Emergency Medical Services


Emergency medical services teams are within a phone call's reach for help and assistance in case of emergency. These lifesaving services can often mean the difference between life and death, but no two jobs are the same. For this reason, every emergency medical service is different, depending on location, state regulations and laws, and the direct needs of the population.

Contacting Emergency Medical Services

Most everyone within the United States contacts their local emergency service provider through the same time-tested route: Dial 911. Dialing this emergency number will immediately route your request to the nearest operator, whose job it is to determine your individual situation and connect and deploy the appropriate service.

The Mission of Emergency Medical Services

The mission of emergency medical service agencies is to plan, implement, monitor, and evaluate the quality of care and response provided to local area residents. Each program is tailored specifically to meet the needs of the surrounding community, and has adapted accordingly to make a difference in the health and livelihood of the local population.

Different Services for Different Emergencies

No type of emergency is the same, and because of this, no emergency medical service program is the same. Some focus strictly on roadway and traffic accidents due to their proximity to a main interstate highway. Other emergency services may have more water-bound options if the locale is nearby waterways or the ocean.

Emergency Medical Services: Air Ambulances

Often the only serviceable way to reach victims of accidents is by air. This is especially true of hilly steep mountainous terrain, as well as water rescues that are deemed too difficult for watercraft rescue. Most air ambulance services operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Flight coordinators often help determine the medical needs of the patient and estimate the air ambulance transfer time as well as the location to ensure that the patient will receive proper care.

Problems with Emergency Medical Services

Occasionally there are complaints about the service provided by emergency medical professionals. Often, this results from a lack of attention given and not from a lack of expertise. Some areas with a high population density have an overcrowding or over-usage of the emergency services team, meaning that occasionally immediate medical attention is based on priority and immediate need as opposed to the time at which it is requested.

Increasing Staffing

Inevitably, the solution to remedy increased demand with a small staff is to hire more employees. But with the lack of qualified medical representatives coupled without an increase in funding of health care programs, emergency service personnel have seen their ranks thin over the last few years.

By Blaise Morita           


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