How many paramedics are in an ambulance?

Answer 1

Depends on the location of the company. Most of the bigger cities have one Paramedic and one Basic on each truck. Some of the smaller cities cant afford to hire Paramedics so they just have a pair of basics on each truck.

Also, each state has their own rules, and some states let each county make their own rules. If the ambulance says either ALS, Advanced Life Support, or Paramedic anywhere on it, there is at least 1 paramedic on board, anywhere in the US. In some Michigan counties, you can staff an ALS Unit with 1 Paramedic and 1 EMT-Basic, in others you must have 2 Paramedics on board. Occasionally, there will be a 3rd rider on board too, and he or she might be a student, Basic, or 3rd Paramedic. If the ambulance does not say ALS, Advanced Life Support, or the word Paramedic on it, it is likely a Basic unit, with 2 or 3 EMT-Bs on board. They can do most of the things Paramedics do, excluding most drug administrations, IVs, EKGs, and complex Endotracheal intubations. The advantage of FD Basic Ambulances is usually response time. In a heart attack situation, for instance, a Basic unit arriving 5 minutes before an ALS unit can aid in aspirin and Nitroglycerin administration (In most counties/states), intubate an unconscious patient with a Combitube or King Airway, apply high flow Oxygen and breathe for the patient, apply AED pads, perform effective chest compressions, and shock a fibrilating heart into a rhythm, all before the paramedics arrive. I know, because we have done it, and the medics then infused the PT with cardiac drugs and I drove while the medics monitored the PT en route to the hospital (I am a Basic with 4 additional months of Paramedic training). The PT survived because of the EMTs actions. Don't get me wrong, the best case scenario for a serious medical emergency is an ALS unit on scene within 5 minutes, whether it is an FD ALS Unit or a Private Ambulance Company ALS Unit. Unfortunately, this isn't always feasible. But EMTs are trained and equipped to stabilize almost any medical situation until either an ALS Unit arrives, or the PT is transported to a Hospital. We can, for instance, administer Epinepherine to an anaphylactic PT if their airway is swelling shut, and administer oral glucose to a conscious hypoglycemic PT, buying time until either the Paramedic or ER can infuse with dextrose when we get them together with the PT. Again, a Paramedic Unit is best, but don't assume a basic Unit cannot mitigate and save lives. It happens every day.

In short, if the truck says Paramedic, ALS, or Advanced Life Support on it, you either have 1, 2, or 2 Paramedics on board. If it does not, you might not have anyparamedics on board, but 2 EMTs on scene is WAY better than 5 Paramedic Units 20 minutes away.