Why is the delivery of EMS so confusing for government entities?

One of the key areas of responsibility for government officials is to provide for the safety and wellbeing of their citizenry. The provision of emergency medical services can be a confusing topic for those who are responsible for making decisions. The Independent Government EMS Alliance (IGEMSA) was created in 2025 to help align a delivery model known to most as "Third Service". This term comes from city or government agencies providing EMS services from a single role or standalone agency. The term third relates to the third public safety service with Police and Fire being the other two. This alliance expands that definition to include any single role EMS delivery model that is not for profit and receives some government support through tax dollars or public private agreements. Examples include city, county, public hospital based, healthcare district and public/private partnerships to provide this service.

You are part of this group because your agency falls into one of these categories. It is not the intention of the group to disparage any other delivery models such as fire based, for profit contract ambulances or non-government hospital-based services. It is however important for you to have accurate information about how this particular delivery model works and the efficiencies that are being achieved.

As we develop this subgroup of the Alliance, we will be looking into adding webinars with leaders from our organizations providing their perspectives on different topics and unique programs within their agencies. As IGEMSA grows, we expect there will be other financial savings as leverage our group buying power with vendors. We will be eating this apple one bite at a time, so check back frequently for new posts!