One or more EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES agencies, which provide emergency medical response and ambulance transportation, as well as other specialized services.  Durham County EMS is the sole EMS agency serving Durham.

The EMERGENCY MEDICAL DISPATCH component, provided by the Durham Emergency Communications Center (DECC), which is jointly funded by the City of Durham and Durham County, and operated by the City of Durham.  DECC provides 9-1-1 call-taking services, Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD) services, and emergency dispatch services for the following emergency services agencies:

• Durham Police Department
• Durham Fire Department
• Bahama Volunteer Fire Department
• Redwood Volunteer Fire Department
• Lebanon Volunteer Fire Department

DECC is recognized as an Accredited Center of Excellence (ACE) by the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch.

FIRST RESPONSE AGENCIES are other public safety agencies that voluntarily participate in the EMS system.  Although tasked with other primary responsibilities (law enforcement and fire protection), these agencies respond to requests for emergency medical assistance with trained personnel and equipment, often arriving prior to EMS.  In addition to the agencies named above, the following agencies also provide first response services:

• Durham County Sheriff’s Office
• Duke University Police Department
• Durham Tech Police and Public Safety
• North Carolina Central University Police Department
• Chapel Hill Fire Department
• Eno Fire Department
• Moriah Volunteer Fire & Rescue