Most people do not think about Emergency Medical Services (EMS) until they need to call 911. Then they expect and deserve to have well trained and equipped personnel respond rapidly with emergency medical care and transportation to a medical facility.

Throughout North Carolina , thousands of individuals are ready to respond to those calls. More than 100 state-certified ground EMS organizations in North Carolina provide advanced life support, including defibrillation and administration of medications. Additionally, several paramedic level systems provide care as sophisticated as that found in any part of the U.S.

Trained and equipped EMS responders are in every North Carolina community and more than two-thirds of them are volunteers. Many EMS providers also provide other services, such as blood pressure screening, injury prevention education, and CPR and first aid classes.

The EMS system is an important component of public health preparedness in North Carolina. Emergency Medical Technicians train with their public health partners, fire service, law enforcement, and emergency management, to prepare for health consequences of everyday emergencies, and natural or human caused disasters.