Emergency Medical Services
Santa Clara County Emergency Medical Services coordinates the county’s prehospital care system. This article explains when to call 9-1-1, what may happen during a medical emergency call, how residents can prepare information for responders, and where EMS personnel can find credentialing requirements, policies, and reporting procedures.
What the EMS Agency Does
The County of Santa Clara Emergency Medical Services Agency works with the organizations and personnel that provide care before a patient reaches a hospital. Its responsibilities include system management, coordination, and oversight intended to support safe, quality, and effective prehospital care. The EMS system includes 9-1-1 ambulance service, other ground ambulance providers, fire departments, air ambulance services, hospitals, and EMS training programs.
The Emergency Medical Services Agency website is the starting point for county EMS information. Residents can find guidance on emergency calls and preparation, while applicants and EMS personnel can find credentialing information, policies, protocols, and reporting services. The agency’s administrative office is distinct from 9-1-1 dispatch: an immediate threat to life or property calls for 9-1-1.
The agency’s services directory can help when the name of a program is unclear. Enter a service name in its search field, or use its filters to narrow the results. Each result leads to a page with details about that service. The directory includes appropriate 9-1-1 use, EMT certification and EMS accreditation, emergency information files, public education, prehospital care policies, and system variance reporting.
When to Call 9-1-1
Call 9-1-1 when a situation requires immediate help from police, firefighters, or an ambulance. The county’s guidance on appropriate 9-1-1 use gives examples: a fire, a crime in progress, a car crash in which someone is injured, or a medical emergency requiring immediate attention. Its general rule is to call when life or property is threatened.
If you cannot tell whether a situation requires an emergency response, call 9-1-1 and let the call-taker assess it. You do not need to determine on your own which type of responder should be sent. The guidance also warns against calling as a joke or simply to see what happens, because a dispatcher handling that call may be delayed in helping someone with an emergency.
For medical calls, the details you give the 9-1-1 operator help determine the response. Describe the person’s condition and symptoms as accurately as you can and answer the operator’s questions. A call may result in EMS first responders being dispatched, or it may be handled through another process when the evaluation indicates a non-emergency health concern. Calling 9-1-1 does not by itself establish that an ambulance will transport someone to a hospital.
How Nurse Navigation Works
The county’s 9-1-1 Nurse Navigation information describes a process for certain calls involving non-life-threatening illnesses or injuries. A 9-1-1 operator evaluates the caller’s symptoms using medical protocols and questions. A call identified as appropriate for the program may be transferred to a Nurse Navigator, who is a California-licensed nurse trained in telephone triage.
The nurse discusses the caller’s condition and helps identify an appropriate level and location of care. Depending on the situation, that may mean a clinic, urgent care, or a hospital emergency department. The county says the nurse considers factors such as an existing primary care provider, where the person last received care, the person’s location, the time of day, and provider availability. The nurse and caller make the care decision together.
Urgent, life-threatening, or potentially life-threatening conditions follow a different path. The 9-1-1 center dispatches EMS first responders to assess the person, and transport to a hospital may follow. If a Nurse Navigator later determines that an EMS assessment or hospital emergency care is needed, an EMS unit can be dispatched. A caller who believes an ambulance is needed can discuss that concern with the nurse during the call.
Appointments After a Nurse Referral
When a Nurse Navigator directs a caller to a participating clinic, the county says the nurse can notify the clinic of the expected arrival and the reason for the visit. A referral through the program is part of the response to that 9-1-1 call. Future or follow-up appointments should be arranged directly with the clinic where the person was seen or with another non-emergency care facility to which that clinic refers them. Do not call 9-1-1 to schedule a follow-up visit.
The Nurse Navigation page also links to a pilot program closure report. Readers seeking current program details should review the county’s program page rather than assume that every call, community, or provider participates in the same way. The 9-1-1 operator’s evaluation determines whether a particular call is transferred to a nurse.
Information Responders May Need
During a medical emergency, responders may need information that a patient cannot provide. The county identifies medical history, medication allergies, current prescribed medications, advance medical directives, and recent surgeries as useful details. A family member may be able to provide them, but someone might be alone or unable to speak when responders arrive.
The agency offers a Life-saving Information For Emergencies, or L.I.F.E., File to make those details easier to locate. Its L.I.F.E. File page explains the kit and provides a way to request one electronically. The file form is available in English, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Spanish, Tagalog, and Vietnamese.
A kit contains a form held in a magnetic pouch or by a magnet. Although it is intended for a refrigerator, the agency recommends another easily visible place if a refrigerator is unavailable or its surface is not magnetic. Examples include a dining area or a clear countertop near the home’s entrance. The point is to make the information accessible to responders without requiring them to search through personal papers during an emergency.
The agency recommends a file for each person in a household, particularly older adults and people with chronic diseases or illnesses. Information should reflect the individual whose file it is; one household member’s medication list or history should not be mistaken for another’s. A L.I.F.E. File helps responders find information during a call. It does not replace calling 9-1-1 when immediate help is needed.
EMT Certification and Local Accreditation
People entering or working in the county’s EMS system need to choose the application that matches their role and current credential. The agency’s credentialing page provides separate checklists for initial EMT certification, EMT renewal or a change of local EMS agency, EMT registration, paramedic accreditation, paramedic internship recognition, and nurse EMS system accreditation. Read the checklist and the cited prehospital care policies for the specific application before submitting it.
Becoming Certified as an EMT
The county describes initial EMT certification as a three-step process: pass an EMT course, pass the National Registry of EMTs cognitive and psychomotor examinations, and apply for California EMT certification through a local EMS agency. Someone seeking certification through the Santa Clara County EMS Agency should use its initial certification checklist and the policies identified with that checklist. Completing training or passing an examination is not the same step as applying for certification.
An EMT who already holds California certification and wants to renew through this agency should instead review the EMT renewal or local EMS agency switch checklist. That section also identifies the State of California EMT skills verification form. A person recently hired by an ambulance provider or fire department in Santa Clara County should review the EMT registration checklist for initial local accreditation. These paths address different circumstances, so selecting a checklist by job title alone can lead to the wrong application.
Paramedic and Nurse Applications
A California paramedic seeking Santa Clara County accreditation has an initial paramedic accreditation checklist. A paramedic maintaining continuous county accreditation has a separate renewal checklist. The agency also provides a paramedic internship recognition checklist for an applicant becoming a paramedic intern.
Nurses recently hired by an ambulance provider operating in the county have an initial nurse EMS system accreditation checklist. The renewal checklist addresses nurses continuing with the same provider whose accreditation expires within the next six months. The page identifies the applicable policy alongside each checklist, allowing applicants to compare their employment and credential status with the correct requirements.
Submitting a Credential Application
Applicants must use the online credential portal described on the agency’s credentialing page. The page says applicants can upload a profile photo to their ImageTrend Licensure Management System account through that portal; the photo must meet U.S. passport guidelines. Prepare the materials required by the relevant checklist before beginning the application, and use that checklist to confirm which policy and forms apply.
The EMS Agency office does not offer walk-in credentialing services and is closed on county and national holidays. The credentialing page provides an email contact for questions after applicants review the relevant checklist and policies. It also offers a link to book a 15-minute appointment with the Credentialing Unit Manager. An office visit without an appointment is not a substitute for the required online application.
Policies and Protocol Access
Santa Clara County organizes its prehospital care policies by subject. The EMS policies, protocols, and plans page has filters for the EMS system, personnel credentials, system providers, facilities, communications and data, operations, clinical care, reference materials, and forms. A person researching EMT certification, for example, can look under personnel credentials rather than search through clinical care protocols.
Personnel employed by an approved EMS provider access county policies and protocols through the Eolas application. The agency directs those seeking access to contact their EMS Program Manager. This is a different route from the credentialing portal used to submit certification or accreditation applications. Keeping the two systems separate helps personnel reach the correct process: the credentialing portal is for applications, while the Eolas access instructions concern policies and protocols.
The policy page identifies specific policy numbers that can help narrow a search, including Policy 200 on eligibility for prehospital certificates and credentials, Policy 201 on EMT certification, and Policy 205 on paramedic accreditation. It also lists Policy 108 for system variance reporting. Applicants and providers should use the policy associated with their particular task rather than assume that one personnel policy covers every role.
Reporting an EMS System Variance
The EMS services directory includes a System Variance Report service with an online form for submitting a report. The agency’s published policy list identifies Policy 108 as System Variance Reporting. Someone preparing a report should select the System Variance Report service, review the form and applicable policy, and provide the information requested there. The website’s general page-feedback form serves a different purpose; it asks visitors for comments about a webpage and warns them not to include personal information.
The agency’s frequently asked questions also explain reporting steps for a lost or stolen EMS accreditation badge. A lost badge is reported to the Northern California Regional Intelligence Center and to the EMS Agency through a System Performance Variance Report that includes the center’s report number. For a stolen badge, the county additionally calls for a report to local law enforcement where the theft occurred; the variance report includes both the police report number and the center’s report number. The listed process also requires an EMS System Accreditation lost or stolen application. These badge-specific steps should not be confused with a general comment about website content.
Education and Ambulance Billing Questions
The agency’s public information and education page describes classroom training, field exercises, a training and education calendar, and online registration for identified classes. It also points to public education topics such as appropriate 9-1-1 use and lifesaving information for emergencies. EMS personnel looking for continuing education opportunities can review the calendar, while residents seeking practical preparation can begin with the emergency calling and L.I.F.E. File materials.
An ambulance bill is a separate matter from an EMS credential application or a system variance report. The agency’s frequently asked questions distinguish a bill for a 9-1-1 ambulance transport from a bill for a non-9-1-1 transport. For the latter, the county directs the patient to the ambulance company that provided the transport. Identifying which type of transport occurred and which company issued the bill helps route the question to the appropriate billing contact.
Relevant Department
Emergency Medical Services — 700 Empey Way, San Jose, CA 95128 — (408) 794-0600
Emergency Medical Services FAQs
How do I notify the county about a public AED?
If you are placing an automated external defibrillator (AED) as part of a Public Access Defibrillation Program, use the county’s AED Site Notification Form. The Santa Clara County EMS frequently asked questions page provides the link to submit the notice. Open that form and follow its instructions for the placement you are reporting. If you manage AEDs at more than one site, check the form’s requirements before submitting information for each location.
A site notification concerns where an AED has been placed. It is separate from the county’s AED Use Reporting Form, which is for reporting an instance when a public access defibrillator was used.
What should I submit after a public AED is used?
Use the county’s Public Access Defibrillator (PAD) AED Use Reporting Form, linked from its frequently asked questions page. Review the form before you begin so you can provide the details it requests about the use. If you also need to notify the county of the AED’s placement, follow the separate link for the AED Site Notification Form; submitting a site notice is not the same as reporting a use.
The county lists these as distinct reporting options. Choose the form that matches what happened, and use both if you need to report both a placement and a use.