Emergency services and medical transport
Push-to-talk for EMS and medical transport
Crews spread across a county, volunteers who respond from wherever they are, and transport vehicles running all day. Managed Zello gives them wide-area push-to-talk over cellular and Wi-Fi, alongside your primary radio system and not in place of it.
Short answer
Does this replace our primary radio system?
The problem
What gets in the way
Public safety radio is built for its job, but it does not reach everyone who needs to talk. Volunteers may not carry an agency radio when they are off duty. Coverage thins out at the edge of a county, and a mutual aid partner may be on a different system. Medical transport operators have a different problem: dispatchers spend the day on the phone with drivers, and a single late pickup can upset an entire schedule. Buying and maintaining more conventional radios is expensive, and tying up phones is slow.
How we set it up
How the channels are set up
We set up channels around how your service runs: a crew channel per station or zone, a supervisors channel, and shared channels for partners you work with.
Volunteers can use a rugged radio or Zello Work on a phone. Dispatch runs on a Zello Dispatch Hub seat on a PC or Mac, and sees people on a live map. For medical transport, a dispatcher reaches one driver or all of them with a single press, and drivers can send a photo of paperwork rather than calling it in. Coverage comes from a multi-carrier SIM and Wi-Fi, and we check it against your service area first. Where you need to bridge to an existing radio system, the Zello radio gateway can link selected channels, which we scope with you. On Managed Zello Plus, Message Vault keeps a searchable record of traffic, subject to your retention and privacy policies.
Example channels and calls
What each channel sounds like
Sample logistics, supervisor and non-emergency transport traffic. Zello does not replace 911, CAD or your primary radio.
Station 2 crewCrew members at that station
“Truck checks are done at Station 2. We need more gloves on the next supply run.”
SupervisorsShift and duty supervisors
“Saturday’s fair is short by two. Can anyone from Station 4 cover?”
LogisticsSupply and fleet staff
“Supply van leaves at nine. Call in anything you need from the warehouse before then.”
Partner agenciesShared with partner agencies for planned events
“Parade staging moved to the high school lot. Partner crews, check in there at eight.”
Transport dispatchDispatch and non-emergency drivers
“Van 6, your 11:15 pickup moved to 11:45. Same address.”
Wheelchair vansWheelchair van drivers and dispatch
“Van 3 is finished at the clinic and ready for the next pickup.”
Typical use cases
Where it gets used day to day
Volunteer squad coordination away from the station
Supervisor and logistics traffic off the primary channel
Mutual aid and multi-agency events
Backup communication when a primary channel is busy
Non-emergency medical transport dispatch
Wheelchair van and stretcher pickups
Facility-to-facility transfers
Coverage reach beyond the edge of a county system
The radios
A typical service setup
Crews usually carry the rugged Telox TE320 or the Inrico S380, vehicles take the Inrico TM-7Plus with a palm microphone, and anyone needing a phone as well carries the Sonim XP5plus. A Zello Dispatch Hub seat puts dispatch on a PC or Mac with a live map, and Managed Zello Core includes live location for every device.
If you need to link an existing system, start with radio interoperability. See business two-way radios for every handheld and vehicle option.
Handheld radio
Telox TE320
A rugged, IP68 radio with a color screen and a two-day battery.
$259.00
Handheld radio
Inrico S380
For supervisors and patrols who need a screen, a keypad and NFC check-in.
$360.00
Vehicle and mobile
Inrico TM-7Plus
A cab-mounted radio with a touchscreen, a 20 W speaker and camera inputs.
$299.00
Rugged PTT device
Sonim XP5plus
Feels like a radio, runs the Zello app. Physical buttons, no hunting on a screen.
$499.00
Recommended solution
What we would recommend
Managed Zello Core on rugged radios suits most transport fleets and volunteer squads, with a Dispatch Hub seat for the dispatcher. Services that need a searchable record or alerts with location often choose Plus. It supplements your 911, CAD and primary radio systems.
Questions
Questions emergency and transport teams ask us
What chiefs, operations managers and dispatchers want to know first.
Is Managed Zello a replacement for 911 or our primary radio?
No. It does not replace 911, CAD, or the public safety radio system your agency is required to use. It adds wide-area push-to-talk for coordination and for people who do not carry an agency radio. Emergency Alerts on Plus are not a substitute for 911 or code-required life-safety systems.
What happens if the cellular network is down?
Zello needs a data connection, so a network outage can affect it. A multi-carrier SIM helps by using more than one network, and Wi-Fi is another path, but this is why it should sit alongside your primary system rather than replace it. We check coverage across your service area first.
Can we connect to our existing radios?
Often, yes, with the right equipment. The Zello radio gateway can link selected channels to an existing system. We confirm the specific system and equipment before quoting.
Can volunteers use their own phones?
Yes. Zello Work runs on iOS and Android, so volunteers can use a compatible phone, and you can issue rugged radios to those who need them. Everyone is on the same channels.
Can patient information go over a channel?
Ask us before you plan on it. Whether patient details can be shared depends on your privacy policies, how the account is configured and the agreements in place, so review it with your compliance lead during setup. A common approach is to use run numbers and keep clinical detail off the channel.
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