Ambulance services in Denmark

In collaboration with the counties in Denmark, which are responsible for prehospital treatment, Falck has developed the quality of Danish ambulance services to the present level, which is high by international standards in terms of both ambulance crew training and technological equipment.

Falck provides ambulance services for Denmark’s 13 counties. Falck’s ambulance services include more than 300,000 emergency responses per year and 350,000 non-emergency responses.

Municipal fire brigades handle ambulance services in the municipalities of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg and Gentofte, and in parts of the county of Roskilde. Moreover, there are three private rescue services which handle ambulance services on the islands of Ærø and Samsø and in the municipality of Midtdjurs.

Falck’s ambulance resources consist of ambulances and various special-purpose vehicles to complement the ambulance services. Doctor’s ambulances manned by a doctor and a paramedic are typically used in densely populated areas where the risk of serious accidents is high.

Emergency response vehicles manned by a specially trained paramedic are typically used in sparsely populated areas when a county seeks to reduce response times.

Ambulance rescue services

Falck’s ambulance rescue service assists in the response in the event of traffic accidents, industrial accidents and evacuation of injured persons from difficult-to-access locations. The ambulance rescue service usually uses special-purpose rescue vehicles with equipment such as hydraulic cutting tools to extricate trapped victims. Falck operates about 7,000 ambulance rescue responses annually.

Ambulance crew training

All ambulances carry two rescue officers. At least one of them has paramedic training, whilst the other is trained as an ambulance assistant, as a minimum. The paramedic acts as the manager of the ambulance.

Organisation of ambulance resources

The framework of and requirements to ambulance services are laid down in the Danish Executive Order on Planning of Prehospital Measures, etc. This executive order includes information on the training of ambulance staff and on equipment in ambulances. The Danish counties are responsible for ensuring that Danish ambulance services meet the requirements.

Falck’s contracts with the counties are based on a standard contract between Falck and Danish Regions (Amtsrådsforeningen). Individual agreements between counties and Falck are adjusted to be in line with the wishes and demands of each county in terms of response times, special-purpose vehicles and special training of ambulance staff.