life and no matter what role you play in the EMS system, you are also part of this unique community. We work together to help our patients and support each other. EMS professionals ensure that no one stands alone in their moment of need.
EMS2027 will explore how "connecting care across communities" involves technological advancement, accessibility, innovation, sustainability,
reactivity and human factors.
EMS Europe is proud to be part of the global EMS community. Together we are stronger.
Highlights:
- Current controversies in trauma
- Prehospital stroke care
- Innovation and technology in EMS
- People of EMS
- Disaster management
- Patient safety – when it all goes wrong
- EMS and infectious disease – a new frontier
Please note that the programme is under development and the above list is subject to change.
EMS TALKS
EMS Talks are short presentations in the style of the famous 'TED Talks'. 10 speakers will be selected from the entries received, to share their insights with an open audience in a special session.
The chosen talks and speakers will be announced in the EMS2027 programme.
EMS LABS
EMS Labs are mini workshops that practically and interactively cover a specific EMS topic in 30 minutes and are repeated 4 times throughout the last day of the congress. EMS Labs are pitched to a live audience who must then decide which four of the workshops they wish to attend.
EMS
CHAMPIONSHIPS
Are you ready to challenge yourself and your team of EMS colleagues on the international stage? Now is your chance to put your skills, teamwork, and experience to the test in one of the most prestigious EMS competitions in the world.
ABSTRACT
SUBMISSIONS
The EMS2027 congress will be a major event within emergency care internationally and your ideas, projects or research studies may be of great interest to the congress participants. Submitted abstracts will be reviewed for selection by the EMS2027 Abstract Committee.
Killarney, Kerry
Killarney is a lively lakeside town set against the backdrop of Ireland’s most iconic national park, offering a unique blend of natural beauty and welcoming local charm.