Our EMS System
Welcome to the Merced County Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Agency. To learn more about our EMS Agency and our programs, please click on the links below.
The Merced County EMS Agency is within the Department of Public Health and is charged with oversight and regulation of the delivery of emergency medical services within the county. EMS agencies are responsible for developing and coordinating an integrated emergency medical care delivery system, which is composed of educational agencies, dispatch organizations, prehospital provider agencies (air and ground ambulance, fire services, etc.), and hospitals and specialty care facilities.
EMS agencies are not generally a direct provider of services to patients. Rather, it is an independent agency, usually structured as an agency of local government or a joint powers agency, which is responsible for system management and administrative and regulatory functions. These functions include system planning, training program approval, provider and hospital designation, the establishment of appropriate medical, operational, and quality standards, monitoring and facilitating compliance, and the certification, authorization, and accreditation of personnel.
EMS agencies also are generally charged with contingency planning for the medical care provided in the event of an unexpected catastrophe. Perhaps the EMS agency's most important role is with the interaction of system participants — facilitating, coordinating, and mediating their interface.
