dps: What's EMS?

Montgomery County, PA

P.O. Box 311, Norristown, PA 19404-0311
Courthouse Hours: 8:30a.m. to 4:15p.m.
Phone: 610-278-3000
Website: www.montcopa.org

What's EMS?
 
 
Overview The EMS Team
Calling An Ambulance PA EMS Facts
What Ambulances Carry County Facts
Emergency Medical Services(EMS) is a system designed to provide people with sudden life-threatening emergencies with quick, effective medical care at the scene, during transport and at the appropriate treatment facility. In Pennsylvania, accidental injury is the leading cause of death for persons under 40 years of age. For those over 40 years of age, heart disease is the major killer. Many of these deaths can be prevented when the patient receives prompt emergency medical care. Time is the most important factors during a medical emergency. Statistics have revealed the faster medical care is summoned and treatment begins, the better the chances of survival and a more rapid recovery from the illness or injury. Many times we can administer treatments to stabilize the current life threatening conditions before transport to definitive care occurs.
Calling An Ambulance
In any type of medical emergency or injury call for the ambulance FIRST. In Montgomery County, 9-1-1 is the universal number to summon emergency medical services. EMS is a planned coordinated response to bring the level of care needed to the patient based on the nature of the medical emergency. EMS provides prompt and unimpeded care to all persons at the basic (EMT) and advanced (paramedics) life support levels. EMS has been called the safety net of the modern health care system because we are the first line of defense against sudden illness or injury.
What Modern Ambulances Carry
A multitude of equipment is carried on ambulances and special quick response units to bring personnel and equipment to the patient's side rapidly. Ambulances in Pennsylvania must be licensed by the Pennsylvania Department of Health to ensure that they meet certain equipment and trained staffing requirements. Basic life support units carry trained EMT's and equipment to stabilize fractures, breathing oxygen, airway supplies including suction and manual and automatic ventilators, and often times automatic external defibrillators to Ashock@ the heart back into an effective heartbeat. Advanced life support units carry all of the basic life equipment and paramedic trained personnel. Additional ALS supplies include medications, intravenous fluids, advanced airway tubes and manual and automated ventilators, heart monitors, defibrillators, and pacemakers. Both basic and advanced units have capabilities to directly contact a physician for treatment consultation and notification at a health care facility. Special quick response units are stationed in areas where the nearest ambulance is several miles away and carry trained staff and equipment, but are not setup to transport a patient. These vehicles can move through traffic more easily and therefore arrive rapidly to assess the patient's situation.
The EMS Team
The EMS team is comprised of the call taker, dispatcher, police officer, first responder, EMT, paramedic, and emergency nurse and physician. The call taker and dispatcher are trained to rapidly determine the location of the emergency and send medical help. The call taker and dispatcher are also trained to offer emergency telephone instructions immediately which include action to take for heart attacks (CPR), choking, and emergency childbirth. They also will provide instructions such as how to control bleeding, gather prescription medicines for medical responders and control the breathing of an unconscious patient. The police officer and first responder as the name implies will probably be the first to arrive at the emergency. They are trained in CPR and basic life support. The EMT's and paramedics will often arrive next and provide basic and advanced care as necessary including transportation to the hospital. The emergency nurses and physicians are at the hospital and sometimes they are also on air medical helicopters which transport critical patients to specialty trauma centers for intensive life saving care.
Pennsylvania EMS Facts
Today nationwide there are more than 2 million trained first responders, medically trained telecommunicators, emergency medical technicians, paramedics, emergency nurses and physicians. There are more than 14,000 ambulance services which operate about 40,000 licensed ambulances. Within Pennsylvania, there are more than 120,000 trained first responders, medically trained telecommunicators, emergency medical technicians, paramedics, emergency nurses and physicians. There are close to 1,500 ambulance services which operate about 6,000 licensed ambulances.
Montgomery County Facts
Montgomery County, Pennsylvania is located in the southeastern part of the State immediately adjacent to Philadelphia. The County has over 670,000 residents and is 496 square miles in size. There is a dichotomy of population and structure across the County in that the eastern areas are defined as urban/suburban, and the western portion is still suburban/rural. This trend however is rapidly changing with major transportation corridors bringing people and businesses to these western areas. There are many major transportation corridors in Montgomery County including I76, I276 and I476, there are also State routes 422, 309 and 202. The EMS system is composed of more than 3,000 trained first responders, medically trained telecommunicators, emergency medical technicians, paramedics, emergency nurses and physicians.