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Home » Consumer Information » Occupational Safety » Emergency Response

Emergency Medical Services (EMS)

EMS stands for Emergency Medical Services. This service provides out of hospital acute care and transportation for patients with illnesses or injuries that constitute a medical emergency. Emergency medical services exist primarily to fulfill the basic principals of First Aid, which are to preserve life, prevent further injury and promote recovery. There are a wide variety of EMS workers, from drivers with no medial training to workers with basic first aid training to paramedics and physicians.

The common system of EMS intervention plays out as follows:

  • 1. A member of the public detects an incident.
  • 2. Emergency services are summoned.
  • 3. EMS arrives at the scene as quickly as possible.
  • 4. The appropriate treatment is given.
  • 5. The patient is cared for during transport to hospital.
  • 6. The patient is transferred to the care of a physician.

EMS personnel work indoors and out and through all types of weather. They do a considerable amounting of kneeling, bending and heavy lifting, which can lead to back injury, plus noise-induced hearing loss is also a risk due to ambulance sirens. Just like doctors, EMS workers that treat injuries run a high risk of exposure to serious diseases, such as hepatitis-B and AIDS. They are also exposed occupational hazards, such as ambulance crashes, assaults, infectious disease, hazardous materials exposure, stress, extended work hours, and exposure to temperature extremes.