About EMS

Emergency Medical Services is the division of Jackson County Emergency Services responsible for the delivery of pre-hospital care to the citizens and visitors of Jackson County. Each ambulance is staffed by two individuals, most often two Paramedics (but sometimes a Paramedic and EMT). This two person team is the more commonly termed "ambulance drivers" to the general public, however, their responsibilities and the role they serve is far greater than that of any driver.

Ambulances

Emergency Medical Services staffs seven advanced life support ambulances that are stationed throughout the county. Responding to more than 7,500 emergency calls in 2016, full-time employees work a rotating shift schedule where they work 24 hours and they are off for 48 hours. This schedule staffs all 6 county ambulances 24 hours a day, and a seventh ambulance that operates 12 hours a day.
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Ambulances respond to all emergency medical incidents such as strokes, chest pains, sick calls or automobile accidents where EMTs and Paramedics provide care to the sick and injured before and during transport to the hospital.

Back in the early days of EMS, ambulances were operated by the funeral homes in the county. There was no formal training back then for those who rode these ambulances. The main goal of this type of service was to get the sick and injured to the hospital as quickly as possible. Today, the back of the ambulance is often referred to as a "mobile emergency room." EMTs and Paramedics receive over one thousand hours of classroom and hands-on training to prepare them for the emergencies they face when responding to calls for help.

EMT Training

An EMT certification is the basic requirement for employment with Jackson County EMS. EMTs are trained in basic life support and management skills such as IV therapy, basic airway management,  splinting, bandaging, bleeding control, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), spinal immobilization, and ventilatory management. EMTs can administer some medications and they may also assist a patient with some of his or her prescribed medications. Before an individual can begin school to become a Paramedic, they must have obtained an EMT certification.

Paramedics

A Paramedic is the highest skilled and trained medical care provider outside of the hospital (prehospital care provider). Paramedics are responsible for numerous different facets of prehospital emergency care including anything from basic splinting techniques learned as an EMT to synchronized cardioversion; a procedure where a Paramedic delivers a specific amount of electricity to a person's heart when he or she recognizes a cardiac condition that must be immediately corrected. Paramedics in Jackson County are capable of administering over 45 different medications to patients with conditions where certain medications are warranted. Paramedics interpret 12-lead ECG's, insert and manage advanced airway devices, perform needle-chest decompressions, and numerous other advanced life support skills. At present, of the 40 full-time employees, 39 are licensed Paramedics. With this amount of dedicated and experienced Paramedics, Jackson County is able to provide some of the most advanced and progressive prehospital care to the citizens and visitors of Jackson County.
Ambulance Patience Compartment