type of emergency service dedicated to providing out-of-hospital acute medical care and/or transport to definitive care, to patients with illnesses and injuries which the patient, or the medical practitioner, believes constitutes a medical emergency.[1] The use of the term emergency medical services may refer solely to the pre-hospital element of the care, or be part of an integrated system of care, including the main care provider, such as a hospital.



Emergency medical services may also be locally known as: first aid squad,[2] emergency squad,[3] rescue squad,[4] ambulance squad,[5] ambulance service,[6] ambulance corps[7] or life squad.[8]