Celebrating EMS Week 2026

Early History & Founding

Christiana Community Ambulance Association (often called CCAA or “Station 46”) was founded in 1989 to provide local emergency medical services to the growing rural communities surrounding Christiana, Gap, Paradise, Salisbury Township, and nearby municipalities. Prior to its creation, EMS coverage for the area was provided by Christiana Fire Company.
The service was established as a community-supported nonprofit EMS agency. Its mission focused on rapid local emergency response and maintaining dependable ambulance coverage for southeastern Lancaster County and western Chester County.

For more than three decades, CCAA primarily operated at the Basic Life Support (BLS) level. During that period, the agency expanded staffing, apparatus, and regional partnerships while call volume steadily increased alongside population and tourism growth in eastern Lancaster County.
The organization now averages more than 1,300 calls annually, responding to medical emergencies, vehicle accidents, and mutual aid incidents across Lancaster and Chester Counties.

CCAA serves communities near the historic borough of Christiana, an area known for its Underground Railroad history and the 1851 Christiana Resistance. The ambulance association became an important part of the area’s modern public safety network alongside local fire companies and EMS agencies.

A major turning point occurred in recent years as CCAA expanded beyond traditional BLS operations.

In March 2024, the agency added Intermediate Advanced Life Support (IALS) capability.
In January 2026, the organization officially launched full Advanced Life Support (ALS) services with paramedics.

The transitions of IALS and ALS included:
Upgraded ambulances and equipment
Additional staffing
Expanded training programs
Enhanced partnerships with fire, police, and healthcare systems

The ALS expansion represented one of the most significant operational changes in the organization’s history and allowed CCAA to provide higher-level prehospital care directly within its primary response area.

Today, Christiana Community Ambulance Association operates as a combination paid/volunteer EMS agency and continues to serve southeastern Lancaster County and western Chester County communities with emergency medical response, transport services, and mutual aid support. The organization remains community-focused and locally governed as a nonprofit EMS provider.

Why do we celebrate EMS week?

We celebrate EMS Week to honor the lifesaving dedication of EMTs, paramedics, and first responders. First authorized by President Gerald Ford in 1974, this annual week highlights the crucial, 24/7 role these professionals play in prehospital care, safeguarding public health, and reducing emergency response times.

Key reasons for the celebration include: Recognizing Lifesaving Heroes: EMTs and paramedics bring rapid clinical expertise, compassion, and calm to crises when every second matters. Promoting Public Health & Education: It provides an opportunity to educate the community on how EMS systems improve survival rates for emergencies like cardiac arrest, strokes, and severe trauma. Highlighting Innovation: It celebrates advancements in prehospital medicine—such as field ultrasounds and whole blood transfusions—that drastically improve patient outcomes before they even reach the hospital. Prioritizing Provider Wellness: The week is used to promote the resilience, mental health, and overall well-being of EMS professionals who face high-stress, demanding situations.

Every day, Emergency Medical Services professionals answer the call when our community needs help most. During EMS Week 2026, we proudly recognize the dedication, professionalism, and compassion of the EMTs, paramedics, dispatchers, supervisors, educators, and support personnel who serve on the front lines of emergency care. These providers are the calm in the chaos, the steady hands, the reassuring voices and the first line of hope for those experiencing some of life's most difficult times.

EMS Week is an opportunity to honor the individuals who work around the clock to provide lifesaving treatment, comfort patients and families during difficult moments, and stand ready to respond at a moment’s notice. Whether responding to medical emergencies, motor vehicle crashes, cardiac arrests, public safety incidents, or community events, EMS providers remain committed to protecting the health and safety of our community.

This year’s EMS Week theme, “Improving Outcomes, Together.”, highlights the essential role EMS professionals play in caring for people and is the testament to the teamwork that defines our agency. It is a celebration of the way we collaborate with each other, with local hospitals and with public safety partners to give every patient the best chance of survival. EMS is more than emergency response — it is patient advocacy, education, prevention, teamwork, and compassion delivered every single day.

At Christiana Community Ambulance, we are grateful for the commitment shown by our volunteer and career staff, and we also want to recognize the families and loved ones of EMS providers who support the demanding schedules, long hours, missed holidays, and emotional challenges that come with the profession. Their support makes this work possible. The work performed by EMS personnel often happens behind the scenes and under challenging circumstances, but its impact is felt throughout the communities we serve every day.

We also extend our appreciation to the residents and organizations who continue to support our Emergency Medical Services. Community partnerships, public trust, and ongoing support allow Christiana Community Ambulance and other EMS agencies to continue providing high-quality care and emergency response services.

Throughout EMS Week, we encourage everyone to take a moment to thank the EMS professionals who serve your communities. Their dedication, sacrifice, and commitment to patient care make a difference every day.

From all of us at Christiana Community Ambulance, thank you to every EMS professional for your service, your compassion, and your unwavering commitment to the communities you protect. We are honored to work along side you, and we appreciate everything yo do-today and always.

Happy EMS Week 2026!