A Mission-Driven EMS Agency Grounded in Community Commitment.
New Britain EMS is dedicated to caring for and educating the community. Fulfilling a role in providing emergency medical services and pre-hospital care to New Britain and the surrounding communities.
NBEMS is the 9-1-1 Advanced Life Support provider for the City of New Britain. Our teams are the doers—providing sophisticated care, treatment, and medical transportation 24/7/365.
NBEMS training/education/community outreach faculty are the educators, preparing professionals, volunteers, and organizations to care for the sick and injured with outcomes-based clinical skills to save lives and prevent suffering.
New Britain EMS, Inc. is a 501c3 nonprofit organization.
New Britain, Connecticut, lies just nine miles southwest of Hartford. Its 73,000 residents and visitors to this region of soft rolling hills and young forests are served by New Britain EMS, one of the first grant-funded emergency medical services organizations in the country. Founded in 1977, the service annually responds to nearly 18,000 9–1–1 requests and transports 14,000 patients.
Emphasis on company culture is a driving force at NBEMS. The core values of Community, Team, Service, Caring, and Excellence are reinforced at every opportunity. Teams works closely and embrace a commitment to personal and group excellence. The office space for medics, a comfortable, open area, fosters collaboration and sharing. Senior staff’s offices are nearby and on-duty leaders are always accessible to the teams.
“New Britain EMS is proud to foster a strong organizational culture rooted in our core values, with community as the cornerstone of everything we do. We are committed to the health and life safety of the community we serve and recognize our role as a high-reliability organization, dedicated to delivering safe, consistent, and high-quality care,” said Ciardullo. “Our team embraces just culture principles, promoting accountability, continuous learning, and a supportive environment. Through education, training, and a focus on continuous improvement, we strive every day to better serve our community and advance the mission of EMS.”
From the early days of their employment, team members experiment, acquire valuable experience, and grow—both as people and as practitioners. Honest mistakes are not to be feared, provided they are made with a commitment to ongoing personal and professional development. From adopting best practices for medics to mobile integrated health, NBEMS is an ambulance service committed to improving itself, and by extension, the quality of care provided to its patients and the community.
Recognized for its Clinical Quality Improvement Program
New Britain EMS is a proud, repeat recipient of the American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline® Gold Plus award—national recognition for excellence in implementing quality improvement measures in the treatment of patients experiencing severe heart attacks (STEMI). This year, we are honored to have also earned the Mission: Lifeline® EMS Gold Award with Target: Stroke Honor Roll, recognizing our commitment to timely, evidence-based care for stroke patients as well.
Our Quality Improvement (QI) highlights showcase how an ambulance service can make a meaningful impact on community health far beyond transport alone. Chief Ciardullo emphasizes the importance of anticipating future challenges to ensure continuous advancement. “While reviewing run reports and reflecting on past calls is valuable,” Ciardullo explains, “the true strength of a rigorous QI program lies in its ability to identify and address issues before they arise.”That commitment to quality is evident throughout our operations—from a data-driven QI framework to equipping our stations and ambulances with some of the most advanced medical technology available. Tools like LUCAS CPR devices, EZ-IO drills, and video laryngoscopes represent strategic investments that have improved patient outcomes and expanded the capabilities of our field medics.
Care and Training for the Caregivers
Leadership looks beyond supporting professional expertise to recognizing the needs of team members as holistic people. In the face of a growing national awareness of EMS suicide and depression, Chief Ciardullo is spearheading the effort to incorporate mental health into QI metrics. Holding a master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and a Nationally Certified Counseler, Chief Ciardullo and the leadership team are researching innovative, evidence-based methods to tackle the issue of post-traumatic stress at work. When hiring new employees, NBEMS emphasizes finding the right candidate, one able to fit into this distinct organizational culture. New-hires complete a four-phase, 12–week training program with Field Training Officers [FTOs] before assignment to a specific crew and then release to work on their own. Chief Ciardullo highlights how important it is to impart early on NBEMS culture and procedures to a new employee and FTOs are vital to this education. This combination of great training, a solid hiring process, and a strong organizational culture has raised the average tenure of a fulltime NBEMS employee to 7.5 years and more than ten years for senior leadership.
Proud Member of the American Ambulance Association for 20 Years
“The AAA is a valued partner behind the scenes,” said Chief Ciardullo. “Their Employee Assistance Program, national purchasing opportunities, and access to expert guidance have delivered real, measurable value for our organization year after year.”
New Britain EMS also plays an active role in the AAA’s national advocacy efforts, particularly in advancing critical reimbursement legislation. These efforts are essential to ensuring long-term sustainability for smaller EMS agencies—like New Britain—that serve as lifelines to their communities.
