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Some exceptional leadership in place to guide OEMSCA into our second decade of service!
We are the Ohio EMS Chiefs Association
When medical emergencies happen, your local Emergency Medical Service is normally the first to respond. In Ohio, this assistance could be sent from a number of sources: A fire department that offers both fire and EMS response, a private ambulance company authorized to take 9-1-1 EMS calls, or a government agency specifically designed and equipped to handle Emergency Medical Service requests as their sole focus.
Government managed, taxpayer-funded “third service” (as in, not affiliated with fire or law enforcement) departments are located throughout Ohio. Many of these agencies cover an entire county, some offer municipal response, and in other cases, the EMS agency serves a township, or multiple townships, or they operate inside a specially-created EMS District.
The Ohio EMS Chiefs Association represents the leadership and crews of public, EMS-only departments in the state legislature, on national EMS boards, and much more.
Our goal is to provide a sustained and collective voice to our elected officials, professional associations, and the general public about the needs and continued viability of third service EMS. We also strive to provide career and volunteer EMS chiefs, chief officers, and managers with innovation and leadership through vision, information, education, services, and representation to enhance their professionalism and capabilities.
Why does the Ohio EMS Chiefs Association exist?
According to the U.S. Fire Administration’s National Fire Department Census, only 20% of the 26,482 Fire Departments in the United States provide EMS and only 55% of Ohio’s 1,143 registered fire departments provide ambulance service. The Ohio EMS Chiefs Association provides meaningful representation for the chief officers and executive leadership of public, third-service EMS Departments in the Buckeye State, allowing our voices to be heard alongside Ohio’s fire departments that provide EMS and the private ambulance companies.
