National First Responders Day 2026 is on Wednesday

About National First Responders Day

The day recognizes the people who show up in the first minutes of an emergency, from car crashes and house fires to medical calls, floods and violent crimes. Congressional resolutions define first responders as professional and volunteer fire, police, emergency medical technician and paramedic workers, and cite a 2017 Department of Homeland Security estimate that the wider first responder community, including emergency management and public works, numbers about 4.6 million career and volunteer professionals.

October 28 first appeared in Congress in March 2014, when Representative Mark Meadows of North Carolina introduced a concurrent resolution supporting October 28, annually, as Honoring the Nation's First Responders Day. The resolutions do not explain why that date was chosen. Similar resolutions were introduced in every Congress from 2015 through 2023. The Senate passed concurrent resolutions sponsored by Senators Elizabeth Warren and Tom Cotton supporting October 28 as the day in 2017 and again in 2019, and House members introduced their own versions as recently as October 2023.

These resolutions express support and encourage ceremonies, but they do not create a legal holiday, and no version has been enacted into law. Separate bills to make a National First Responders Day a federal public holiday were introduced in the House in 2014, 2016 and 2020 without becoming law. That means October 28 is an ordinary working day, and, as the people it honors would point out, emergency services run around the clock regardless.

The day sits alongside dates for specific services in the US, such as Peace Officers Memorial Day on May 15 and International Firefighters' Day on May 4. National First Responders Day is different in that it honors police, fire and emergency medical crews together, career and volunteer alike.

Sources: GovInfo: H. Con. Res. 89 (113th Congress), Honoring the Nation's First Responders Day, introduced March 5, 2014, GovInfo: S. Con. Res. 15 (116th Congress), passed the Senate June 5, 2019, GovInfo: S. Con. Res. 15 (115th Congress), passed the Senate August 3, 2017, GovInfo: H. Res. 818 (118th Congress), introduced October 26, 2023. How we check dates.

How to mark National First Responders Day

• Drop off a thank-you card at your local fire station, police station or ambulance base.
• Teach children when and how to call 911, including how to give their address clearly.
• Take a first aid or CPR course so you can help in the minutes before responders arrive.
• Make sure your house number is clearly visible from the street so crews can find you quickly.
• Ask your local volunteer fire department or rescue squad whether it needs volunteers or donations.
• Thank an emergency dispatcher; they are often the first responder no one sees.

National First Responders Day dates