The Emergency Medical Services Division was incorporated into the Gretna Police Department in 1984. The Gretna Police Department EMS Division has an average response time of 1-3 minutes and averages approximately two hundred responses per month. The Division has a special advantage over private ambulance services because all members are trained as Police Officers. There are no delays on violent scenes caused by waiting for law enforcement officers to arrive.

The EMS Division consists of nine officers, whose qualifications range from Basic Emergency Medical Technician to the Paramedic Level. These officers are cross-trained as Police Officers. In addition, many officers are highly trained in various other types of rescue. All officers of the Division have anywhere from five years to twenty-five years experience in the emergency medical field. The Division also receives assistance from other officers of the Patrol Division who are Medical Technicians or First Responders; a mandatory requirement for all officers of the Department. The Division is supervised by a Commander and has a Secretary for billing purposes.

The Division is supplemented by a four-mill property tax passed by the residents of the City of Gretna, in addition to insurance collections and payments by non-residents.