COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates and Guidance

The County is taking a number of actions to keep residents safe and minimize the spread of COVID-19. Find status information for County operations and services.

Emergency Medical Services

The Fire Department's Emergency Medical Services (EMS) section responds to emergency calls involving injury or illness. About 75 percent of calls received by the Fire Department are medical calls.

Medic units (often called ambulances) are housed in fire stations alongside fire apparatus, and all career and many volunteer personnel are trained in both EMS and fire suppression. The Department operates 31 career advanced life support medic units; the Baltimore County Volunteer Firemen's Association operates 19 advanced life support ambulances and two basic life support units.

All career fire apparatus are equipped with automatic external defibrillators, used to treat sudden cardiac arrest victims.

Eight EMS district officers supervise daily EMS operations.

Ambulance Billing

Baltimore County EMS recoups patient transport costs from private insurers, Medicare and Medicaid. Baltimore County partners with Change Healthcare, a national management company, to handle billing and collection.

For billing questions, contact Change Healthcare's customer service at 1-866-366-3626. Attorneys only may email requests for bills to emsattorneyrequests@changehealthcare.com or fax requests to 1-937-291-0236.

More information about transport fees is available online.

About EMS Response

Engines vs. Medic Units

Occasionally a fire engine, ladder truck or utility vehicle will respond when you call 911 for medical assistance. All career fire units and many volunteer engines carry trained EMS personnel.

Dispatchers send an engine, truck or utility unit if one of these is closer to the medical emergency than an available medic unit; the goal is to reach the patient as quickly as possible. Also, dispatchers may send an engine to support medic crews on high-priority medical calls.

Career vs. Volunteer

Dispatchers send career and volunteer personnel based on proximity to the emergency and the type of equipment required.

At the incident scene, career and volunteer personnel follow the same chain of command and operating procedures. Volunteers who actively respond to fire and EMS calls must have the same basic training as their career counterparts.