Emergency Medical Services and Preparedness (EMSP)

The Bureau of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and Preparedness supports the statewide system of responding to critical illness and injury situations.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTIONS

Idaho State EMS Communications Center

The Idaho State EMS Communications Center (StateComm) is a 24/7/365-day-a-year public health communications resource and dispatch center. StateComm provides full-time EMS dispatch for nine rural EMS agencies, pre-arrival medical instructions to callers until EMS arrives on scene, and mass casualty EMS coordination.

StateComm is also the notification and coordination point for the Idaho National Laboratories, as well as railway, dam, and logging emergencies. It is also the primary notification point for the Emergency Alert System (civil emergencies and AMBER, Endangered Missing Persons, and Blue Alerts) and the National Alert Warning System.

StateComm provides dispatch services for the Idaho Department of Transportation, including notifications for road closures, highway incidents, Dynamic Message Sign activation, Condition Acquisition Reporting System, and 511 data entry.

In addition, StateComm coordinates hazardous material response, critical incident stress management, and prehospital death tissue referral across the state.

Strategy, Quality, and Innovation Program

The Strategy, Quality, and Innovation (SQI) Program is primarily responsible for serving the bureau as a collaborating and innovating body. Program staff work closely with all other programs in the bureau by assisting, supporting, and connecting programs through policy development, project management, business process and system improvement, data analytics, performance management, strategic planning, budget and grant management, and system development and administration.

Emergency Medical Services Program

The EMS Program is responsible for assistance and oversight of EMS agencies, personnel, and education in Idaho. The program provides customer service and technical assistance to EMS personnel and agency representatives with licensing, patient care reporting, systems navigation, rule interpretation, policy development, and EMS data research.

The program is responsible for issuing personnel and agency licenses; approving EMS education programs, instructor certifications, EMS training courses and exams; and maintaining the records of EMS personnel and agencies throughout the state. The program also offers technical assistance to EMS agencies experiencing operational problems and investigates EMS complaints and alleged violations of Idaho Statutes and/or Administrative Code (IDAPA) related to Emergency Medical Services.

EMS Sustainability Task Force (EMSSTF)

The challenges facing the volunteer EMS agencies on which most rural Idaho communities rely are a major focus of the EMS and Strategy, Quality, and Innovation programs. The EMS Sustainability Task Force was formed in June 2022, in response to the Office of Performance and Evaluation’s reports on EMS in Idaho, to seek solutions to the challenges facing those who provide emergency medical response throughout Idaho.

Emergency Medical Services Agency Vehicle and Equipment Grant Program (EMSAVE)

This grant program is funded by Idaho driver’s license fees and provides about $1.7 million in grants to eligible Idaho-licensed EMS agencies each year. To be eligible for funding, an Idaho EMS agency must hold a current Idaho EMS agency license, have the primary responsibility of responding to 911 calls, be a non-profit or governmental entity, and demonstrate a financial need for grant funding.

Time Sensitive Emergencies Program

The Time Sensitive Emergencies (TSE) Program provides leadership, administrative support, and technical assistance to the statewide TSE System. TSE includes three of the top five causes of deaths in Idaho: trauma, stroke, and heart attack. TSE addresses public education and prevention, 911 access, pre-hospital response coordination, transport, hospital emergency/acute care, and quality improvement. The statewide program is working to create a seamless transition between each level of care and integrate existing community resources to improve patient outcomes and reduce costs.

Emergency Medical Services for Children Program

The Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMSC) Program seeks to reduce pediatric mortality and morbidity due to severe illness or trauma by ensuring that high quality emergency care is provided to all children in Idaho. EMSC provides education, data, resources, and injury prevention to providers across the state. The program accomplishes this by funding emergency medicine conferences, simulation trainings and educational courses, and quarterly newsletters and data cards.

Public Health Preparedness and Response Section

The Public Health Preparedness and Response Section prepares Idaho’s state and local public health districts to respond to and recover from emergencies. The section’s goal is to enhance readiness to save lives and prevent morbidity and mortality during emergencies that exceed the day-to-day capacity of public health agencies and healthcare systems for a range of threats, including infectious diseases, natural disasters, and biological, chemical, nuclear, and radiological events.

Public Health Emergency Preparedness Program

The Public Health Emergency Preparedness Program Cooperative Agreement is funded by the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This funding supports personnel from three bureaus in the Division of Public Health: Bureau of Emergency Medical Services and Preparedness, Bureau of Environmental Health and Communicable Disease, and the Idaho Bureau of Laboratories.

Healthcare Preparedness Program

The Healthcare Preparedness Program Cooperative Agreement is funded by the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response. Funding through the cooperative agreement supports three regional healthcare coalitions in the state that operate collaboratively as healthcare delivery systems.