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EMS ORGANIZATION
 The men and women of the City and County of Honolulu Department of Emergency Services, Emergency Medical Services Division (EMS) respond to all 911 calls for EMS on the island of Oahu ... 54,007 times last year (2001). Over 870,000 people live on the island of Oahu. This constitutes over three quarters of the states' population of 1,211,537. Oahu is also visited by most of the 6 million tourists who come to Hawaii every year. Since we serve not just Honolulu but the entire island of Oahu, this ranks our service as 11th in the nation based on population served. *
In Hawaii, the statewide responsibility for emergency medical services rests with the State Department of Emergency Services (SDOH). Annually, SDOH contracts with the City and County of Honolulu to provide pre-hospital emergency medical care and emergency ambulance services on the island of Oahu.
Organization:The Emergency Medical Services Division is headed by a Chief of Emergency Medical Services with two Assistant Chiefs: one for Operations and one for Quality Assurance.
The Division has two Districts with two Emergency Medical Services Field Operations Supervisors overseeing each District. Operations of individual ambulance units are directed by a Unit Supervisor. 
EMS Units:There are a total of sixteen ambulance units under the two districts . All ambulance units are designated as advanced life support (ALS) units. The ALS ambulances are staffed with at least one Mobile Intensive Care Technician (MICT also know as a Paramedic), trained and authorized to perform invasive techniques under off-line medical control and standing orders. A second MICT or Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) constitutes the other crew member.
Communications:
| The EMS Communications Center dispatches ambulances to respond to E911 calls, coordinates communications between ambulances and hospitals and maintains personnel schedules. In 1995, EMS Emergency Medical Dispatchers answered 48,201 E911 calls, an average of 132 calls per day. |
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Support Services:Safety and Driver Improvement, Equipment, Supply, Vehicle Inspection and Maintence.
Co-Response Agreements: The 68th Medical Detachment of the US Army is an intergral link in the Oahu EMS system. Military Assistance to Safety and Traffic, (MAST) provides six Blackhawk UH-60 helicopters enabling evacuation of patients in critical condition from rural areas of Oahu to hospitals affording specialized care. Medical care enroute is provided by a City & County M.I.C.T. and an Army Medic.
The Honolulu Fire Department provides co-response with personnel trained to the first responder level and have an automated defibrillator program. HFD in addition to fire suppression, coordinates HAZMAT (Hazardous Materials) incidents, search and rescue and vehicle extrication.
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Sea rescues are coordinated between the US Coast Guard, HFD and the ambulance service. | *Sources: State of Hawaii Data Book, The Honolulu Advertizer, JEMS 200 City Survey, 1/96).
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