Hatzolah, which means “salvation” in Hebrew, is the name of volunteer emergency medical services created in many Jewish communities to augment the existing emergency services. Hatzolah’s original goal was to get a first aider to the scene of a medical emergency in 2 minutes or less so that initial intervention could occur promptly. A prompt response time often makes all the difference to a choking or heart attack victim.

In order to achieve speedy response time, Hatzolah developed a model of operations in which each volunteer responds directly to the scene of emergency, with an ambulance coming later, if it is needed. In this way CPR and other therapies can be started promptly thus diminishing the damage done by the occurrence.  Over the years, Hatzalah volunteers have obtained significant training and are now a widely respected EMS organization in many communities.