County Profiles

Over the last 45 years, Emergency Medical Services (EMS) in Idaho have evolved from the first generation ambulance district law allowing establishment of services where none were available into a combination of 191 diverse agencies across the state. Presently, 80% of Idaho’s counties are served by two or more ground EMS agencies. All counties have one or more air medical services available to transport severely ill and injured patients.

Operating at the intersection of public health, public safety, and emergency medicine, EMS serves as the health care system’s “safety net”. Availability and quality of services has become a standing expectation of the public.

While patient care reporting systems at the local and state level quantify numbers and types of emergency medical responses, no single source of information has been available to capture the architecture and demographics of EMS agencies and EMS personnel in the state of Idaho. Understanding the structure and characteristics of EMS at the local level is critical to further the implementation and sophistication of EMS systems across the state.

The information in this compendium has been compiled from a variety of sources. Please consult the list of citations on page v and under individual tables. EMS agency and personnel information is based on licensure applications, personnel certification data, patient care reporting, grant award history, and when necessary, direct assessment by EMS Bureau staff. Please direct any observations about the quality and utility of this information to the EMS Bureau of the Idaho Department of Health & Welfare.

Cover Letter

State of Idaho Profile

Glossary and Information Sources