MISSION
The mission of the Emergency Medical
Services program in Alaska is to reduce both the human suffering
and economic loss to society resulting from premature death and
disability due to injuries and sudden illness.
The EMS Program provides
leadership in EMS by consensus building, developing and administering
guidelines and regulations, and by developing and distributing
publications
for planning, treatment, and evaluation.
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Brief
Alaska EMS Overview
Emergency Medical Services in Alaska
is provided by a rich mixture of paid and volunteer responders incorporated
in seven regions. There are over 4,000 EMS EMTs, EMS Instructors,
and Defibrillator Technicians certified by the Department of Health
and Social Services, as well as another 175 Mobile Intensive Care
Paramedics licensed thought the Department of Commerce and Economic
Development.
Many of these personnel are members
of the approximately 40 EMS agencies providing advanced life support,
40 which provide basic life support and occasional ALS, 5 services
providing basic life support, and 17 air medical services. Ground
and air medical services providing advanced life support must be
certified by the Department of Health and Social Services. Services
range in size from small rural agencies providing basic life support
to state of the art, paramedic based, agencies in the more populous
areas of the state.
The Section Community Health &
Emergency Medical Services has facilitated the development of the Alaska EMS Goals, which provides guidance in the development
of EMS in Alaska based on national and state recommendations regarding
over 15 core areas of EMS. This reference is used by the state,
regional, and local agencies for EMS planning and evaluation.
The "goals
document" categorizes communities in Alaska by level.
The geography, weather, and vast
distances between some communities makes the planning, delivery,
and evaluation of emergency medical services formidable challenges.
Fortunately, the resourcefulness and teamwork of EMS personnel and
agencies allow these challenges to be met on a daily basis.
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OUR
GOALS
The overall goal of the Emergency
Medical Services program is to prevent life-threatening and disabling
injuries whenever possible, and to establish a comprehensive, coordinated
system of emergency medical services that:
- assures citizens and visitors
easy access to services;
- provides an injury prevention
component;
- expedites initial response;
- ensures appropriate lifesaving
and stabilization measures rendered at the scene; and
- ensures transport or transfer
of patients in a timely and efficient manner to facilities capable
of effecting maximum recovery and rehabilitation.
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