What is Emergency Medical Services?

Emergency medical services (EMS) are medically trained professionals that arrive first on the scene where medical attention is needed. Normally, when someone dials 9-1-1 and reports something medically related, the 9-1-1 dispatcher contacts a medical transport service and the local hospital, and informs them of who is in trouble and what their medical condition is. The EMS personnel then arrives in an ambulance to help the person in need and the hospital will prepare to accept the patient.

When to Use EMS

Emergency medical services are normally used in a medical crisis like injuries sustained in a car crash or even a heart attack. While those are the common situations portrayed in Hollywood, EMS responds to many different kinds of calls for help. Sometimes they will respond to calls about a sports-related injury like a broken leg, or even go to the location where there is a fire to treat burns or carbon-monoxide poisoning.

How to Use EMS

EMS services are linked to an emergency number such as 9-1-1, making them easy to reach for those who are in need of medical services or assisting someone else. As their name suggests, emergency medical services should be used in cases of a disaster of some kind. A Dallas personal injury lawyer who assists patients with recovery efforts recommends using EMS if the issue seems beyond a trip to the local urgent care facility.

Types of EMS Specialties

A lot of people refer to EMS as paramedics or ambulance crews. Both terms are correct, but there are so many more types of specialties within the EMS. For example, Hollywood mainly portrays the driver, the one doing CPR, the one with an oxygen tank, and the one ordering the others around. These roles are genuine, but there are also people whose specialties focus on heart rates, spinal alignments, and pediatric services.

Other EMS Services

While EMS services usually cater to on-site injuries, sometimes the victim or patient needs transport to a hospital that offers better care. Other times, it could mean that the patient no longer requires EMS and is being relocated to a recovery location. A different type of job for EMS might also include something like a search-and-rescue, which would allow paramedics to immediately treat any injury acquired by the person they are rescuing.