Types of Emergency Services: what they do

Depending on the location, size of the city, and needs of the community, there are several different types of police that may oversee a jurisdiction.

• Municipal police: respond to local incidents, including violent crime, property crime, traffic offenses, and public disturbances
• State police: include state police officers, highway patrol, and state investigative officers. They share policing responsibilities with municipal police, but are the primary agency for patrolling highways in many states
• County Sheriff’s Department: mainly supports courts and correctional facilities, particularly in smaller cities
• County police: function similarly to municipal police, but their jurisdiction is an entire county.
• Special district police: any police officers serving other government entities. Often employed by colleges and universities, as well as public transit systems

Police serve at all levels of the government, and their goal is to “protect and serve” their communities. In smaller communities, police officers will juggle many different roles and responsibilities, while larger cities may have specialized departments for specific emergencies, such as Narcotics, Homicide, Special Victims, Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT), as well as K-9 units (for more on K-9 units check out our previous article).

While 911 may seem simple, there are a lot of moving parts that the public generally takes for granted. When you call 911 you usually first reach a primary Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP). In most cases these offices are houses in police departments, and their staff are trained to handle law enforcement-related emergencies. If you call in case of a burglary or assault, these attendants are trained to walk you through the next steps.

Depending on the nature of your emergency and location, you may get transferred to a secondary PSAP, such as a fire department or EMS squad, who can talk you through those kinds of emergencies. PSAPs are swift and efficient; while the caller is talking, they are typing notes, sharing location data, and working with other staff to get emergency services sent your way.

911 calls are typically answered within 15 seconds of dialing, and depending on your location, the average time for emergency personnel to arrive is just 7 minutes.

History of Emergency Services

Emergency services have not always been as organized or available as they are today. Though versions of law enforcement, firefighting, and emergency medical care have been around for as long as laws, fire, and medicine, organizations dedicated to these emergency fields emerged in America throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, and as recently as the 1960’s.

Law Enforcement Origins

Law Enforcement has existed in many different forms throughout history. During the Colonial period in America policing was performed by many different groups including untrained part-time volunteers, local militias, and elected sheriffs. The very first sheriff’s offices were created in New York in the early 1600’s. 

The first full-time dedicated police department was established in Boston, Massachusetts in 1838. Boston was a very important port city at the time and businesses wanted to ensure that their goods would be protected. Instead of continuing to pay for costly guards, the businessmen convinced the people of the city to invest in a public police force to protect its citizens as well as its commercial corporations. Organized police departments spread across the country throughout the next hundred years. Continually improving and modernizing, today’s police force is always growing and changing to adapt to citizens’ needs in the 21st century.

EMS Origins

EMS can be traced back to the Civil War era in the United States, when ambulance teams were developed to assist regiments based on size. These original ambulance teams were trained to take care of battle wounds for their soldiers. Over time communities implemented their own systems to respond to medical emergencies. 

The first civilian ambulance was used in 1865, in Cincinnati, Ohio. New York City claimed in 1869 that it would only take 30 seconds for an ambulance to be dispatched, with an ambulance surgeon and a quart of brandy for the patient! As modern medicine advanced, so did emergency medical response. But modern, coordinated EMS didn’t emerge until the 1960’s and 70’s, largely in response to the increasing number of motor vehicle accidents. Federal initiatives streamlined the emergency response process and put oversight and regulations in place. 

In 1973, the EMS Systems Act established the first 200 EMS systems throughout the country, including standardized training for EMTs and other first responders.

Firefighting Origins

Evidence of organized firefighting dates back to ancient Egypt, but firefighting in the US as we know it only dates back to the Industrial Revolution. Prior to that, fire brigades were privately owned, and were often in competition with each other. 

The first firefighters to reach the scene of an active fire would claim the right to extinguish it, and then bill the business for the cost. But this process left a lot of room for error and disagreement. It also only pertained to businesses. Citizens would often form fire “clubs”, which were popular in cities such as Philadelphia, where volunteers would roam the streets and sound the alarm when they came across a fire, and then they would form a “bucket brigade” with those nearby to put out the fire themselves. But at the turn of the century, as the Industrial Revolution took hold in the US, the need for more organized firefighting became a necessity. The government began to oversee firefighting so that it could be regulated, consistent, and more effective.

Facts and Figures about Emergency Services in US

• Approximately 240 million calls are made to 911 every year
• There are over 8,000 PSAPs in the USA
• There are over 1 million people working as law enforcement officers in the USA o   Over 900,000 of those are full time employees o   Approximately 95,000 are part time employees
• The US has approximately 18,000 separate law enforcement agencies that operate mainly independently of each other
• There are over 1 million firefighters in the US o   70% of all firefighters are volunteers
• Firefighters are trained to dress in their protective gear in under 2 minutes o   Those uniforms can resist temperatures as high as 2200°F (1200°C)
• EMS treat approximately 25-30 million people each year
• EMT-Paramedics have to complete over 2,000 hours of training to complete their certification

Garmont’s Tactical Collection

At Garmont we appreciate the difficult and important work that those in emergency services do everyday, which is why we created shoes designed specifically for law enforcement, EMS, and other public safety personnel. Our collection is created with the idea of keeping stability, speed, and comfort at the forefront. Whether you need a shoe to keep you quick on your feet, like the 9.81 HELI, a waterproof boot to keep your feet warm and dry, such as the T4 GROOVE G-DRY, or an 8-inch uniform-compliant boot, like the T8 LE 2.0, our collection has you covered!