Birmingham Regional Emergency Medical Services System

What Birmingham Regional Emergency Medical Services System does

Birmingham Regional Emergency Medical Services System (BREMSS) is a regional EMS coordination agency headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, operating as an administrative component of the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Health System with policy direction from a board representing local governments, hospitals, physicians, nurses, and EMS providers. BREMSS coordinates pre-hospital emergency medical care across seven counties in north-central Alabama—Blount, Chilton, Jefferson, St. Clair, Shelby, Walker, and Winston—serving more than 200 EMS organizations, 2,500+ EMS personnel, 15 hospitals (including 9 trauma centers, 11 stroke centers, and 8 STEMI hospitals), and 80+ municipalities. Its operational backbone is a 24/7/365 Trauma Communication Center (TCC) that links field providers with the appropriate receiving facility in real time, supplemented by a LINC radio interoperability system and a Regional CQI Plan Template for quality improvement across ALS and BLS providers.

The organization's commercial and educational footprint is anchored by its role as an American Heart Association (AHA) Training Center—one of the largest in Alabama with 800+ BLS, 150+ ACLS, and 120+ PALS instructors—and as an American Red Cross Licensed Training Provider. Core offerings include Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) courses ($695–$995 per enrollment), Emergency Vehicle Operator Course (EVOC), AHA CPR/ACLS/BLS/PALS certifications (offered at no cost to regional EMS personnel in eligible counties), EMS Provider education (EMR/EMT/AEMT), the Alabama EMS Challenge continuing education program, and an eLearning system delivering Alabama Protocol Training and NCCR modules. Since enrolling its first trauma patient on October 2, 1996, BREMSS has placed 44,746+ trauma patients in the system and contributed to a documented 12% reduction in regional trauma mortality.

BREMSS generates revenue through three streams: course and certification fees, voluntary hospital contributions from the regional hospital network, and administrative/institutional funding from UAB. Distribution occurs through in-person training at its Birmingham facility, an online eLearning LMS (course issuance via credential.net), channel partnerships with community colleges and the Alabama Fire College, and the AHA instructor network. Leadership oversight is provided by Executive Director Michael Minor (BBA, NRP), Medical Director William Ferguson, MD, and Education & Provider Services Manager Brian Gober. The organization was recognized nationally in 2006 with the Mitretek/Harvard Innovations Award for Homeland Security and operates without venture capital or private equity backing.

Name

Birmingham Regional Emergency Medical Services System

Legal name

Birmingham Regional Emergency Medical Services System

Website

https://bremss.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

BREMSS is a regional EMS coordination agency operating as an administrative component of UAB Health System, coordinating pre-hospital emergency medical care, training, and trauma/stroke/STEMI patient routing across seven counties in north-central Alabama for 200+ EMS agencies, 15 hospitals, and 2,500+ EMS personnel.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Emergency Medical Services Coordination

NAICS

All Other Schools and Instruction (61169), Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Search & Rescue (Urban/Water/Wilderness) Coordination (HLAJAGAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Environmental, Health & Safety / Sustainability (EHS, Environmental Compliance CE) (EDAAALAO)

Keywords

• Emergency medical services
• EMS system coordination
• Medical training programs
• Trauma care coordination
• First responder education

Headquarters

HQ city

Birmingham

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Healthcare Education Services: Course fees for ATLS, EVOC, AHA instructor courses, and other EMS education programs. Revenue generated from registration fees for training courses offered to EMS providers and healthcare professionals.
2. Government/Institutional Funding: Administrative funding from University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB Health System) with policy direction provided by a Board representing local governments, hospitals, physicians, and EMS provider groups.
3. Hospital Contributions: Voluntary funding from hospitals in the BREMSS region to support trauma system operations. Hospital contributions fund the regional trauma, stroke, and STEMI systems.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

BREMSS is a regional emergency medical services coordination agency serving seven counties in North Central Alabama. It delivers EMS system coordination, training and education (including AHA, EVOC, ATLS, and PHTLS courses), and quality improvement oversight for EMS providers, agencies, and hospitals in its service region. The organization is administratively a component of the UAB Health System.

Product overview

BREMSS operates as a regional EMS coordination and training organization serving seven counties in north-central Alabama. The organization provides a comprehensive suite of education and training services centered around its role as an American Heart Association (AHA) Training Center and American Red Cross Licensed Training Provider. Core offerings include ATLS (Advanced Trauma Life Support) courses, EVOC (Emergency Vehicle Operator Course), CPR/AED/First Aid training, EMS provider education (EMR, EMT, AEMT), and the Alabama EMS Challenge continuing education program. The BREMSS eLearning System delivers online courses including Alabama Protocol Training and NCCR training series. Additional services include the 24/7 Trauma Communication Center (TCC) for coordinating patient routing to trauma, stroke, and STEMI centers, and the BREMSS EMS Provider Program offering no-cost AHA cards to regional EMS personnel. The organization also facilitates Advanced Burn Life Support courses in partnership with UAB Division of Acute Care Surgery.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Regional EMS System Coordination
• AHA Training Center Courses
• EVOC (Emergency Vehicle Operator Course)
• ATLS (Advanced Trauma Life Support)
• PHTLS (Prehospital Trauma Life Support)
• eLearning Platform
• TCC (Trauma Care Coordination)

Quantifiable outcome

• 12% reduction in trauma deaths documented since trauma system inception in 1996
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• American Heart Association (AHA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBREMSS is an officially established AHA Training Center authorized to conduct both Instructor and Provider Training Courses for ACLS, BLS, PALS, PEARS, and Heartsaver courses. BREMSS is one of the largest AHA Training Centers in Alabama with over 800 BLS Instructors, 150 ACLS Instructors, and 120 PALS Instructors.
• American Red Cross (ARC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBREMSS is officially established by the American Red Cross to conduct provider and instructor training across many ARC disciplines. Accepting new and transfer instructors into the ARC Training Center.
• ADPH Office of EMScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerADPH Office of EMS provides LINC radio interoperability initiative through BREMSS, strengthening communication between EMS provider services, regional staff, ADPH OEMS staff, and the Alabama Trauma Communications Center. ADPH authorized BREMSS to approve education within the region.
• Bevill State Community CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner EMS education program in the BREMSS region providing Emergency Medical Services training programs.
• Jefferson State Community CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner EMS education program providing Emergency Medical Services training within the BREMSS region.
• Alabama Fire CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner providing EMS training programs and recognized for apparatus operator courses used by EMS providers in Alabama.
• Regional Training InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner EMS education program (RPS Education) providing training within the BREMSS region.
• UAB Medical WestcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUAB Health System component providing administrative home for BREMSS. BREMSS is administratively a component of UAB Health System.
• BREMSS Board (County Representatives)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPolicy direction provided by Board with representation from Blount, Chilton, Jefferson, St. Clair, Shelby, Walker, and Winston counties, including local governments, hospitals, physicians, nurses, and EMS provider groups.
• American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerACEP partners with NAEMT on EMS Week activities to encourage nationwide recognition of EMS professionals. Dr. Bruce Burns serves as Alabama ACEP representative on BREMSS Board.
• National Associations of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNAEMT partners with ACEP on EMS Week to encourage nationwide recognition of EMS professionals. NAEMT President Susan Bailey cited in EMS Week communications.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• ZOLL Medical: Major provider of defibrillators, monitors, and EMS resuscitation equipment used by EMS providers. Comparable as a supplier of mission-critical EMS technology into the same provider ecosystem that BREMSS trains and coordinates.

Emerging players

• National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT): National EMS professional association that partners with BREMSS on EMS Week and provides curriculum frameworks used in EMS education. Comparable as a national EMS education and membership body in the same ecosystem.
• ESO Solutions: Provides EMS, fire, and hospital data and quality improvement software used by regional EMS systems. Comparable as a technology vendor that supports the data and CQI side of regional EMS coordination — adjacent to BREMSS's CQI plan and TCC operations.
• ImageTrend: Specializes in EMS, fire, and trauma registry software used by many state and regional EMS authorities. Comparable as a tech vendor enabling the data and reporting backbone of regional EMS systems like BREMSS.

Broad incumbents

• American Heart Association (AHA): Owner of the BLS/ACLS/PALS curricula that BREMSS delivers as one of Alabama's largest Training Centers. Comparable as the incumbent, brand-owning entity in the EMS/healthcare certification space in which BREMSS operates.
• American Red Cross: National training provider and owner of CPR/First Aid curricula delivered through BREMSS's Licensed Training Provider program. Comparable incumbent in the same health-and-safety certification category.

Direct peers

• North Central Texas Trauma Regional Advisory Council (NCTTRAC): Texas trauma service area regional advisory council coordinating EMS, hospitals, and emergency response across a multi-county region. Mirrors BREMSS's role as a multi-county trauma/EMS coordinator.
• Southeast Texas Regional Advisory Council (SETRAC): Regional trauma and EMS coordination body covering 25+ counties in Southeast Texas. Directly comparable to BREMSS in operating regional trauma, stroke, and STEMI systems, coordinating hospitals and EMS providers, and delivering system-level outcomes.
• Central Texas Trauma Regional Advisory Council (CTTRAC): Regional advisory council coordinating trauma and emergency healthcare across Central Texas counties. Comparable to BREMSS as a multi-county trauma/EMS coordination entity with hospital and provider network stewardship.

Regional players

• Alabama Department of Public Health - Office of EMS: State-level regulator and convener for EMS in Alabama that authorizes BREMSS to approve regional education and provides the LINC radio system. Comparable as the state-level authority with overlapping EMS coordination and regulatory responsibilities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/EMSdocFerg
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC9gOMb7AmG0-WvfPDIkrh7g
• Facebookfacebook.com/BirminghamRegionalEMS

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Birmingham Regional Emergency Medical Services System