Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services
Skip Navigation
Behavioral Health Children and Family Services Developmental Disabilities Medicaid and Long Term Care Public Health Veterans' Homes

Emergency Medical Services (EMS)

Subscribe Subscribe to this page

The mission of the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Program is to strengthen emergency care through cooperative partnerships to promote the well being of the citizens of Nebraska and those who live and work in the State.

The EMS Program staff carries this mission forward through the EMS Program administrator, seven regional specialists, an EMS education specialist, the statewide trauma manager, the statewide CISM program coordinator and several staff assistants.

PDF View the EMS Regional Map.

The EMS Program staff provides support for out-of-hospital providers and services that include technical assistance, continuing education and training.


Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMSC)
The Realtors Association of Lincoln delivered approximately 180 bears along with a check for $1,305.00 to Dean Cole, EMS Program Administrator.Children involved in an emergency medical situation deeply touch the hearts of all. The goal of the Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMSC) Program is to reduce the severity of illness and injury in the children of Nebraska.

Through the prevention and education incentives of the EMSC Program, a renewed effort of being well prepared to respond to a child in need has focused and sharpened the skills of emergency services providers.  For more information about the Nebraska EMSC Program, contact: debbie.kuhn@nebraska.gov

The Realtors Association of Lincoln collected bears throughout the month of October, 2006.  On October 30th, 2006, Realtors Association of Lincoln delivered approximately 180 bears along with a check for $1,305.00 to Dean Cole, EMS Program Administrator.  In addition, twenty-four Realtors have pledged to help the program for the next five years with an annual monetary contribution.

In September of 2009, The Realtors Association of Lincoln collected $1400 from 23 realtors and donated this to the EMSC program

If you are interested in donating to the Medi-Tedi Program, please send donations to:
EMS Program, Attn: Debbie Kuhn,
301 Centennial Mall South,
P.O. Box 95026,
Lincoln, NE  68509-5007.

Top of page


EMS Digest

PDF  EMS Digest 1st Edition / Third Quarter 2009

                                                                                      Top of page


EMS Assessments

PDF  New Chase County Assessment
PDF  New EMS of Nebraska Ambulance Services Needs Assessment
PDF  Boone County Assessment
PDF  Bridgeport Assessment
PDF  Jefferson County Ambulance District  Assessment
PDF  Plattsmouth Assessment
PDF  Central City Assessment
PDF  Gage County Assessment
PDF  Saunders County Assessment

Top of page


EMS Reports

PDF  Cumming County Report
PDF  Beatrice Report
PDF  Nebraska City Final Report
PDF  Nebraska City Recommendations
PDF  Columbus Report

Top of page


EMS Leadership

Top of page


EMS Research

Top of page


EMS Training Agency Meeting Minutes
These minutes are a record of a quarterly meeting sponsored by the Nebraska EMS Program for Nebraska EMS Training Agencies.  Business decisions made by this group are very important for you and your department.  Please be sure to share this information with members of your department.

Top of page


EMS Support of Hospitals
The EMS Program is in constant contact with hospitals. As emergency medical services across Nebraska are the safety nets of prehospital care, the hospital is the gateway to definitive health care.

Critical Access Hospitals in particular have benefited from the efforts of the Nebraska Health and Human Services System. A Critical Access Hospital (CAH) is a hospital that has met certain licensure criteria that allows for a higher Medicare reimbursement. This higher reimbursement has saved many rural hospitals from having to close their doors. For more information about Critical Access Hospitals contact: david.palm@nebraska.gov, dennis.berens@nebraska.gov or dean.cole@nebraska.gov.

Top of page


NEW - Hospital Maps

                                                                                      Top of page


Pre-hospital Pandemic Influenza Guidance

Top of page


Emergency Medical Support of Services
Across Nebraska, approximately 430 ambulance and first responder services provide life saving emergency medical care at a moment's notice. Most services provide this care through one of two types of licenses. These license levels are Basic Life Support and Advanced Life Support. Within these licenses, a service may be either a transporting or non-transporting provider.

The EMS Program assists services in providing quality care in a variety of ways. Some of the resources available through the EMS Program are Physician Medical Training, quality assurance guidelines, patient care documentation classes, and service management classes.  For more information about the EMS Program, contact: doug.fuller@nebraska.gov.

Top of page


Patient Care Documentation
Accurate documentation of the care provided by the out-of-hospital provider is critical. The EMS Program utilizes a program called The Nebraska Ambulance Rescue Service Information System "NARSIS" to assist the out-of hospital providers to reach this goal.

The written Patient Care Report serves as a medical, legal, data, and managerial document.  Continuing efforts are being made throughout the EMS Program to enhance the documentation skills of the out-of-hospital providers.  An educational program called "The Write Stuff" has been created to aid services and their providers in accurately completing Patient Care Documentation.  If you are interested in the program please contact your regional EMS specialist.

A type of data information that can be created using NARSIS information is the level of care chart. 

PDF  Letter from Dean Cole regarding NARSIS Paper Forms (Posted 2/26/2010)

PDF  NARSIS Patient Care Report

PDF  New Phone Calling System for NARSIS Reporting

PDF  Nebraska EMS Data Dictionary

For more information about NARSIS, contact: carla.becker@nebraska.gov.

Top of page


 New Links to EMS & Fire Grant Funding Websites
Funding Alert: 2010 Grants Update - from JEMS and FireRescue Magazine
Resource for EMS & Fire Grant Assistance
Rural Assistance Center - EMS & Fire Staffing Grants

Top of page


Links to Important EMS Related Websites
HRSA - Rural Ambulance Crash Literature Review
HRSA - Rural EMS Managers Awareness Program
HRSA - Future of Rural & Frontier EMS in the U.S. Health System
Center for Bio-Preparedness Education
Nebraska Emergency Medical Services Association (NEMSA) 
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) 
National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians 
Nebraska State Patrol 
Nebraska State Fire Marshal Office  

                                                                                      Top of page


Miscellaneous EMS Related Documents
PDF  EMS Quality Improvement 
PDF  EMS Recognition Project Brochure 
PDF  Significant Exposure Information 
PDF  Significant Exposure Report Form  
PDF  Summary of the HIPAA Privacy Rule

Top of page


For more information, contact:
Nebraska Department of HHS, Public Health
EMS Program
P.O. Box 95026
Lincoln, NE 68509-5007
Phone: (402) 471-3578
E-mail: doug.fuller@nebraska.gov
For EMS website information, contact:
Nebraska Department of HHS, Public Health,
EMS Program
P.O. Box 95026
Lincoln, NE 68509-5007
Phone: (402) 471-8129
E-mail: gary.miller@nebraska.gov

Documents in PDF PDF format require the use of Adobe Acrobat Reader
which can be downloaded for free from Adobe Systems, Inc.


Public Health Page

Rules & Regulations Page