People who are being taken to hospitals are normally given emergency medical care. This is given to them in response to some injury or illness or when a qualified person feels that they need medical care. Rescue squads, Ambulance squads or services are the names by which these people are commonly known D4 medical. Whatever you choose to call them, the main reason they are out there is to provide immediate medical support or at least transport you to a place where this support is available and you can be treated like hospitals, clinics, emergency rooms or any place where a doctor will be available. Certain EMC units may also be able to find and rescue people who are stuck inside cars involved in accidents, those in water emergencies etc.
The Good Samaritan which is mention in the New Testament of the Bible is probably the earliest reference to emergency services. The ambulance squad was an initiative of the Knights of St. John way back in the middle ages. Queen Isabella of Spain is said to have had an ambulance service for injured troops in 1487. More countries started their own ambulance services taking note of the care shown to the Spanish troops by the queen. There were huge changes in the construction of the ambulance during the late 18th and 19th century. The horse drawn wagon was designed by Dominique Larrey so that services could be meted out faster to the troops and so that they would not die during battles. By 1793, Napoleon started using these ambulances for his army.
The requirements of the ambulance too kept changing as its needs changed. In the 19th century, more advanced ambulance styles were developed. In 1832, the Cholera Ambulance set up by the French, set up a yardstick for how soon a person could be given medical support. Finally in 1865, ambulance services started bringing patients to the hospital for treatment. This type of ambulance was pioneered by Cincinnati General, a part of the city of Cincinnati in Ohio. New York’s Bellevue hospital soon followed this strategy by designing an ambulance service which included morphine, splints, brandy, stomach pumps etc right inside the ambulance. This was the dawn of the new era of emergency medical services that we see today. These ambulances have a complete set of emergency tools and medicines to treat a patient during transportation itself.
The invention of the motorized engine led to converting all horse-driven ambulances to motor-powered ambulances. During the world wars, these ambulances came to the lime light and saved more lives than can be counted, revolutionizing ambulances. Nowadays, ambulances have a greater level of care than ever before with complete life support, and highest quality of care. It is not exaggeration to mention that ambulances are just the beginning of emergency medical services. Already, helicopters are being used for large operations and it is only natural to imagine that better services will come up in the near future. If not for the dreams that have transformed the emergency services industry into an unforeseen force, we would have all been still at a stage where we cannot dial for help and have the confidence that the emergency squad will provide their services in minutes.
