Phone: (662) 429-1382 

Mission Statement

Our mission is to provide emergency care, treatment and transportation for the sick and injured.

DeSoto County EMS strives to enhance the quality of life in the communities it serves by providing the highest level of out of hospital care possible, thereby improving the outcomes of catastrophic illness and significant injury.

This mission will be accomplished in a caring environment with an emphasis on the safety and professional competency of all employees and volunteers.

EMS Systems Defined

Emergency Medical Services (EMS) are pre-hospital health care services delivered to residents of a community who suddenly become ill or injured under emergency conditions. It's scope includes a quick response, detailed assessment, immediate treatment of life threatening illnesses or injuries, and transportation to definitive care. Emergency Medical Services are provided by public, private, or non-profit entities with the authority and the resources to effectively administer the services.

The components of an EMS System include:

The Emergency Medical Services Act of 1973 established standards for the organization of emergency services. Prior to 1974, government involvement in emergency medical services was primarily limited to providing an emergency department in the public hospital. Private operators, predominantly funeral homes, provided emergency transportation.

Statutory and Regulatory Requirements

The Mississippi EMS Act of 1974, and subsequent amendments authorized the Mississippi State Department of Health to create a Division of Emergency Medical Services. The act authorized this division to license all ambulance services in Mississippi, to require specific equipment and standards for emergency vehicles, to provide for training and certification of emergency medical technicians (EMT's), and to assist with the creation and the provision of technical assistance.

The Mississippi Emergency Medical Services Rules and Regulations is a compilation of the procedures established by the Office of Emergency Planning and Response, Mississippi State Department of Health, for the administration of this state's program to improve the quality of emergency medical care. These procedures are based on statutes and administration policies.

DeSoto County EMS Program

The DeSoto County Emergency Medical Services date back to the early 1970's and began with a small handful of volunteers, a used hearse and a dedication to helping others. The efforts of that first volunteer group spread throughout the county and eventually each town was provided with an ambulance in exchange for providing fuel and personnel. As the county grew, this agreement was formalized into an interlocal agreement between the cities and the county. This agreement provided for the replacement of ambulance vehicles on a rotating basis to ensure that the units were reliable and up to date. By 1990 there were ambulances in Hernando, Horn Lake, Olive Branch, Southaven and the Community of Walls.

Response times from town to the outlying areas had always been a concern, but as the population increased so did call volume. In the early 1990's the county saw the need for additional ambulances to be stationed in the rural areas. In 1993, an ambulance was placed in service in Eudora ,and in 1995 an ambulance was placed in service at Lewisburg.

Rescue services in the 1960's and 70's consisted of tow truck drivers pulling vehicles apart in order to extricate trapped motorists. As EMS progressed, special rescue units were put in place to provide proper extrication. The tools carried by these units consisted of Porto-Power jacks, hand saws and a unique device referred to as the "can opener", a device which functioned on sheet metal the same way that a can opener worked on a tin can. The late 1970's saw the implementation of the "JAWS of Life" tool, which revolutionized the rescue process. By 1980, rescue units were in place in Southaven, Hernando and Walls. In 1982, the Hernando rescue unit was moved to Lewisburg due to personnel availability, call volume and call location.

Initially, the ambulance crews were limited to basic first aid procedures. The 1970's saw the implementation of the Emergency Medical Technician training program and a "First Responder" training program, which met both U.S. D.O.T. and Mississippi Bureau of EMS Standards. Many improvements were made over the years and by 1995 all ambulances were staffed to the EMT Intermediate level and were capable of performing some limited Advanced Life Support. By 2000, all ambulances were staffed at the Paramedic level.

Rescue calls have continued to grow and extrication equipment has now been placed with each of the volunteer fire departments to facilitate more rapid response. DeSoto County currently operates ambulance service in Eudora, Lewisburg and Walls and supports ten volunteer fire departments throughout the county.