Emergency Medical Services
About EMS
The Memphis Fire Department is the largest EMS system in the state of Tennessee and the mid-south. The Memphis Fire Department runs 35 ambulances daily that respond to 911 calls as well as staffing fire equipment with paramedics get quality care to the scene quickly.
The Memphis Fire Department Healthcare Navigator program consists of a series of initiatives geared toward connecting EMS patients with the most appropriate resource for their needs. Our work with high utilizers of our system, coupled with our efforts to re-direct non- emergency callers to primary care, allows us to free up our paramedic ambulances for higher-level emergency calls.
The Memphis Fire Department operates one of the most progressive EMS systems in the United States utilizing some of the latest treatment protocols and procedures. The Memphis Fire Department also has an aggressive STEMI (ST Elevated Myocardial Infarction) program with an average time of 65 minutes from first-paramedic-contact-to- balloon in a hospital cardiac cath lab.
The EMS system not only encompasses a field operation component, but an extensive EMS education program and quality improvement program. The Memphis Fire Department is the only non-university or college in the State of Tennessee authorized to educate paramedics.In 2012, the Tennessee Ambulance Service Association awarded the Memphis Fire Department Tennessee’s EMS Service of the Year. In 2014, Memphis Fire EMS was featured on the cover of JEMS magazine.
Requests for EMS reports should be sent to the Custodian of Records (COR) at EMS Administration.
901- 636-7573
2668 Avery Ave. Memphis, TN 38112
EMS Patient Reports
Notice of Privacy Practices: This notice describes the privacy practices of the City of Memphis Fire Department. It describes how medical information about you may be used and disclosed and how you can get access to this information. Please review it carefully.
TCA § 10-7-504. Confidential records(a)(1) The medical records of patients … receiving medical treatment, in whole or in part, at the expense of the state, county or municipality, shall be treated as confidential and shall not be open for inspection by members of the public.Accordingly, patient care reports will not be released via FOIA requests.EMS (ambulance and first responder) reports contain protected health information and are subject to applicable HIPAA and privacy laws. In order to provide a copy of the patient care report or disclose MEMPIT information contained therein, one of the following will need to be provided:A HIPAA release signed by the patient or their legal representative (45 CFR 164.508(a)(1); 45 CFR 164.508(b)(1)(i); and 45 CFR 164.508(c) (1) and other relevant regulations);A court- issued warrant, subpoena, or summons (45 CFR 164.512(e)(1)(i) and other relevant regulations); A subpoena, discovery request, or other lawful process, that is not accompanied by an order of a court or administrative tribunal, if it meets the requirements of 45 CFR 164.512(e)(1)(ii)(A) or 45 CFR 164.512(e)(1)(ii)(B), 45 CFR 164.512(e)(1)(iii) and other relevant regulations
Joe Holley | EMS Medical Director
Dr. Joe Holley is the Medical Director for the State of TN Department of Emergency Medical Services as well as the Memphis and Shelby County Fire Departments and several municipal and private ambulance services in West Tennessee. He also holds the position of Associate Professor in Emergency Medicine for the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. Dr. Holley received his Medical Degree from the University of Mississippi School of Medicine, followed by internship and residency at University Medical Center in Jackson. Dr. Holley has served on over 30 deployments, including Hurricane Katrina and the Pentagon on 9/11, as the Medical Director of the Tennessee Task Force 1, Urban Search & Rescue Team and serves on the national FEMA Incident Support Team. Dr. Holley is the Medical Director for Tier 1 Group, one of the nation’s leading Military training facilities as well as the Tennessee Fire Academy. He is a member of the CPACE Board of Directors, the National Association of EMS Physicians and a Fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians. Dr. Holley is board certified in Emergency Medicine and was among the first group of physicians in the nation to earn the designation of Fellow of the Academy of Emergency Medical Services.
EMS Training
Classes available to members of the Memphis Fire Department
Michael Alberson| EMS Program Director
901-636-5709 | [email protected]
Amanda Bowen| EMS Battalion Chief | EMS Training Battalion
901-636-5749 | [email protected]
EMS Quality Improvements
Mission Statement: The Memphis Fire Department Quality Improvement Program is dedicated to both the employee and the citizens that we serve; We will strive to identify areas within the Department, policies, protocols and overall patient care processes that require modification, changes, training and/or remediation so that we continually strive to provide the best resources to the employee and the citizens that we serve.
This mission is only accomplished by the support, guidance and feed back by all employees of the Memphis Fire Department. And we will accomplish these goals by receiving active support from the Command Staff, Medical Director, QI Coordinator, B/C?s, Lieutenants and all field personnel.
Objective(s):
To improve the quality of care provided to the citizens of Memphis through the Quality Improvement program by identifying individuals, trends, and process that can be improved by either training, remediation, policy and procedure reviews and changes as required.
To assess the quality of patient care and processes related to patient care.
To identify opportunities for improvement; and to monitor significant trends by analyzing aggregated data gathered by the QI process.
Infection Control Office
PURPOSE:
To provide a comprehensive infection control system by maximizing protection against communicable disease for all members and for the public, which they serve.
Vision Statement:
Proactive Infection Prevention Education of personnel by elevating awareness to the dangers of infectious disease; maximizing prevention through research and implementing safe work practices; and protecting personnel through post-exposure support.
“It is sometimes as dangerous to be run into by a microbe as by a trolley car” ~Unknown Author
Contacts
Infection Control Officer| EMS Administration
Memphis Division Fire Services
2668 Avery Avery | Memphis, TN 38112
Office 901-636-7567 | Fax 901-636-9542
Looking For
Something Else?
Call 311 for a service request
Call 211 for community services
901-636-6500
