EMS industry on verge of collapse in US: report

WASHINGTON -- A lack of Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) trucks is hitting communities across the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic as states and cities are struggling to keep the services running, Jalopnick, a local news and opinion website has reported.

Long hours, low pay and the stress of handling life-or-death situations during the pandemic have driven many certified EMTs from the career, said the report.

"The states of the EMS industry is on the verge of collapse," Eric Burns, vice president of Tri-Village Joint Ambulance District in Darke County in Ohio, was quoted as saying on March 17 at a meeting of Ohio EMS Chiefs Association.

Owners of EMS companies and publicly run EMS in the state of Massachusetts also sounded the alarm as the state of Minnesota saw a staggering 60 percent of certified EMTs leave the industry.