Rick Murray, EMT-P, FAEMS, was Director of the EMS and Disaster Preparedness Department for ACEP for more than 26 years from 1996 to 2023. He directed the National EMS Week Campaign for ACEP since 1977. Mr. Murray served as the principal investigator or project manager for over 35 federal grant projects while at ACEP and is a Fellow of the Academy of EMS and serves on the Board of the National EMS Museum.
Mr. Murray has more than 48 years of experience in EMS, was one of the original Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services (CAAS) site reviewers and worked on the development of the initial CAAS standards. He was a field provider as an EMT and paramedic before working in leadership and administrative roles in a hospital-based system, private service and a fire-based system. He worked for a state EMS regulatory agency with the Texas Department of Health and then directed EMS training programs for both university and hospital-based training programs.
Mr. Murray received a Commendation from the ACEP Council in 2023 and was presented with the Paul E. Pepe, MD, Eagle Award for Outstanding National Contributions to Emergency Medical Services by the EMS Eagles Global Alliance in 2017. He also received the Friends of EMS Award from the National Association of EMS Physician (NAEMSP) in 2020, the ITLS Ambassador Award from International Trauma Life Support (ITLS) in 2016, the 1988 EMS Week Public Information Award from the Texas Department of Health and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the ACEP Section of Tactical and Law Enforcement Medicine in 2023.
About This Award
The Honorary Membership Award is presented to an individual who has rendered outstanding service to the College or to the specialty of emergency medicine.
