Lancaster EMS

Our Future Rests In Your Hands

Lancaster EMS needs YOUR SUPPORT!

Lancaster EMS is a premier, nationally accredited ambulance service located in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Our diverse emergency response district serves over 260,000 residents in 21 municipalities encompassing urban, suburban, and rural portions of Lancaster County. Included within our primary response districts are numerous tourist attractions, industries, businesses, colleges and universities. As the busiest ambulance agency in Lancaster County, our critical services are in high demand. We have experienced a 160% service-request growth rate over the last ten years. In 2024 alone, we will have exceeded 51,000 requests for service (140 per day). 

As you can imagine, being an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) or paramedic is a physically and emotionally taxing job. EMS personnel are put in highly stressful situations where they may risk serious injury while making life-or-death decisions. This ExtraGive, our goal is to raise $20,000 to purchase a Stryker Lucas 3 device. The Stryker Lucas 3 is a battery-driven, mechanical CPR device designed to provide continuous chest compressions at the appropriate rate and depth in patients suffering from a cardiac arrest. The National Institute of Health estimates that nearly 350,000 people in the United States experience an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, with only about 10% of these individuals surviving the event. Early, effective and consistent CPR has proven to be a key component contributing to, and even improving, survival rates. Achieving consistent and effective compressions at the appropriate rate of 100-120 per minute and at a depth of 2 to 2.4 inches in depth for the duration of the cardiac arrest can be difficult when considering fatigue and manpower limitations. The Stryker Lucas 3 mechanical CPR device, when used in tandem with early manual chest compression, can contribute to increased out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survival rates. Additionally, while providing an extra set of hands during an emergency, this also increases provider safety by reducing transport risk by allowing caregivers to sit belted. 

As a nonprofit 501 (c)(3) organization, we are not owned or operated by any hospital, nor do we receive hospital financial support. We rely directly on the community we serve for support. Our paramedics and EMTs give extra everyday…This Friday, can you?

Who We Are

Our Mission:

To provide comprehensive, skillful, cost effective emergency and non-emergency health care services to the Lancaster community while continuing to evolve with changing health care needs.

Organizational Profile:

Lancaster EMS, a private, nonprofit 501(C)(3) organization that provides primary 9-1-1 emergency medical services (ambulance) to eighteen municipalities in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. 50% of our responses are in the City of Lancaster. Lancaster EMS was formed in 1996 by several Lancaster hospitals divesting themselves of ambulance services to reduce costs. Lancaster EMS is not owned or operated by any hospital. We are governed by a 13-member board of trustees consisting of healthcare and community leaders. Our funding is received through bill-for-services (86%), investment revenue (4.6%) grants/other (2.4%), ambulance subscriptions (3.7%), training (1.7%) and municipal support (1.6%).

In addition to emergency medical care, Lancaster EMS also provides non-emergency medical transport services, EMT and Paramedic Education, public healthcare education programs, community paramedics, medical standby coverage at special events, and tactical paramedics to the Lancaster County Special Emergency Response Team. We are a member of the PA Strike Team responding to natural and manmade emergencies when requested.

In 2017, Lancaster EMS responded to over 37.000 requests for services.

National Accreditation:

Lancaster EMS has received the prestigious accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services (CAAS) for its compliance with national standards of excellence. CAAS is a non-profit organization which was established to encourage and promote quality patient care in America’s medical transportation system. Lancaster EMS is the only ambulance service in Lancaster County to successfully achieve this accomplishment. With this achievement, Lancaster EMS becomes only one of five ambulance services to achieve this acknowledgement in the state of Pennsylvania. Today, there are just over 160 ambulance services out of approximately 14,000 agencies in the U.S. that are nationally accredited.