About
Every year, EMS providers give life-saving care to millions of people regardless of socioeconomic status, race, age or special need. In rural communities, EMS plays a huge role in the healthcare delivery system—not only as a prompt responder to life-or-death situations, but often as the first point of contact and the only source of medical care available 24/7 for rural residents.
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FAREMS represents EMS providers that deliver care to rural residents of 33 Florida counties. These rural communities are growing, with a population of nearly 1.2 million. This population has a high number of elderly individuals, and fluctuates annually with seasonal agricultural workers and seasonal residents. These regions have higher rates of poverty and uninsured than the state and nation as a whole.
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Demographics and logistics of rural settings present challenges to EMS providers in carrying out their ultimate goal, which is to provide residents with timely and quality emergency medical care. Personnel shortages, lack of administrative and technical resources, and limited funding from rural counties are some of the challenges rural EMS providers face. In addition, rural EMS providers lack the voice and political leverage to compete with the large urban fire/rescue providers that receive the lion's share of state EMS funding.
We provide a unified voice for EMS providers at a state and local level.
Our Mission
FAREMS was created as a response to the many challenges EMS providers of rural Florida counties face day in and day out. FAREMS became incorporated as a non-profit organization in 2006. Its goal is to improve pre-hospital emergency medical services to Florida's rural citizens by assisting rural EMS agencies with basic needs and providing a voice for those agencies at the state level.
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FAREMS members are rural Florida EMS providers and other supporters of emergency medical care in rural Florida. Become a member today and have a voice on rural EMS issues in the state of Florida. Depending on membership level, members receive: discounts on FAREMS-sponsored leadership training, distance learning opportunities, group purchasing, advocacy on the local county commission level, grant writing assistance, and newsletters and updates on relevant rural EMS issues.
Our Counties
The FAREMS service area includes the following 33 Florida counties:
Baker
Bradford
Calhoun
Columbia
DeSoto
Dixie
Franklin
Gadsden
Gilchrist
Glades
Gulf
Hamilton
Hardee
Hendry
Highlands
Holmes
Jackson
Jefferson
Lafayette
Levy
Liberty
Madison
Monroe
Nassau
Okeechobee
Putnam
Sumter
Suwannee
Taylor
Union
Wakulla
Walton
Washington