Emergency Medical Services (EMS)

ABOUT CLEVELAND COUNTY EMSCleveland County Emergency Medical Services (EMS) provides life-saving services to citizens during medical emergencies by assessing the situation, providing medical care in the field, and by transporting the patients to the nearest hospital or trauma center, if necessary.

EMS is most easily recognized when emergency vehicles or helicopters are seen responding to emergency incidents. EMS is a system of coordinated response and emergency medical care, involving multiple people and agencies. A comprehensive EMS system is ready every day for every kind of emergency.

SYSTEM OF EMERGENCY MEDICAL CAREEMS is part of an intricate system, and each component of this system has an essential role to perform as part of a seamless system of emergency medical care. This system comprises all of the following components:

• Agencies and organizations (both private and public)
• Communications and transportation networks
• Trauma systems, hospitals, trauma centers, and specialty care centers
• Rehabilitation facilities
• Highly trained professionals
  • Volunteer and career prehospital personnel
  • Physicians, nurses, and therapists
  • Administrators and government officials
• An informed public that knows what to do in a medical emergency

EMS does not exist in isolation but is integrated with other services and systems intended to maintain and enhance the community's health and safety. As seen in the graphic below, EMS operates at the crossroads between health care, public health and public safety. 

EMS providers work in the community, and they are often the first to identify public health problems and issues. Since EMS providers respond to all kinds of emergencies and all kinds of hazards, they often work shoulder-to-shoulder with public safety colleagues in law enforcement and fire services. However, their primary mission is emergency medical care.

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Billing & PaymentsEMS Billing is located on the 2nd floor of the County Administration Building at 311 E Marion Street in Shelby. If you have questions about a bill you have received from EMS, please call 704-484-4880.