Emergency services are organizations which ensure public safety by addressing different emergencies. Some agencies exist solely for addressing certain types of emergencies whilst others deal with ad hoc emergencies as part of their normal responsibilities. Many agencies will engage in community awareness and prevention programs to help the public avoid, detect, and report emergencies effectively.

The availability of emergency services depends very heavily on location, and may in some cases also rely on the recipient giving payment or holding suitable insurance or other surety for receiving the service.

Core emergency services

There are three services which are almost universally acknowledged as being core to the provision of emergency care to the populace, and are often government run. They would generally be summoned on a dedicated emergency telephone number, reserved for critical emergency calls. They are:

• Police — providing community safety and acting to reduce crime against persons and property
• Fire and Rescue Service — providing firefighters to deal with fire and rescue operations, and may also deal with some secondary emergency service duties
• Emergency medical service — providing ambulances and staff to deal with medical emergencies