Emergency Medical Services Authority

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The Emergency Medical Services Authority (EMSA) is Oklahoma's largest provider of pre-hospital emergency medical care. EMSA provides ambulance service to more than 1.6 million residents in central and northeast Oklahoma.

EMSA was established in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1977 and later expanded to include Bixby, Jenks and Sand Springs in Oklahoma. EMSA began providing service to Oklahoma City in 1990.

In fiscal year 2017, EMSA responded to over 215,000 requests for service and transported more than 155,000 patients between the Eastern (Tulsa Metro) and Western (Oklahoma City Metro) Divisions.^[1] This breaks down to approximately 41.13 requests per ambulance per week, which means that each truck responds to 1 call per hour that each truck is in service.

The system is a highly sought after workplace for new EMTs and paramedics because of the sheer number and vastly different types of calls, creating a good place to learn as a new medic. However, the turnover rate is above industry standards because the call volume is so high, creating very strong emotional and physical stressors. The average longevity of full time workers is about 5 years before they move to either a much slower system or onto an air service or a hospital/clinic setting where there are less stressful environments. Despite the stress and business many providers decide to work for EMSA due to multiple factors including: high industry reputation of EMSA, high performance system with progressive protocols to hone skills, and one of the highest pay rates in the country for non-fire based EMS.