Table 1.
Demographics and structure of the participating emergency medical service (EMS) districts.
| Demographics | Aachen (urban) |
Heinsberg (rural) |
Dueren (rural) |
Euskirchen (rural) |
|
| Population | 248,137 | 256,546 | 267,712 | 190,591 | |
| Area (km2) | 160.8 | 628.0 | 941.4 | 1248.7 | |
| Ambulances | |||||
| 24-h Ambulances (telemedically equippeda) | 6 (2) | 7 (1) | 11 (1) | 9 (1) | |
| Daytime ambulances | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | |
| EMSb physician units | 2+1c | 4 | 4+1d | 3 | |
| Ambulance emergency missions/year | 22,984 | 14,346 | 20,302 | 15,108 | |
| EMS physician missions/year | 7898 | 7786 | 9057 | 5317 | |
| Hospitals | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | |
| Stroke units | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| Level 1 trauma center | 1 | - | - | - | |
| 24-h Cardiac catheterization laboratory | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| Number of cases (n) | 18 | 6 | 3 | 12 | |
atelemedically equipped for 24 hours, operation of teleconsultation center: 7:30 am-4:30 pm.
bEMS: emergency medical service.
cadditional EMS physician at home can be picked up by the fire department.
ddaytime EMS physician unit: 7 am-4 pm.