The Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services (CAAS) was founded on a single goal: to raise the quality and consistency of care in mobile healthcare through nationally recognized standards. From its earliest days, CAAS has served as the framework for excellence that guides emergency medical services organizations across the United States and beyond.
Origins in the EMS Reform Movement
In March 1982, the American Ambulance Association (AAA) convened a Needs Assessment Workshop in Kansas City, Missouri, to evaluate the state of the EMS industry. Participants identified twenty key challenges facing emergency medical services, the first of which was the need for a set of high-quality, industry-wide standards. This marked the beginning of a movement toward structured accountability and continuous quality improvement in EMS.
Two years later, in May 1984, the AAA Board of Directors authorized the creation of an Ad Hoc Committee on Accreditation and Standards to develop these benchmarks. The resulting standards were consensus-based—built through collaboration among EMS leaders, medical directors, and operational experts nationwide. This effort also established the first pathway by which ambulance services could become formally recognized for meeting those standards.
In 1990, the Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services (CAAS) was officially incorporated as an independent nonprofit organization. The new Commission united representatives from across the EMS spectrum, including the American Ambulance Association, Emergency Nurses Association, International Association of Fire Chiefs, National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians, National Association of EMS Physicians, and National Association of State EMS Directors.
This collaboration ensured that CAAS standards would reflect not only the operational realities of ambulance services but also the clinical, administrative, and safety principles that define high-performing EMS systems. In 1993, the first agencies were formally accredited—marking a historic milestone for professional accountability in EMS.
CAAS Today
Now recognized by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) as the developer of the nation’s EMS accreditation standard, CAAS continues to evolve to meet the needs of modern mobile healthcare. CAAS Standards Version 4.0 introduces new priorities such as leadership development, safety culture, cybersecurity, and equitable care.
Today, more than 185 agencies across 40 U.S. states and Canada have achieved CAAS accreditation, with hundreds more working toward it. Each accredited agency demonstrates an enduring commitment to quality, transparency, and service to its community.
View the CAAS Accredited Agencies Map