ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: Every country has a unique emergency medical system (EMS), as well as a medical service system. In Korea, relationship or cooperation between layperson, firehouse rescue and hospital is weak, and lack of involvement of emergency doctor in prehospital emergency medical system is one of the main cause of the phenomenon. There is possibility of improving prehospital EMS by the role of Emergency Medical Information Center (EMIC). Thus, the authors made a through investigation to improve the role of EMIC. METHODS: Questions concerning the following were sent to firehouse EMTs: 1) general matters related to communication, possibility of management after hospital arrival, rescue activities, etc., 2) educational matters about classification of severity, etc., and 3) matters about recognition and utilization of the EMIC. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: An index guide for emergent management at the very spot where the accident took place is needed and should be published. Also, the EMIC must store more accurate information on emergency medical institutes, allowing firehouse rescue and hospitals to be more closely connected with each other by way of the EMIC.