As the City of Boston’s premier emergency medical services provider and the largest municipal EMS service in New England, Boston Emergency Medical Services (Boston EMS) is a nationally recognized leader and innovator in the field of pre-hospital emergency medicine. The Department employs over 350 EMTs and Paramedics who respond to an average of 300 emergencies per day and more than 100,000 per year, making Boston EMS one of the busiest services in the country. During peak times, Boston EMS operates 19 Basic Life Support (BLS) ambulances and 5 Advanced Life Support (ALS) ambulances from stations strategically located throughout the City.
The men and women of Boston EMS are highly skilled and specially trained to provide state-of-the-art pre-hospital emergency medical care. Under the leadership of the Medical Director, Boston EMS leverages the latest advances in both medicine and technology in order to provide the residents and visitors of Boston with the best pre-hospital medical care.
While Boston EMS’ primary mission is to respond to 9-1-1 calls for medical emergencies, this represents only a single component of our service. As a bureau of the Boston Public Health Commission, Boston EMS bridges the gap between public health and public safety and plays an important role in the medical aspects of the City’s emergency preparedness efforts. The Department works closely with our public safety, healthcare, and private sector partners to plan for mass casualty incidents and medical surge, ensuring that the people of Boston can count on a well planned, coordinated response in the event of a natural or man-made disaster.
In addition to preparing the City for large-scale emergencies, Boston EMS also delivers enriching community programming designed to strengthen the health and well-being of the City’s residents. Through our Community Initiatives Division, Boston EMS operates several programs designed to educate the community about EMS response and local public health issues. Boston EMS is a committed partner of the community and is dedicated to improving and protecting the lives of Boston visitors and residents.