The emergency service professionals play a large role in providing immediate medical attention to people in all areas of the world. Another phrase for “Emergency Medical Services” is ‘EMS' for short. The service is activated through the use of a phone call to a special telephone number, which is usually ‘911'.



The common rule of thumb for activating the emergency medical services is to do so anytime that you suspect that an emergency is apparent. You should not hesitate to contact EMS, even if the situation of the emergency is not clear and you are still unsure of all of the details. If you are not alone, send another person to call 911 while you perform emergency medical care.

When you call, an emergency operator will ask for basic information about the emergency and your address. You will then be asked about the emergency situation and what has taken place. Your answers will help the dispatcher determine the appropriate medical response teams that might need to be sent to the emergency location. Even if you are not sure about any specifics, you will have started the potential life saving chain of events for all who are involved.

In the case that you are the victim, and you are unable to speak on the phone, the EMS operator will automatically know your address and will be able to respond to your emergency. However, this situation is not the same when you call from a cell phone. They might be able to tell who owns the phone, but there will not be an address for the EMS team to report to.

The emergency operator will also request that you, or the person calling, stay on the line until the EMS crew arrive on the scene. In most situations, the operator is a trained or licensed professional who is capable of aiding you with suggestions or advice until the emergency medical service members arrive. If you are calling for another person, and there is a third person present, have them call EMS so that you can be the one to provide temporary relief, such as CPR or first aid.

Another guideline when dealing with the activation of emergency medical services is if the victim is a child or infant who is unresponsive, then you should try some type of rescue breathing for at least two minutes before making the call. This situation would be the opposite, and ring true for the above information, if the victim were an adult. In that case, you would need to contact EMS immediately before attempting any type of care.

The reason for taking the two different approaches is due the fact that most child or infant emergencies involve chocking and require immediate live saving rescue breaths. An unresponsive adult emergency usually involves heart related issues. Emergencies such as this require time sensitive help from EMS responders with an AED and the appropriate drugs for resuscitation. Therefore you should call 911 immediately so as to have responders at the scene as soon as possible. Immediately after the call you would begin helping the victim.

The survival rate for those who have contacted any type of emergency medical service is astounding. Activating the service in the right amount of time could be the fine line between life and death. It is recommended by all medical professionals that you educate yourselves about the appropriate steps to activating emergency medical services. They should also inform themselves about the basic CPR steps and any first aid care that would be beneficial during an emergency. Keep in mind that in most cases, the first aid preventative steps and CPR are different between an infant or child and an adult. You should be prepared and educated about the emergency precautions for each type of person. You can read more about the above information at www.CardiacareCPR.com.