What is EMS?

Emergency Medical Services, more than commonly known as Ems, is a system that provides emergency medical intendance. One time it is activated by an incident that causes serious disease or injury, the focus of EMS is emergency medical care of the patient(s).

Ems is most easily recognized when emergency vehicles or helicopters are seen responding to emergency incidents. But European monetary system is much more than than a ride to the hospital. It is a arrangement of coordinated response and emergency medical intendance, involving multiple people and agencies. A comprehensive EMS system is fix every twenty-four hour period for every kind of emergency.

Ems is an intricate system, and each component of this system has an essential part to perform as function of a coordinated and seamless system of emergency medical intendance. An EMS arrangement comprises all of the following components:

  • Agencies and organizations (both individual and public)
  • Communications and transportation networks
  • Trauma systems, hospitals, trauma centers, and specialty intendance centers
  • Rehabilitation facilities
  • Highly trained professionals
    • Volunteer and career prehospital personnel
    • Physicians, nurses, and therapists
    • Administrators and government officials
  • An informed public that knows what to exercise in a medical emergency


EMS does non be in isolation, but is integrated with other services and systems intended to maintain and enhance the customs'south health and safety. Every bit seen in the graphic below, Ems operates at the crossroads between health intendance, public wellness and public prophylactic.

what is emergency medical services diagram

A combination of the principles and resources of each is employed in European monetary system systems. Since European monetary system providers work in the community, they are often the first to identify public health problems and issues. The emergence of significant wellness problems is often heralded by its arrival in the Emergency Department and it arrives via EMS. Since European monetary system providers respond to all kinds of emergencies and all kinds of hazards, they oft work shoulder-to-shoulder with public safe colleagues in law enforcement and fire services. But their primary mission is emergency medical care.

The organizational structure of European monetary system, as well as who provides and finances the services, varies significantly from community to community. Prehospital services can exist based in a fire department, a hospital, an contained government bureau (i.eastward., public wellness agency), a non-profit corporation (eastward.g., Rescue Squad) or be provided for by commercial for-profit companies. But, regardless of provider, the essential components of an Ems Organisation remain the same.

EMS system diagram - what is emergency medical services

The diagram above illustrates the complication of an EMS system. In the diagram, the large circumvolve represents each arrangement element every bit it is activated in response to an incident. The arrows inside the circle correspond the specialty care areas inside EMS. The list within the circle represents the elements acting behind the scenes to back up the organisation. In social club to be "ready every day for every kind of emergency," an EMS organization must be as comprehensive as the one pictured in a higher place. Developing and maintaining such a organisation requires thoughtful planning, preparation, and dedication from EMS stakeholders at the local, State, and Federal levels.