Non-Medical

• Wheelchair Van (WV)
• Stretcher Van (SV)
• Private vehicle

Ambulance

• Basic Life Support (BLS)
• Advanced Life Support (ALS)
• Specialty Care/Critical Care Transport (SCT/CCT)

EMS Patient types:

• Premature (born before term, most of them may require transport in a specialized incubator or Isolette)
• Neonate (birth to 28 days old)
• Pediatric (28 days old to 18 years old)
• Adult (>18 years old)
• Geriatric (> 65 years old)
• Bariatric (250lb or 113kg and above)

TYPES OF AMBULANCE TRANSPORTS

GROUND AMBULANCES: Ground EMS transportation travel anywhere where roads are accessible. This option is usually the least expensive transport mode for short and mid-range distances based on the distance travelled.

WATER AMBULANCES: Medical boats used for EMS transports in island areas without access to other transport alternatives.

FIXED WING AMBULANCES: These are specialized medical EMS airplanes that handle domestic or international transports over longer travel distances or terrain impractical for ground and helicopter transports. The word fixed-wing stands for wings that do not move and the type of aircraft that generates forward thrust powered by propeller-driven or jet engines.  This type of ambulance transport is widely used for trips longer than 300 miles away when there is safe access to airport runaways. Fixed-wing air ambulance transports are essential for their increased range for carrying patients between states and countries compared with other medical transport modes. Fixed-wing air ambulance transports are used in combination with ground ambulances to complete the bed-to-bed transfer from and to each airport.

ROTOR WING AMBULANCES: Specialized medical EMS helicopters usually handle critical trauma patients, life-threatening emergencies, or time-sensitive medical conditions. They operate nearby trauma or specialized facilities within a maximum average of a 200-mile radius. Helicopter transports are widely used in short distances less than 200 miles when there is weather permitting conditions and safe access to a landing zone. Helicopters provide transport to patients when it is impractical by other means of transportation due to access to roads, road conditions, or road traffic. Based on distance travelled, this is usually the most expensive mode of medical transport. It is used when time is an essential factor in improving chances of survival transporting to the closest appropriate facility.