Expand/Contract Questions and Answers
EMS is a network of services coordinated to provide aid and medical assistance from primary response to definitive care, involving personnel trained in the rescue, stabilization, transportation, and advanced treatment of traumatic or medical emergencies. Linked by a communication system that operates on both a local and a regional level, EMS is a tiered system of care, which is usually initiated by citizen action in the form of a telephone call to an emergency number (911). Subsequent stages include the emergency medical dispatch, first-responding medical personnel, ambulance personnel, medium and heavy rescue equipment, and paramedic units, if necessary. In the hospital, service is provided by emergency department nurses, emergency department physicians, specialists, and critical care nurses and physicians.

Fort Bend County Emergency Medical Service structure is represented in an organizational chart.


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Texas has five levels of certification. The highest is licensed paramedic, followed by EMT-P, EMT-intermediate, EMT-basic and emergency care attendant (ECA).

EMS degree programs are available, though many courses are offered through technical programs and others are approved through programs outside college settings. In Texas, EMS training programs are approved and monitored by staff in field offices located throughout the state. Contact the EMS Field Office nearest you.

If interested in an exciting career opportunity with Fort Bend County EMS, please visit our employment page for more information.

Texas has five levels of certification. The highest is Licensed Paramedic, followed by EMT-Paramedic, Advanced EMT, EMT-Basic and Emergency Care Attendant (ECA).

To view EMS certification/licensure rules and policies, visit the Texas Department of State Health Services Rules/Policies page.

EMS degree programs are available, though many courses are offered through technical programs and others are approved through programs outside college settings. In Texas, EMS training programs are approved and monitored by staff in field offices located throughout the state. Contact the field office nearest you for information on available EMS courses.

Requirements

  • You must be at least 18 years old
  • Have a high school diploma or GED cerfificate
  • Successfully complete a DSHS approved EMS training course
  • Submit a completed EMS Personnel Certification application and fee
  • Pass the National Registry exam
  • Submit fingerprints for Texas/FBI criminal history check
  • Paramedic licensure applicants are required to follow the steps above and submit proof of either a two-year EMS degree or a four-year degree in any field. See equivalency.

For further information, visit the Texas Department of State Health Services.

Medical directors are physicians who provide guidance and leadership on the use of medicine in a healthcare organization.  Dr. Ben Oei, M.D., FACEP is the medical director of Fort Bend County Emergency Medical Service.
EMS battalion chiefs are field supervisors who operate both within a geographical region (battalion) as well as countywide. The battalion chiefs operate SUVs just as squads, and regularly respond to critical calls where their advanced leadership and medical knowledge can be used to quickly mitigate the situation.
Emergency medical technician (EMT) and ambulance technician are terms used in some countries to denote a health care provider of emergency medical services. EMTs are clinicians, trained to respond quickly to emergency situations regarding medical issues, traumatic injuries and accident scenes.
The cyclists, (bike medics) trained by the International Police Mountain Bike Association (IPMBA), provide emergency medical care within crowded venues, festivals, fairs and during parades where access by vehicle is limited or impossible.
The Fort Bend County EMS Tactical Medic Team is comprised of specially trained Paramedics, embedded within a County SWAT (Special Weapons And Tactics) Team to provide point of injury care to wounded officers, civilians, victims, and suspects.
Tox-Medics carry specific regiments of medication antidotes that when administered, counteracts the exposure of chemicals or bio-hazardous materials to first responders or patients.
A MICU is a Mobile Intensive Care Unit, whereas an Ambulance is a generic term referring to a type of vehicle. The MICU carries an increased supply of advanced life support equipment and is staffed by at least one or two paramedics at all times.
An ambulance bus (medical ambulance bus, AmBus, AmbuBus or MAB) is a type of ambulance used to transport and treat multiple patients who require ambulance-level care. Ambulance buses are used for a number of different purposes, including mass casualty incident response, disaster response, on-site triage, supporting other agencies, etc.  Ambulance buses are equipped with advanced equipment and capability providing an additional layer of response coverage.
A squad is an SUV used for advanced life support (ALS) quick response. Used typically in rural areas, squads operate with one paramedic and a limited equipment cache. Squads initiate all standard ALS (advanced life support) interventions just as an MICU (mobile intensive care unit) would; including CPR (cardio-pulmonary resuscitation), advanced airway placement, and medication administration. Once patients are stable and transferred to an MICU for transport, the squad goes back in to service to handle other EMS responses.

There are several ways to pay an EMS invoice(s).  Submit payments either in person, by mail, or from the privacy of home using the convenient online payment feature. Be advised, when paying online, Official Payments (the company who handles the payment transaction(s) for Fort Bend County), will add a $6.25 service fee to a one-time payment and will add a $6.25 service fee to any subsequent payment transactions using the online payment service. For example, when submitting a payment of $500.00, the transaction will reflect a total payment of $506.25 (the $500.00 payment and a $6.25 service fee).  Then, if submitting a subsequent $100.00 payment, at a later time, it will be treated as a new payment transaction and another $6.25 fee will be added to the total payment.

For more information, contact patient account services at 281-633-7064.

 * Please note:  The service fee is a separate charge and DOES NOT apply to the invoice payment.

 

The movement of patients under medical supervision to and between medical treatment facilities by air transportation.
Posting is the dynamic management of resources (staging) to cover a designated area during times of peak call volume.
Mass gatherings are events attended by a sufficient number of people to strain the planning and response resources of the host community, state/province, nation, or region where it is being held. Definitions of a mass gathering generally include the following: Planned (long term or spontaneously planned) event.
The primary difference between the Personal Representative (“PR”) and the person appointed under a power of attorney the attorney in fact (the “POA”) is that the PR is administering the estate after the person has passed away and the POA is caring for the person while they are incapacitated, but still living
HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996) is United States legislation that provides data privacy and security provisions for safeguarding medical information.