What the EMS Reserve Does
The EMS Reserve is a unique volunteer unit of the Pasadena Fire Department, founded to provide emergency medical services to the residents and visitors of Pasadena, California.
It also gives EMTs an opportunity to gain 911 response experience within one of Los Angeles County's premiere EMS providers.
Founded in 1981, the organization has served Pasadena for more than four decades as a self-governed volunteer unit within the Pasadena Fire Department, a non-volunteer department.
The EMS Reserve exists to augment emergency medical and disaster services provided by the Pasadena Fire Department's paid staff with EMT certified volunteers.
The unit is dedicated strictly to Emergency Medical Services and does not provide firefighting or rescue services.
Members of the EMS Reserve carry out the four main missions of the EMS Reserve by:
- Operating as a third person on the Department's front-line Advanced Life Support (ALS) Rescue Ambulances, which respond to 911 calls requiring Emergency Medical Services, such as medical emergencies, traffic collisions, fires, and rescues.
- Providing Emergency Medical Services at large Pasadena-area public events.
- Providing a ready reserve of trained and experienced EMS personnel in case of major catastrophes.
- Maintaining member readiness through continuous training, from monthly sessions to large-scale exercises.