Life Ambulance Service Inc history

In 1989, the Office of Technology Assessment released a report detailing the challenges faced by rural EMS (United States Congress, Office of Technology Assessment, 1989) (see the discussion of rural EMS below).

In 1995, through the urging of then NHTSA Administrator Ricardo Martinez, NHTSA and HRSA commissioned a strategic plan for the future EMS system.

Recognizing the need for a cohesive approach between EMS and the remaining healthcare world, the 1996 EMS Agenda for the Future was drafted to detail how EMS can integrate into the other medical and care fields as well as advance its own practice.

Gausche M, Seidel JS. 1999.

Gausche M, Lewis RJ, Stratton SJ, Haynes BE, Gunter CS, Goodrich SM, Poore PD, McCollough MD, Henderson DP, Pratt FD, Seidel JS. 2000.

The report also noted that most of the available information is localized and anecdotal (GAO, 2001b).

Air ambulance operations have served thousands of critically ill or injured persons over the past several decades (Blumen and UCAN Safety Committee, 2002). However, there has been growing concern about the safety of these operations.

2003 Survey and Analysis of EMS Scope of Practice and Practice Settings Impacting EMS Services in Rural America: Executive Brief and Recommendations.

In 2004, 9-1-1 call centers fielded approximately 200 million emergency calls, including medical, police, fire, and other calls.

As a result of these and other challenges, recently surveyed EMS agencies and administrators ranked recruitment and retention as the number one issue they face (EMS Insider, 2005).

Federal Interagency Committee on Emergency Medical Services (FICEMS). [Online]. Available: http://www.usfa.fema.gov/subjects/ems/ficems.shtm [accessed January 5, 2006].