Cleveland EMS is the municipal ambulance / emergency medical services provider for the city of Cleveland, Ohio.
• It operates as a “third service” under the public safety umbrella (separate from fire and police) and handles advanced life support (ALS) ambulance transport and prehospital medical care.
• Its core duty is to respond to 9-1-1 medical emergencies — providing treatment, stabilization, and transport to hospitals.

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Organizational Structure & Staffing
• Communications & Dispatch: CEMS maintains a 24/7 dispatch (Radio Emergency Dispatch, or “RED”) center that receives 9-1-1 calls, prioritizes them using a computer-aided dispatch system, and dispatches ambulances.
• Ambulance / Field Units: Each ambulance is staffed by at least two personnel — at least one paramedic and one EMT. These units deliver ALS services and transport patients.
• Integration with Fire: The Cleveland Fire Department provides non-transport “first responder” services. Fire apparatus may be dispatched alongside EMS on certain calls, especially high-priority or life-threatening calls.

Annually, CEMS handles over 100,000 emergency calls and transports tens of thousands of patients to local hospitals.
• In 2024 specifically:
  • Total emergency calls: 107,652
  • Total transports: 77,081
  • The target staffing was 23 ALS ambulances during daytime and 19 at night; when staffing allowed, more (up to 25 day / 21 night) were used.
• Response time goals: CEMS strives toward standards such as those from NFPA 1710 — e.g. arrival within 6 minutes for BLS (basic life support) and within 10 minutes for ALS for dispatched calls.
• Dispatching & Prioritization: Calls are labeled (Alpha through Echo) based on severity (from minor injury to life-threatening).