History of EMS Europe

Over the last decade Emergency Medical Services (EMS) have transformed from patient transport services, to advanced medical care provided at scene and during transport, to definitive care. Emergency medical dispatch is now the gatekeeper to emergency care in many EMS systems and the provider of telephone assisted lifesaving instructions from CPR to emergency childbirth. The dispatch role is more than identification, prioritizing and dispatching the right resources to the patient. It now serves as an important clinical hub.

But emergency medical services are also undergoing development to reflect changes in healthcare delivery with centralization of highly specialized medical care in fewer hospitals and a greater emphasis on locally provided care where appropriate. This has led to an increased focus on prehospital care and is also why EMS plays an even more important role today.

Prior to 2016, there was no single EMS congress in Europe to address the common challenges EMS faces across Europe. That is why EMS Copenhagen, The Capital Region of Denmark hosted the first European Emergency Medical Services Congress (EMS2016) in the Spring of 2016.

During EMS2016 international experts within emergency medical services entered a historic agreement for the Establishment of a Global Resuscitation Alliance – a global network focused on collaboration to increase survival from sudden cardiac arrest. The participants commit themselves to the ambitious target of increasing the survival rate by 50 percent.

As part of EMS2018 the board of EMS Europe (formerly known as the European EMS Leadership Network) was established. In 2024, EMS Europe became a legally registered entity under the legal name: European Associaton of Emergency Medical Services (known to all as EMS Europe).

The European Association of Emergency Medical Services (EMS Europe) is part of the executive board of the Global Resuscitation Alliance.

The European Association of Emergency Medical Services is registered in Ireland. the registered company number is 760672.