EMS Volunteers Around the World Perhaps you're interested in learning how other parts of the world incorporate volunteers into their EMS and Civil Defense structures. From the following links you will see how vital (sic) volunteers are to their respective countries. Many of these groups have been seen in the news in the past years dealing with the aftermath of terrorist attacks. Take a look and as always, send us feedback at info@emsvolunteers.ca. We'd love to hear from you. USA The US has perhaps the most diverse volunteer system, varying from state to state. Most are certified and licensed at the EMT-B level. Some states such as New Jersey have as much as 50% of the EMS system being volunteers. There is also Post 53 which is an EMS service staffed mostly by High School Students with a few adult volunteers thrown into the mix. Imagine if every student graduated with an EMT certification? EMS - Hyattsville Volunteer Fire Department (Maryland) | Australia Volunteer First Responders are engaged in 101 locations throughout rural and remote Victoria, comprising 77 Ambulance Community Officers (ACO) teams and 24 CERT. *ACO is equivalent to EMR in Canada https://www.ambulance.vic.gov.au/community-education/volunteers/ Comprehensive page on volunteers by the Australian Paramedical College: United Kingdom Aside from being home of the well known St.John Ambulance Association, many Ambulance Services integrate a volunteer component as well as Community First responders, responding via pager system and GPS tracking. London Ambulance Service https://www.londonambulance.nhs.uk/working-for-us/volunteering-with-us/voluntary-responder-group/ North East Ambulance Service https://www.neas.nhs.uk/get-involved/volunteering-opportunities/community-first-responders.aspx Israel Founded in 2006, it is the largest independent, non-profit and fully volunteer EMS organization in Israel, with more than 4000 Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT), Certified First Responders, paramedics and doctors dispersed throughout the country. France *links in French only The French Department of the Interior has an understanding with the Order of Malta and the Red Cross for disaster response and emergency response for large scale events. They are an integral part to France's robust Civil Defense program. http://paris09.croix-rouge.fr/formation_secouristes/ https://www.ordredemaltefrance.org/actions-en-france/secourisme.html |