EMS System

About Us

Multnomah County Emergency Medical Services Program (MCEMS) provides medical oversight and overall coordination of the Multnomah County EMS system. MCEMS, a program of the Multnomah County Health Department, is recognized by the Oregon Health Division as the EMS medical control authority for the County.

Emergency ambulance service is provided by a single ambulance provider under contract to Multnomah County. The contract is administered by MCEMS.

Multnomah County occupies 465 square miles and has a population of 685,950 (2004). The Multnomah County EMS system includes urban, rural, and frontier geographic areas. Enhanced 9-1-1 is available throughout the County. The City of Portland, Bureau of Emergency Communications (BOEC), provides all 9-1-1 dispatch services within the county using 800 MHz technology. BOEC dispatches over 53,000 EMS calls per year. Automatic vehicle location technology (AVL) is used to aid dispatchers.

Approximately 1,000 individuals provide EMS services within the county. First responder services are provided by three paid fire agencies (City of Portland, City of Gresham, and Port of Portland), and two rural fire protection districts (Corbett and Sauvie Island). Paramedic fire first responders provide coverage for over 99% of the County's population. EMT Basic or EMT Intermediate first responders serve the remainder, equipped with automatic external defibrillators (AED). County Sheriff's officers are trained to the First Responder level and are equipped with automatic external defibrillators. American Medical Response Northwest provides 9-1-1 paramedic emergency transport services under contract. A hospital-based consortium provides air ambulance service, both scene response and inter-hospital transfers. Portland Fire and Rescue operates two first-response water ambulances.

Portland Fire and Rescue and Gresham Fire and Emergency Services provide hazardous materials, tactical, technical and urban search and rescue, and dive team rescue response. Wilderness EMS is provided by AMR's Reach and Treat Team, and water rescue is provided by Multnomah County Sheriff's Department and Portland Fire and Rescue.

Unique aspects of the County's EMS system include the Oregon Trauma System, 800 MHz and AVL dispatch technology, public safety (law enforcement) AED units, pre-hospital protocols requiring minimal on-line medical direction, a progressive Death-in-the-Field protocol, well established tactical and Hazmat medical units, system-wide pediatric training of paramedics, and a well-organized Field Training Program.

Off-line medical direction is provided by the County EMS Medical Director and four Associate Medical Directors. On-line medical direction is provided under contract by the Emergency Medicine faculty and emergency medicine residents at Oregon Health Sciences University.

Community leadership in the EMS system is provided by the Multnomah County Medical Advisory Board (MAB). MAB is composed of representatives from American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP), Oregon Emergency Nurses Association (ENA), Medical Resource Hospital, a transporting paramedic, a public agency paramedic, and two emergency physicians from hospitals in the community.

MCEMS has organized several local committees, and participates on others organized regionally. These committees provide oversight and direction to various aspects of the EMS system, and include:

• Area Trauma Advisory Board
• Continuous Quality Improvement Committee
• Contract Compliance and Rate Regulation Committee
• EMS Dispatch Committee
• EMS Operations Group
• Protocol Development Committee
• Scientific Review Committee

MCEMS is funded through franchise fees, ambulance license fees, and reimbursement for medical supervision.

Page updated February 27, 2008