Findings

What the protocol census shows when you put agencies side by side, and the articles that use it. Every page is drawn from published protocols; the method is on the methodology page.

From the census

Four comparisons, each rebuilt from source and quoted from the page it was found on.

DosesSame call, different doseThe lowest to highest adult dose US EMS protocols give for the same call, across the agencies in the ProtoQuiz protocol census.Open →
What agencies carryWhere agencies splitWhat 170 US EMS agencies carry: 21 medications are on nearly every protocol, 24 split agencies down the middle.Open →
Over timeWhat changed between editionsComparing 140 dated editions from 46 agencies shows what appeared and what stopped appearing in US EMS protocols.Open →
AuthorityWho decides: standing order or physician callThe same procedure is a standing order in one US EMS system and needs a physician call in another. Drawn from 190 agencies' protocol books.Open →

Advocacy

Long-form articles, one a month, where the census and public sources become an argument. Every claim is footnoted to a source we opened.

October 12, 2026 · 8 minMost States Still Do Not Call EMS an Essential ServiceNineteen states and the District of Columbia now use the word in law, but it rarely comes with a duty or a budget, and Medicare still pays only when a patient is moved.Read the article →

All blog articles

How to read these. Every count is “of the protocol books we have read”, not of the country. Agencies in the census are the ones that publish readable protocols, which is not a random sample of American EMS.

Looking for a place instead? 911 coverage by county or the census by state.