Building EMS Infrastructure
Overview
Flex funding recognizes the need to support EMS system development as integral to maintaining successful local health care facilities. However, the EMS infrastructure in many rural communities may be weak, with an extreme mix of care levels, equipment, and management sophistication. Challenged by low call volumes, great distances, disparity between the services delivered and the public's expectations, the rural EMS system is still rooted in a volunteer tradition with many barriers and constraints in improving the level of care and response capacity. It is essential that rural EMS systems be integrated into a health care system that is cooperative, shares limited resources, provides a broad education to the EMS providers, and recognizes innovative methods of health care delivery. This section of the toolkit focuses on the unique issues affecting rural and critical access hospitals and information on developing sustainable integrated EMS systems.
Review of Critical Access Hospitals Emergency Medical Services Capabilities
Review Documents & Reports
- Review of CAH EMS Capabilities Executive Overview
- National Conference of State Legislatures Report: “Keeping Rural Emergency Medical Services Afloat”, Sept 2002, Vol 27, Number 15
- State Flex Program EMS Improvement
- A Quiet Crisis: Minnesota's Rural Ambulance Services at Risk
Developing & Managing Hospital-Based EMS
Needs Assessment / Strategic Planning
- FEMA: Developing Effective Standard Operating Procedures, Chapter 3: Conducting a Needs Assessment
- Community-Based Needs Assessment: Assisting Communities in Building a Stronger EMS System
Operational Policies & Procedure Resources
- EMS Provider Application and Operational Plan
- Chapter DHS 110: Licensing of Ambulance Service Providers and Emergency Medical Technicians−Basic
- Chapter DHS 111: Licensing of Emergency Medical Technicians−Intermediate Technicians and Emergency Medical Technicians−Intermediate and Approval of Emergency Medical Technician−Intermediate Technician and Emergency Medical Technician−Intermediate Operational Plans
- Chapter DHS 112: Licensing of Emergency Medical Technicians−Paramedic and Approval of Emergency Medical Technician−Paramedic Operational Plans
- Chapter DHS 113: Certification of First Responders
Protocol Development Resources
Financial Management of EMS
- EMS Provider Application and Operational Plan
- Centers for Medicare and Medicaid
- New Ambulance Regulations Affect EMTALA Choices, Health Law Resource Center
- Rural Ambulance Service: Budget Model
Management Training
- Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
- FEMA – NIMS Resource Center
- National Association of State EMS Officials - Training Coordinators
- Rural and Frontier EMS Agenda for the Future: A Service Chief’s Guide
- U.S. Fire Administration (Fire Academy) FEMA
- Wisconsin Emergency Management Training
- Wisconsin EMS Training Information
- Wisconsin Technical College System (EMS)
