Emergency Medical Services personnel and ground transport vehicles

Although the provision of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) has become an obligatory and commonplace feature of everyday life as well as a major aspect of our public health care systems, few members of the medical community understand the differences between the various types of EMS personnel and their respective training levels, vehicles, and equipment requirements, or the rationale for these differences. 'The three basic tiers' of personnel generally described are 1) basic first responders (e.g., a neighborhood fire truck crew), 2) basic emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and 3) advanced life support providers (i.e., paramedics, who usually provide endotracheal intubation, intravenous access, and drug administration). Although local systems vary widely in their training requirements and staffing levels of EMS personnel, minimum requirements, certifications, and licensing procedures for personnel, vehicles, and equipment are rigidly prescribed by regulations in most states.