How Modern EMS is Saving Lives with Chief Shane Wheeler & Michael Saile | Episode 44 | Injury Pros Podcast
What actually happens between a 911 call and arriving at the hospital?
On this episode of the Injury Pros Podcast, host Michael Saile of Cordisco & Saile sits down with Chief Shane Wheeler, MBA, AAS-P, FP-C, NRP, CASM, CEO of VMSC Emergency Medical Services, for a behind-the-scenes look at how modern EMS works.
Founded in 1933 by Philadelphia surgeon Dr. Frank Boston, VMSC is recognized as the oldest operating EMS system in the United States. Today it serves roughly 200,000 residents across Montgomery and Delaware Counties through 911 emergency response, specialty and interfacility transport, and community-based Mobile Integrated Health programs.
Chief Wheeler explains how VMSC uses AI-assisted dispatch and GPS tracking to keep ambulances constantly positioned for the fastest response, often under eight minutes. He breaks down the differences between EMTs, advanced EMTs, and paramedics, and how 911 centers decide whether a call gets an advanced or basic life support response. He also shares the financial reality facing EMS: federal data puts the average cost of a call at around $2,000 while reimbursement averages about $350, a gap that has contributed to nearly 50 Pennsylvania EMS agencies closing in the past two years.
One of the most striking parts of the conversation is VMSC’s field blood transfusion program, one of only a few hundred in the country. In its first year, crews administered blood to 22 critically injured patients, about 20 of whom survived.
For drivers and bystanders, Chief Wheeler offers practical advice on what to do if you come across a crash, starting with protecting your own safety. And for attorneys, he gives candid guidance on working with EMS professionals as witnesses: call them clinicians, not “ambulance drivers,” understand their protocol-driven training, and remember they are fact witnesses, not opinion witnesses.
To learn more about VMSC, visit https://www.vmscems.com.
