The Tucson Fire Department provides Emergency Medical Services (EMS) for the City of Tucson.

These services range from Basic First Aid to Advanced Cardiac and Trauma Life Support. TFD responds to thousands of medical emergencies annually, ranging from motor vehicle accidents and drownings to childbirths and heart attacks.

Tucson Fire provides medical care through EMT's, Paramedics and Toxicology Paramedics. Currently we are working with Sarver Heart Center, at the University of Arizona to initiate a ground-breaking new method of CPR, performing uninterrupted chest compressions during arrests. We anticipate dramatically improving survival rates in cardiac arrest victims.

On all medical emergencies, TFD personnel are able to contact a Physician at a local emergency room for directions on patient care.

EMT's

Tucson Fire Department is on the leading edge of emergency medical care. All uniformed members of TFD are certified as basic EMTs, and all our fire-suppression engines carry the equipment necessary to make them capable of performing advanced care from automatic external defibrillating and blood-glucose testing, to monitoring a patient’s blood oxygen saturation. In addition, seven of our engine and ladder/ladder tender companies are staffed and equipped as paramedic assessment units.

EMT's provide Basic Life Support (BLS). It is the EMT's responsibility to interpret signs and symptoms of injury and disease, and determine the appropriate course of treatment. EMT's are trained to provide Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation, administer oxygen, control bleeding, perform spinal immobilization, splint fractures, and rescue patients from entrapment or inaccessible surroundings.

All Tucson Fire personnel that respond to medical emergencies are certified to a minimum of EMT.