Emergency Medical Services is a type of public service that is mandated and offered by a country’s government in order to protect the people’s rights and benefits as a citizen of their land. Everybody is entitled to receive emergency medical services when in need. Situations such as accidents, calamities and serious and critical health matters all sum up as examples of emergency. But it’s not as simple as it seems. Providing and administering a service that deals with the immediate response to critical and dangerous matters on life and health is a very serious and meticulous job. Emergency medical service personnel and ambulance trust must be able to handle all the emergency calls and attend to those in need. For a better and faster response, most of the countries establish different kinds of service providers.
Some countries closely regulate the industry and may require anyone working on an ambulance to be qualified to a set level, whereas others allow quite wide differences between types of operator. Here is a list of the different types of emergency service providers.
Government Ambulance Service
This service provider is funded by a local, provincial or national government and usually established on major urban cities because of the population and congestion where more providers are needed. Government ambulance services usually are small emergency service providers and acts as a third degree EMS. They usually are used for back up on big catastrophes. However, in some countries such as the United Kingdom, the main emergency service provider is the NHS. The funds, equipment, recruits and regulations are all centred in the NHS’ lead.
Fire or Police Linked Service
Most fire services and police stations in UK have their own ambulance staff. This is to ensure a better form of rescue whenever they receive a call on most urban areas. Because of the huge population, some major EMS providers cannot handle everything on their own. That is why in case of fire and crime related emergencies, fire brigades and police stations are ready to provide their own EMS. On the other hand, rural areas also have fire and police linked services where the budget for public service can then be maximised and the regulations are all intact.
Volunteer Ambulance Services
Aside from the public services, there are other private organisations that support the masses by giving extra help in times of great need. Some charities offer voluntary EMS where private ambulance staff and trusts help out without anything in return. A great example of volunteer ambulance service that acts all throughout the world is the Red Cross. With various programs and campaigns regarding health and wellness, these charities aim to reach the grass-root areas and offer help for free.
Private Ambulance Trust
Usually this kind of service belongs to private hospitals with little connection to the government. It’s evident that most of the time their services are better and that their response may be faster than the others. However, their service isn’t free and sometimes it’s a bit pricey. Private ambulance services are great for patients with unique diseases or injuries that needs to have an EMS anytime. Private ambulance services are commonly used for huge private events as well.
