Service Animals and EMS: What Every Provider Must Know

This presentation focuses on the Americans with Disabilities Act and the language it uses surrounding service animals. In presenting the facts within the confines of the ADA, participants will become familiar with the primary dos and don’ts of navigating calls for service with patients with service animals. The ADA uses surprising elementary language and the U.S. Department of Justice makes resources available in laymen’s terms that can be implemented with ease. This presentation breaks a seemingly complex issue into the most basic terms and delineates the differences between service animals, emotional support animals, and therapy animals as well as how their access rights differ. The presentation culminates with various scenarios in which service animals should and should not be transported in the ambulance with the patient.