Emergency Management
 

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About Milwaukee County EMS

Overview

The EMS Division of Milwaukee County OEM provides administrative support and oversight of the Milwaukee County EMS system. The Milwaukee County EMS system is a collective of municipal and county agencies, 15 in total, that are committed to working together to ensure high-quality patient care is provided. Milwaukee County also provides financial support to the agencies that provide Advanced Life Support (ALS) level care and transport via a $2.5 million subsidy.

Our Guiding Principles:

In 2019, the Federal government released a project titled: EMS Agenda 2050. This is an effort to re-evaluate the way that EMS services are provided in the United States as the career field of EMS is only 50 years old. The EMS Division utilizes the six guiding principles to measure against when weighing decisions and initiatives to be pursued to ensure a patient centered EMS system is safe in practice. The guiding principles are as follows:

1. Adaptable and Innovative

“Technologies, system designs, educational programs and other aspects of EMS systems are continuously evaluated in order to meet the evolving needs of people and communities. Innovative individuals and organizations are encouraged to test ideas in a safe and systematic way and to implement effective new programs.”

2. Inherently Safe and Effective

“The entire EMS system is designed to be inherently safe in order to minimize exposure of people to injury, infections, illness or stress. Decisions are made with the safety of patients, their families, clinicians and the public as a priority. Clinical care and operations are based on the best available evidence, allowing systems to deliver effective service that focuses on outcomes determined by the entire community, including the individuals receiving care.”

3. Integrated and Seamless

“Healthcare systems, including EMS, are fully integrated. Additionally, local EMS services collaborate frequently with community partners, including public safety agencies, public health, social services and public works. Communication and coordination across the care continuum are seamless, leaving people with a feeling that one system, comprising many integrated parts, is caring for them and their families.”

4. Reliable and Prepared

“EMS care is consistent, compassionate and guided by evidence—no matter when or where it is needed or who is providing the care. EMS systems are prepared for anything by being scalable and able to respond to fluctuations in day-to-day demand, as well as major events, both planned and unplanned."

5. Socially Equitable

“Access to care, quality of care and outcomes are not determined by age, socioeconomic status, gender, ethnicity, geography or other social determinants. Caregivers feel confident and prepared when caring for children, people who speak different languages, persons with disabilities or other populations that they may not interact with frequently.”

6. Sustainable and Efficient

“EMS systems across the country have the resources they require to provide care in a fiscally responsible, sustainable framework that appropriately compensates clinicians. Efficient EMS systems provide value to the community, minimize waste and operate with transparency and accountability.”

Core Functions

1. Education

We provide high-quality EMS education that meets state and national standards, using a variety of delivery methods—including the OEM Push Dose EMS Podcast—to keep providers informed and engaged. As technology evolves, we also offer training on new devices to ensure our teams stay current and prepared in the field.

2. Quality Assurance

Quality Assurance is a core function focused on maintaining high standards of care through continuous improvement. We promote a Just Culture that encourages accountability and learning, conduct Post Incident Reviews to identify challenges and share lessons learned, and ensure compliance with all federal, state, and local regulations to provide safe, effective, and reliable EMS services.

3. Data Analytics

We use Milwaukee County EMS data to inform the public, support data-driven decision-making, and plan for the future. By building a modern data infrastructure, we ensure accurate collection, secure storage, and insightful analysis to improve emergency medical services and community health outcomes.

4. Community Oriented Regional EMS (CORE) Team

The Community Oriented Regional EMS (CORE) Team delivers contracted EMS services at key Milwaukee venues like the Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee Admirals games, and the Milwaukee County Zoo. In addition to event coverage, the team actively engages with the community through education and outreach, and is equipped to rapidly scale up staffing for large-scale emergencies or special events.

5. Medical Direction

Medical Direction ensures high-quality prehospital care by providing 24/7 real-time medical guidance to Fire/EMS agencies, overseeing education, clinical care, and quality assurance, and conducting research in compliance with Institutional Review Board standards. Medical Direction is provided by the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) EMS Division. 

6. Administration

Administration provides strategic direction for the EMS System in partnership with agency leadership, supports both internal and external initiatives, and works collaboratively with other organizations to advance the shared goal of improving population health across the county.

7. Research

Basic Terminology

Basic Emergency Medical Technician LogoEmergency Medical Technician – Basic (EMT-B)

Approximately one semester long technical college course

Able to provide basic assessment, life saving interventions, and basic medications. 

Click the logo to the left to learn more! 

Advanced Emergency Medical Technician LogoEmergency Medical Technician – Advanced (AEMT)

Additional training beyond EMT-B.

Able to provide limited invasive skills and pharmacology for treatment. 

Click the logo to the left to learn more! 

Paramedic LogoParamedic

Extensive training on assessments, interventions and patient care management -typically a full year of training.

Able to provide significant airway intervention and management, advanced cardiac management, complex pharmacology and medical/traumatic management. 

Click the logo to the left to learn more!

EMS 2050 Agenda Guiding PrinciplesEMS 2050 Agenda

The EMS 2050 Agenda seeks to foster a patient-centered EMS system by ensuring the six guiding principles are assessed when making decisions that impact the care and design of the EMS system. The Milwaukee County EMS System has embraced these principles and they are the foundational pillars as to how our system locally is designed. 

Cardiac Arrest Registry for Enhanced Survival 

CARES is a national cardiac arrest data repository where like-minded EMS systems enter data on the treatment of cardiac arrest patients which is matched up with hospital data on patient outcomes. There are over 50 EMS systems throughout the United States that enter data into CARES. This data allows EMS systems to benchmark the care they provide cardiac arrest patients against other like-minded EMS systems.

 

Dispatcher-Assisted CPR

The Milwaukee County Dispatcher Assisted Bystander CPR program seeks to improve cardiac arrest survival rates in Milwaukee County. When bystanders initiate CPR, survival odds double. Unfortunately, bystander CPR is attempted on only 19% of cardiac arrest victims in the County. This rate could improve if every 911 caller received CPR coaching.

MILWAUKEE COUNTY OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT

633 W. Wisconsin Ave., Suite 700 
Milwaukee, WI 53203 

821 W. State St., Room 305
Milwaukee, WI 53233

24/7 number: (414) 257-4709

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