EMS Emergency Medical Services Corp

Use these links to rapidly review the document
TABLE OF CONTENTS

Table of Contents

UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

SCHEDULE 14A

Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (Amendment No. 2)

Table of Contents

PRELIMINARY COPY—SUBJECT TO COMPLETION, DATED APRIL 18, 2011

6200 South Syracuse Way, Suite 200
Greenwood, Colorado 80111

April [      ] , 2011

Dear Emergency Medical Services Corporation Stockholder:

        We cordially invite you to attend the special meeting of stockholders of Emergency Medical Services Corporation, a Delaware corporation, which we refer to as the Company, at             on                                         , 2011, at           a.m., local time.

        At the special meeting, you will be asked to consider and vote upon a proposal to adopt an Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of February 13, 2011, which we refer to as the "merger agreement", by and among the Company, CDRT Acquisition Corporation, a Delaware corporation, which we refer to as Parent, and CDRT Merger Sub, Inc., a Delaware corporation and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Parent, which we refer to as Merger Sub. Parent and Merger Sub were formed by Clayton, Dubilier & Rice Fund VIII, L.P., a Cayman Islands exempted partnership. Under the terms of the merger agreement, Merger Sub will be merged with and into the Company, which we refer to as the "merger", with the Company continuing as the surviving corporation.

        If the merger is completed, each share of the Company's Class A common stock, par value $0.01 per share, and Class B common stock, par value $0.01 per share (which we refer to collectively as common stock), other than as provided below, will be converted into the right to receive $64.00 in cash, without interest and less any applicable withholding taxes. We refer to this consideration per share of common stock to be paid in the merger as the "merger consideration". The following shares of Company common stock will not be converted into the right to receive the merger consideration in connection with the merger: (a) shares held by any of our stockholders who are entitled to and who properly exercise appraisal rights under the Delaware General Corporation Law, (b) treasury shares and (c) shares held by Parent or Merger Sub.

         Our board of directors has unanimously approved the merger agreement and the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement, including the merger, has determined that the merger agreement is advisable, fair to and in the best interest of our stockholders, and recommends that you vote "FOR" the adoption of the merger agreement.

        In considering the recommendation of the board of directors, you should be aware that some of the Company's directors and executive officers have interests in the merger that are different from, or in addition to, the interests of its stockholders generally.

        Certain affiliates of Onex Corporation, a corporation existing under the laws of Canada (which we refer to as Onex, and which affiliates we collectively refer to as the Onex Affiliates), own all of the outstanding exchangeable limited partnership units of Emergency Medical Services L.P. (which we refer to as EMS LP), and hold approximately 81.5% of the total voting power of the Company's capital stock. The Onex Affiliates have entered into an agreement with Parent, Merger Sub, the Company, EMS LP, and Onex pursuant to which they have agreed to vote in favor of the adoption of the merger agreement.

        The accompanying proxy statement provides you with detailed information about the proposed merger and the special meeting. We encourage you to read the entire proxy statement and the merger agreement carefully. A copy of the merger agreement is attached as Annex A to the accompanying proxy statement. You may also obtain more information about the Company from documents we have filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Table of Contents

         Whether or not you plan to attend the special meeting, we urge you to submit a proxy for your shares by completing, signing, dating and returning the enclosed proxy card as promptly as possible in the postage-paid envelope or submitting your proxy by telephone or the Internet prior to the special meeting. If your shares of common stock are held in "street name" by your broker, bank or other nominee, you should instruct your broker, bank or other nominee on how to vote your shares of common stock using the instructions provided by your broker, bank or other nominee. If you attend the special meeting, you may vote in person by ballot even if you have already submitted a proxy by proxy card, telephone or the Internet. Such vote by ballot will revoke any proxy you previously submitted. However, if you hold your shares through a broker, bank or other nominee, you must provide a legal proxy issued by such nominee in order to vote your shares in person at the special meeting.

        Our board of directors appreciates your continuing support of the Company and urges you to support the merger.

Sincerely,

William A. Sanger
Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer

         Neither the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities regulatory agency has approved or disapproved the merger, passed upon the merits or fairness of the merger or passed upon the adequacy or accuracy of the disclosure in this document or the accompanying proxy statement. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

        The proxy statement is dated [                                               ] , 2011 and is first being mailed to stockholders on or about [                                               ] , 2011.

Table of Contents

PRELIMINARY COPY—SUBJECT TO COMPLETION, DATED APRIL 18, 2011

6200 South Syracuse Way, Suite 200
Greenwood, Colorado 80111

NOTICE OF SPECIAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS TO BE HELD ON [                        ], 2011

Dear Emergency Medical Services Corporation Stockholder:

        NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a special meeting of stockholders of Emergency Medical Services Corporation, a Delaware corporation, which we refer to as the Company, will be held on [                                    ] , 2011 at [          ]  a.m., local time, at [                                    ] to:

        (1)   consider and vote upon a proposal to adopt the Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of February 13, 2011, as it may be amended from time to time (which we refer to as the merger agreement), by and among the Company, CDRT Acquisition Corporation, a Delaware corporation (which we refer to as Parent), and CDRT Merger Sub, Inc., a Delaware corporation and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Parent (which we refer to as Merger Sub), attached as Annex A to the accompanying proxy statement; and

        (2)   approve the adjournment of the special meeting, if necessary or appropriate, to solicit additional proxies if there are insufficient votes at the time of the special meeting to adopt the merger agreement.

        Only stockholders of record of our Class A common stock, par value $0.01 per share (which we refer to as Class A common stock), Class B common stock, par value $0.01 per share (which we refer to as Class B common stock, and together with the Class A common stock, as the common stock) and our Class B Special Voting Stock, par value $0.01 per share (which we refer to as the Class B special voting share), at the close of business on March 21, 2011 are entitled to notice of and to vote at the special meeting and at any and all adjournments or postponements thereof.

        Only stockholders of record and their proxies are invited to attend the special meeting in person.

        The adoption of the merger agreement requires the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the voting power of the Company's outstanding common stock and the Class B special voting share, voting together as a single class of capital stock. Certain affiliates of Onex Corporation, a corporation existing under the laws of Canada (which we refer to as Onex, and which affiliates we collectively refer to as the Onex Affiliates), own all of the outstanding exchangeable limited partnership units of Emergency Medical Services L.P. (which we refer to as EMS LP), and hold approximately 81.5% of the total voting power of the Company's capital stock. The Onex Affiliates have entered into an agreement with Parent, Merger Sub, the Company, EMS LP, and Onex pursuant to which they have agreed to vote in favor of the adoption of the merger agreement.

         Whether or not you plan to attend the special meeting, we urge you to submit a proxy for your shares by completing, signing, dating and returning the proxy card as promptly as possible in the postage-paid envelope or submitting your proxy by telephone or the Internet prior to the special meeting to ensure that your shares will be represented at the special meeting. If you sign, date and mail your proxy card without indicating how you wish to vote, your proxy will be voted in favor of the adoption of the merger agreement and the proposal to adjourn the special meeting, if necessary or appropriate, to solicit additional proxies. If you fail to return your proxy card or fail to submit your proxy by telephone or the Internet and do not vote in person at the special meeting, it will have the

Table of Contents

same effect as a vote against the adoption of the merger agreement for purposes of the stockholder approval, but will have no effect for purposes of any vote regarding adjournment of the special meeting. If your shares of common stock are held in "street name" by your broker, bank or other nominee, you should instruct your broker, bank or other nominee on how to vote your shares of common stock using the instructions provided by your broker, bank or other nominee. Any stockholder attending the special meeting may vote in person by ballot even if he or she has already submitted a proxy by proxy card, telephone or the Internet. Such vote by ballot will revoke any proxy previously submitted. However, if you hold your shares through a bank or broker or other nominee, you must provide a legal proxy issued from such custodian in order to vote your shares in person at the special meeting.

        Any stockholders of the Company who do not vote in favor of the adoption of the merger agreement will have the right to seek appraisal of the fair value of their shares of our common stock in lieu of the per share merger consideration if the merger contemplated by the merger agreement is completed, but only if they submit a written demand for appraisal of their shares before the taking of the vote on the merger agreement at the special meeting and they comply with all requirements of the Delaware General Corporation Law for exercising appraisal rights, which are summarized in the accompanying proxy statement.

By Order of the Board of Directors,
Todd G. Zimmerman Secretary
[                                    ], 2011

         PLEASE DO NOT SEND YOUR STOCK CERTIFICATES AT THIS TIME. IF THE MERGER IS COMPLETED, YOU WILL BE SENT INSTRUCTIONS REGARDING THE SURRENDER OF YOUR STOCK CERTIFICATES.

Table of Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT CONCERNING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION

        This proxy statement and the documents to which we refer you in this proxy statement include statements based on estimates and assumptions that may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. There are forward-looking statements throughout this proxy statement, including, under the headings " Summary Term Sheet ", " Questions and Answers about the Merger and the Special Meeting ", " The Merger ", " The Merger—Opinion of Goldman, Sachs & Co. ", " The Merger—Certain Effects of the Merger ", " The Merger—Certain Projections ", " The Merger—Governmental and Regulatory Approvals ", and " The Merger—Litigation Related to the Merger ", and in statements containing words such as "believes", "plans", "estimates", "anticipates", "intends", "continues", "contemplates", "expects", "may", "will", "could", "should" or "would" or other similar words or phrases. These statements reflect management's current views with respect to future events and are not guarantees of the underlying expected actions or our future performance and may involve risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual growth, results of operations, performance and prospects to materially differ from those expressed in, or implied by, these statements. These and other factors are discussed in the documents that are incorporated by reference in this proxy statement, including our annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2010, as amended. In addition to other factors and matters contained or incorporated in this document, these statements are subject to risks, uncertainties, and other factors, including, among others:

•

the failure to obtain stockholder approval of the merger agreement or the failure to satisfy other closing conditions, including regulatory approvals, with respect to the merger;



•

the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstances that could give rise to the termination of the merger agreement;



•

Parent's failure to obtain the necessary debt financing arrangements set forth in the debt commitment letter received in connection with the merger;



•

risks that the proposed transaction disrupts current plans and operations, and the potential challenges for employee retention as a result of the merger;



•

business uncertainty and contractual restrictions during the pendency of the merger;



•

the diversion of management's attention from ongoing business concerns;



•

the possible effect of the announcement of the merger on our customer and supplier relationships, operating results and business generally;



•

the outcome of legal proceedings instituted against the Company and/or others relating to the merger agreement;



•

the amount of the costs, fees, expenses and charges related to the merger; and



•

other risks detailed in our current filings with the SEC, including our most recent filing on Form 10-K. See " Where You Can Find More Information " beginning on page 94.

        Many of the factors that will determine our future results are beyond our ability to control or predict. We cannot guarantee any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. In light of the significant uncertainties inherent in the forward-looking statements, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date on which the statements were made and it should not be assumed that the statements remain accurate as of any future date. Moreover, we assume no obligation to update forward-looking statements or update the reasons that actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in forward-looking statements, except as required by law.

        You should carefully consider the cautionary statements contained or referred to in this section in connection with any subsequent forward-looking statements that may be issued by us or persons acting on our behalf.

i

Table of Contents

EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES CORPORATION

SPECIAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
TO BE HELD [                                                   ], 2011

PROXY STATEMENT

        This proxy statement contains information related to a special meeting of stockholders of Emergency Medical Services Corporation which will be held at [          ]  a.m., local time, on [                                  ] , 2011, at [                                      ] and any adjournments or postponements thereof, which we refer to as the special meeting. We are furnishing this proxy statement to stockholders of Emergency Medical Services Corporation as part of the solicitation of proxies by the Company's board of directors for use at the special meeting. This proxy statement is dated [                                   ] , 2011 and is first being mailed to stockholders on or about [                                  ] , 2011.

SUMMARY TERM SHEET

This Summary Term Sheet, together with the "Questions and Answers About the Merger and the Special Meeting", highlights selected information in this proxy statement and may not contain all of the information about the merger that is important to you. We encourage you to read carefully this entire proxy statement, its annexes and the documents we refer to or incorporate by reference in this proxy statement. Each item in this Summary Term Sheet includes a page reference directing you to a more complete description of that topic. See "Where You Can Find More Information" beginning on page 94. In this proxy statement, the terms "EMSC", the "Company", "we", "our" and "us" refer to Emergency Medical Services Corporation and its subsidiaries, unless the context requires otherwise. We refer to CDRT Acquisition Corporation as Parent, and CDRT Merger Sub, Inc. as Merger Sub. We refer to Clayton Dubilier & Rice Fund VIII, L.P., a Cayman Islands exempted limited partnership, as CD&R Fund VIII. We refer to Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, as CD&R. We refer to Emergency Medical Services L.P., a Delaware limited partnership, as EMS LP. We refer to Onex Corporation, a corporation existing under the laws of Canada, as Onex, and to its affiliates that own all of the exchangeable limited partnership interests of EMS LP as the Onex Affiliates. When we refer to the merger agreement, we mean the Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of February 13, 2011, among Parent, Merger Sub and the Company.

The Parties to the Merger (page 19)

        EMSC, a Delaware corporation headquartered in Greenwood Village, Colorado, is a leading provider of emergency medical services in the United States. EMSC operates two business segments: American Medical Response, Inc., which we refer to as AMR, the Company's medical transportation services segment, and EmCare Holdings Inc., which we refer to as EmCare, the Company's outsourced facility-based physician services segment. AMR is the leading provider of ambulance services in the United States. EmCare is a leading provider of outsourced physician services to healthcare facilities. In 2010, EMSC provided services in approximately 14 million patient encounters in more than 2,000 communities nationwide.

        Parent is currently a wholly-owned subsidiary of CD&R Fund VIII, an affiliate of CD&R. Merger Sub is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Parent. Both Parent and Merger Sub were formed solely for the purpose of entering into the merger agreement described below and consummating the transactions

1

Table of Contents

contemplated by the merger agreement. Neither Parent nor Merger Sub has engaged in any business except activities incidental to its formation and in connection with the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement.

        The Onex Affiliates own all of the exchangeable limited partnership interests of EMS LP, which we refer to as LP exchangeable units. These LP exchangeable units represent approximately 31.0% of the Company's total equity and approximately 81.5% of the total voting power of the Company's capital stock. The Onex Affiliates have entered into an agreement with Parent, Merger Sub, the Company, EMS LP and Onex in which they have agreed to vote all of their interests in favor of the adoption of the merger agreement.

The Merger (page 59)

        You are being asked to adopt the merger agreement. The merger agreement provides for the merger of Merger Sub with and into EMSC, which we refer to as the merger. After the merger, EMSC will continue as the surviving corporation and as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Parent. Upon completion of the merger, EMSC will cease to be a publicly traded company, and you will cease to have any rights in EMSC as a stockholder.

        Following and as a result of the merger, Company stockholders (other than any members of our management team who may have the opportunity to invest in Parent and who choose to make this investment) will no longer have any interest in, and will no longer be stockholders of, the Company, and will not participate in any of the Company's future earnings or growth. Shares of our Class A common stock, par value $0.01 per share, which we refer to as the Class A common stock will no longer be listed on the New York Stock Exchange, or NYSE, price quotations with respect to shares of the Class A common stock will no longer be available, and the registration of shares of the Class A common stock under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, will be terminated.

Merger Consideration (page 61)

        If the merger is completed, each share of Class A common stock, and of our Class B common stock, par value $0.01 per share, which we refer to as the Class B common stock, and together with the Class A common stock, as the common stock, other than as provided below, will be cancelled and converted into the right to receive the $64.00 per share merger consideration in cash, without interest and less any withholding or other applicable taxes. We refer to this consideration per share of common stock to be paid in the merger as the merger consideration. As provided in the unitholders agreement (as defined and described below under " The Merger—Unitholders Agreement "), the holders of LP exchangeable units will exchange their LP exchangeable units for shares of Class B common stock immediately prior to the effective time of the merger. The single issued and outstanding share of EMSC's Class B special voting stock, which we refer to as the Class B special voting share, will be converted into the right to receive $1.00 in cash, without interest and less any applicable withholding taxes. The following shares of common stock will not be converted into the right to receive the merger consideration in connection with the merger: (a) shares held by any of our stockholders who are entitled to and who properly exercise appraisal rights under the Delaware General Corporation Law, which we refer to as the DGCL, (b) treasury shares and (c) shares held by Parent or Merger Sub.

When the Merger is Expected to be Completed (page 60)

        We currently anticipate that the merger will be completed in the second quarter of 2011. However, there can be no assurances that the merger will be completed at all or, if completed, that it will be completed in the second quarter of 2011.

2

Table of Contents

Vote Required for Adoption of the Merger Agreement (page 56)

        The adoption of the merger agreement requires the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the voting power of the Company's outstanding common stock and the Class B special voting share voting together as a single class of capital stock, at a stockholders' meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof or acting by written consent, which we refer to as the stockholder approval. The Company does not expect to seek the stockholder approval of the merger agreement by written consent.

        The Onex Affiliates have agreed to vote their interests, which represent approximately 81.5% of the voting power of our capital stock, "FOR" the adoption of the merger agreement.

Unitholders Agreement (page 46)

        On February 13, 2011 the Onex Affiliates, as the holders of all of the LP exchangeable units, entered into a unitholders agreement, which we refer to as the unitholders agreement, with Parent, Merger Sub, EMS LP, and Onex, as trustee on behalf of the Onex Affiliates. Pursuant to the unitholders agreement, the Onex Affiliates, among other things, (i) agreed to direct the vote of their respective interests in the Class B special voting share in favor of the adoption of the merger agreement, (ii) agreed to take all actions necessary to exchange all of the LP exchangeable units into Class B common stock immediately prior to the effective time of the merger and (iii) agreed, subject to certain exceptions, not to sell, transfer or encumber the LP exchangeable units, except by exchanging the LP exchangeable units into shares of Class B common stock immediately prior to the effective time of the merger.

        The unitholders agreement will terminate upon the earliest to occur of (i) termination of the merger agreement, (ii) the effective time of the merger or (iii) the mutual written consent of Parent and the Onex Affiliates.

        No fee or other consideration is being paid to Onex or any of its affiliates by Parent, Merger Sub, the Company, CD&R or any of their affiliates in connection with the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement, other than the payment of the merger consideration to the Onex Affiliates.

The Special Meeting (page 55)

        The special meeting will be held at [                          ] on                                    , 2011 starting at [          ] , local time. At the special meeting, you will be asked to, among other things, adopt the merger agreement. See " Questions and Answers About the Merger and the Special Meeting " beginning on page 13 and " The Special Meeting " beginning on page 55.

Recommendation of Our Board of Directors (page 55)

        Our board of directors unanimously:

•

approved and declared advisable the merger agreement and the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement, including the merger and the unitholders agreement;



•

determined that the merger agreement and the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement, including the merger and the unitholders agreement, are fair to and in the best interests of our stockholders; and



•

resolved to recommend that the stockholders of the Company adopt the merger agreement.

        For a discussion of the material factors considered by our board of directors in making its recommendation, see " The Merger—Purpose and Reasons for the Merger; Recommendation of Our Board of Directors ", beginning on page 26.

3

Table of Contents

         Our board of directors recommends that you vote "FOR" the proposal to adopt the merger agreement and "FOR" the adjournment of the special meeting, if necessary or appropriate, to solicit additional proxies.

Interests of the Company's Directors and Executive Officers in the Merger (page 47)

        In considering the recommendation of our board of directors, you should be aware that some of our directors and executive officers have interests in the merger that may be different from, or in addition to, your interests as a stockholder and that may present actual or potential conflicts of interest. These interests include, among others:

•

accelerated vesting of stock options, restricted shares and restricted share units;



•

the expected ownership of equity interests in Parent or its affiliates by our executive officers and other key employees after the completion of the merger, including through the possible rollover of options currently held by them (although no agreement with management has yet been reached);



•

the anticipated establishment of an equity-based compensation plan and grants of equity awards to our executive officers and other key employees after completion of the merger (although no agreement with management has yet been reached on the terms of any new equity plan);



•

continued indemnification and directors' and officers' liability insurance applicable to the period prior to completion of the merger;



•

severance payments and benefits if a qualifying termination of employment were to occur following the completion of the merger; and



•

the assumption by the surviving corporation of the employment agreements of certain of our executive officers upon the merger closing.

        Our board of directors was aware of these interests and considered them, among other matters, prior to making their determination to recommend the adoption of the merger agreement to our stockholders.

Opinion of Goldman, Sachs & Co. (page 30)

        Goldman, Sachs & Co., which we refer to as Goldman Sachs, delivered its opinion to the Company's board of directors that, as of February 13, 2011 and based upon and subject to the factors and assumptions set forth therein, the $64.00 per share of common stock in cash to be paid to the holders of outstanding shares of common stock (which, for purposes of the opinion, included shares of Class B common stock for which outstanding LP exchangeable units are to be exchanged prior to the effective time of the merger pursuant to the unitholders agreement) pursuant to the merger agreement was fair from a financial point of view to such holders.

        The full text of the written opinion of Goldman Sachs, dated February 13, 2011, which sets forth assumptions made, procedures followed, matters considered and limitations on the review undertaken in connection with the opinion, is attached to this proxy statement as Annex B . Goldman Sachs provided its opinion for the information and assistance of the Company's board of directors in connection with its consideration of the merger. The Goldman Sachs opinion is not a recommendation as to how any holder of the Company's common stock or other securities should vote with respect to the merger or any other matter. Pursuant to an engagement letter between the Company and Goldman Sachs, the Company has agreed to pay Goldman Sachs a transaction fee currently estimated to be approximately $12.95 million, $500,000 of which was payable upon execution of the merger agreement and the balance of which is payable upon completion of the merger.

4

Table of Contents

        We encourage our stockholders to read Goldman Sachs' opinion carefully and in its entirety. For a further discussion of Goldman Sachs' opinion, see " The Merger—Opinion of Goldman, Sachs & Co. " beginning on page 30.

Treatment of Stock Options, Restricted Shares and Restricted Share Units (page 47)

        Stock Options.     Under the merger agreement, we have agreed to adopt such resolutions and take such other actions as may be required so that each unexercised option granted under our equity incentive plans that represents the right to acquire our Class A common stock, whether vested or unvested, that is outstanding immediately prior to the effective time of the merger shall be canceled, and the holder thereof will be entitled to receive, with respect to each such option, on the date on which the effective time of the merger occurs, an amount in cash equal to (i) the excess, if any, of (A) the $64.00 per share merger consideration over (B) the exercise price per share of Class A common stock subject to the option, multiplied by (ii) the number of shares of Class A common stock subject to the option, without interest and less any applicable withholding taxes.

        In lieu of the cashout provision described in the preceding paragraph, and if mutually agreed by Parent and the holder of any stock option, such stock option shall cease, at the effective time of the merger, to represent a right to acquire shares of Class A common stock and shall be converted at the effective time of the merger into a fully vested and exercisable option to purchase common stock of Parent, pursuant to the terms more fully described on pages 47 and 48.

        Restricted Shares and RSUs.     Under the merger agreement, we have agreed to adopt such resolutions and take such other actions as may be required so that each outstanding share of restricted Class A common stock granted under our equity incentive plans, which we refer to as a restricted share, and each "phantom" or notional restricted share unit, which we refer to as an RSU, granted under our equity plans, that is outstanding immediately prior to the effective time of the merger shall be fully vested and, at the effective time of the merger, canceled and extinguished, and, in consideration thereof, the holder thereof will be entitled to receive, on the date on which the effective time of the merger occurs, with respect to each such restricted share or RSU, an amount in cash equal to $64.00, without interest and less any applicable withholding taxes.

Financing of the Merger (page 40)

        Parent has obtained an equity financing commitment from CD&R Fund VIII and Merger Sub has obtained debt financing commitments from the initial lenders (identified below under " —Debt Financing ") in connection with the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement in an aggregate amount of approximately $3.2 billion. These funds, in addition to the Company's cash, are expected to be sufficient to pay merger consideration in the amount of approximately $2.9 billion to our stockholders (including holders of the LP exchangeable units, which are exchangeable into shares of Class B common stock), to repay outstanding indebtedness and to pay fees and expenses in connection with the merger, the financing arrangements and the related transactions. These equity and debt financings are subject to the satisfaction of the conditions set forth in the commitment letters pursuant to which the financings will be provided.

        We believe that the amounts committed under the commitment letters will be sufficient to complete the merger, but we cannot assure you of that. Those amounts might be insufficient if, among other things, one or more of the parties to the commitment letters fails to fund the financing or if the conditions to such commitments are not met. Although obtaining the proceeds of any financing, including financing under the commitment letters, is not a condition to the completion of the merger, the failure of Parent and Merger Sub to obtain any portion of the committed financing (or alternative financing) is likely to result in the failure of the merger to be completed. In that case, Parent may be

5

Table of Contents

obligated to pay the Company a fee of $203,884,000, as described under " The Merger Agreement—Termination Fees ".

        Equity Financing.     Parent has received an equity commitment letter from CD&R Fund VIII to purchase common equity securities (or other equity interests permitted by the debt commitment letter) of Parent for an aggregate purchase price up to $900 million. In the event that Parent does not require all of the equity for which CD&R Fund VIII made a commitment, the $900 million equity commitment shall be reduced accordingly. CD&R Fund VIII expects to assign a portion of its equity funding obligations to one or more co-investment vehicles, which CD&R expects to form and manage for the purposes of this transaction. In addition, Parent expects the Company's management to make an equity investment at the effective time of the merger; while there has been no agreement as to the amount of any equity interests to be acquired by the Company's management, Parent estimates that this amount is likely to be between $20 million and $35 million. Any acquisition of equity interests by the Company's management would have the effect of reducing the amount of the equity financing required to be funded by CD&R Fund VIII.

        Debt Financing.     Merger Sub has received a debt commitment letter for debt financing in an aggregate principal amount of up to $2,675 million from Barclays Bank PLC, Deutsche Bank AG New York Branch, Deutsche Bank AG Cayman Islands Branch, Deutsche Bank Securities Inc., Bank of America, N.A., Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, Morgan Stanley Senior Funding, Inc., Royal Bank of Canada, RBC Capital Markets, UBS Loan Finance LLC, UBS Securities LLC, Citigroup Global Markets, Inc. and Natixis, comprised of a $1,375 million senior secured term loan facility (which amount may be increased by $65 million as more fully described in " The Merger—Financing of the Merger " below), a $350 million senior secured asset-based revolving credit facility, which is not currently expected to be drawn at the effective time of the merger other than with respect to the rolling or replacement of existing letters of credit, and up to $950 million of senior unsecured increasing rate loans under a senior unsecured credit facility.

        Financing Cooperation.     The Company has agreed to, and has agreed to cause its subsidiaries to, use reasonable best efforts to cause its and their representatives to, provide to Parent such cooperation reasonably requested by Parent and that is reasonably customary to assist Parent in obtaining debt financing in accordance with the terms of the debt commitment letter, as more fully described in " The Merger—Financing of the Merger " below. Parent has agreed to (i) reimburse the Company for its and its affiliates' documented reasonable out-of-pocket costs and expenses (including accountants' fees and reasonable attorneys' fees) incurred by the Company and its affiliates in connection with their cooperation with Parent's arrangement of financing and (ii) indemnify the Company, its subsidiaries, the Onex Affiliates, its controlled affiliates and its and their respective directors, officers, advisors and representatives, subject to certain exceptions, for any and all liabilities incurred by them in connection with the arrangement of financing and/or provision of certain information utilized in connection therewith, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law.

Governmental and Regulatory Approvals (page 54)

        Under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, as amended, or the HSR Act, the merger may not be completed until the Company and Parent each file a notification and report form under the HSR Act with the Federal Trade Commission, or the FTC, and the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice, or the DOJ, and the applicable waiting period has expired or been terminated. The notification and report forms under the HSR Act were filed with the FTC and DOJ on February 28, 2011 and the FTC granted early termination of the HSR waiting period on March 7, 2011.

        Due to the indirect change of ownership of EMCA Insurance Company, Ltd., which we refer to as EMCA Insurance, the Company's indirect subsidiary and captive insurance company, approval is also

6

Table of Contents

required by EMCA Insurance's domestic insurance regulator, the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority. Application for such approval was filed on February 24, 2011. The Cayman Islands Monetary Authority granted approval on March 1, 2011.

Accounting Treatment (page 43)

        The merger will be accounted for as a purchase transaction for financial accounting purposes.

Material United States Federal Income Tax Consequences (page 44)

        For U.S. federal income tax purposes, your receipt of cash in exchange for your shares of Company common stock in the merger generally will result in your recognizing gain or loss measured by the difference, if any, between the cash you receive in the merger (plus the amount, if any, of taxes withheld) and your tax basis in your shares of Company common stock. You should consult your tax advisor for a complete analysis of the effect of the merger on your U.S. federal, state, local and/or foreign taxes.

Restrictions on Solicitations of Other Offers and Change in Recommendation (page 68)

        The Company has agreed to cease and terminate any previous discussions or negotiations with respect to any "acquisition proposal" (as defined in " The Merger Agreement—Restrictions on Solicitations of Other Offers "). Subject to certain exceptions described below, we have agreed that we will not, nor will we authorize or permit any of our subsidiaries to, and we will direct our and their representatives not to, and we will not permit our officers, directors or the Onex Affiliates to, directly or indirectly:

•

initiate, solicit, knowingly encourage or facilitate (including by way of providing information) the submission or making of any requests, inquiries, proposals or offers that constitute or may reasonably be expected to lead to, any acquisition proposal;



•

engage in any discussions or negotiations with respect thereto or otherwise cooperate with or assist or participate in any of the foregoing; or



•

approve or recommend, or publicly propose to approve or recommend, an acquisition proposal, or enter into any confidentiality agreement, merger agreement, letter of intent or other agreement relating to an acquisition proposal (other than those confidentiality agreements described in the following paragraph) or enter into any agreement requiring the Company to fail to consummate the merger or breach its obligations under the merger agreement, or propose or agree to do any of the foregoing.

Notwithstanding the restrictions described above, if prior to obtaining the stockholder approval:

•

the Company receives an unsolicited written acquisition proposal from a third party that our board of directors determines in good faith to be bona fide;



•

such acquisition proposal did not result from a breach of the merger agreement; and



•

the board of directors determines in good faith, after consultation with its financial advisors and outside legal counsel, that such acquisition proposal constitutes or would be reasonably expected to result in a "superior proposal" (as defined in " The Merger Agreement—Restrictions on Solicitations of Other Offers ") and that the failure to take such action would be inconsistent with its fiduciary duties under Delaware law, then the Company may (upon written notice to Parent after any such determination by the board of directors):



•

enter into a confidentiality agreement in a form approved by Parent with the person making such acquisition proposal and furnish information with respect to the Company and our subsidiaries to such person; and

7

Table of Contents

•

participate in discussions or negotiations with the person or entity making such acquisition proposal.

        In addition, neither our board of directors nor any committee thereof is permitted to (i) withdraw or modify or publicly propose to withdraw or modify its recommendation that our stockholders adopt the merger agreement, (ii) approve or recommend or publicly propose to approve or recommend an acquisition proposal or (iii) approve or recommend or publicly propose to approve or recommend, or execute any letter of intent or other agreement relating to, any acquisition proposal; except that, at any time prior to the stockholder approval, our board of directors may take such actions in certain circumstances, if it determines in good faith (after consultation with independent financial advisors and outside legal counsel) that the failure to take such action would be inconsistent with the fiduciary duties of the board of directors under Delaware law (in each case subject to certain conditions as more fully described in " The Merger Agreement—Restrictions on Solicitations of Other Offers ").

Conditions to the Completion of the Merger (page 77)

        The completion of the merger is subject to, among other things, the following conditions:

•

the stockholder approval shall have been obtained;



•

the waiting period (or any extension thereof) under the HSR Act shall have expired or been terminated;



•

the approval of the merger by the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority shall have been obtained;



•

the absence of any temporary restraining order, preliminary or permanent injunction, law or other governmental order issued by any court of competent jurisdiction enjoining or otherwise preventing or prohibiting the consummation of the merger;



•

each party's respective representations and warranties in the merger agreement being true and correct as of the date of the merger agreement and as of the effective time, subject to the materiality standards described in " The Merger Agreement—Conditions to the Completion of the Merger ";



•

each party's performance in all material respects of its obligations required to be performed or complied with by it under the merger agreement prior to the closing of the merger;



•

the absence of any change, event, state of facts, development or occurrence that constitutes a Company Material Adverse Effect (as defined in " The Merger Agreement—Company Material Adverse Effect Definition "); and



•

the compliance of the Onex Affiliates, as the holders of the LP exchangeable units, with their obligations under the unitholders agreement and the consummation of all of the transactions contemplated thereby.

Termination of the Merger Agreement (page 79)

        The merger agreement may be terminated at any time prior to the effective time of the merger, whether before or after receipt of the stockholder approval:

•

by mutual consent of the Company and Parent;



•

by either the Company or Parent:



(i)

if the merger has not been consummated on or before August 19, 2011, provided , however , that such right of termination is not available to any party if the failure of such party to perform any of its obligations under the merger agreement has been a principal cause of the failure of the merger to be consummated on or before such date;

8

Table of Contents

(ii)

if any temporary restraining order, preliminary or permanent injunction, law or other governmental order issued by any court of competent jurisdiction enjoining or otherwise preventing or prohibiting the consummation of the merger is in effect and is final and nonappealable, provided , however , that such right of termination is not available to any party unless such party has complied with its obligations under the merger agreement to prevent, oppose or remove such restraint;



(iii)

if the stockholder approval has not been obtained at the stockholders' meeting duly convened or at any adjournment or postponement thereof; or



(iv)

if there is any breach or inaccuracy in any of the other party's representations or warranties set forth in the merger agreement or the other party has failed to perform any of its covenants under the merger agreement, which inaccuracy, breach or failure to perform (a) would give rise to, if occurring or continuing at the effective time of the merger, the failure of any of the terminating party's conditions to closing and (b) has not been or is not capable of being cured by such other party prior to the earlier of (x) August 19, 2011 and (y) the 60 ^th  calendar day after such other party's receipt of written notice thereof from the terminating party; provided that neither party has such right of termination if it is then in breach of any of its representations, warranties or covenants under the merger agreement which breach or failure to perform would give rise to the failure of any of the conditions to closing applicable to the other party.



•

by Parent:



(i)

if the Company's board of directors or any committee thereof withdraws, qualifies or modifies or publicly proposes to withdraw, qualify or modify in any manner its recommendation that our stockholders adopt the merger agreement;



(ii)

if the Company failed to include in its proxy statement, when mailed, the board of directors' recommendation that our stockholders adopt the merger agreement and a statement of the findings and conclusions of the board of directors;



(iii)

if, following the disclosure or announcement of an acquisition proposal (other than a tender or exchange offer described in clause (iv) below), the board of directors has failed to reaffirm publicly its recommendation that our stockholders adopt the merger agreement within five business days after Parent requests in writing that such recommendation under such circumstances be reaffirmed publicly; or



(iv)

if a tender or exchange offer relating to securities of the Company has been commenced and the Company has not announced, within ten business days after the commencement of such tender or exchange offer, a statement disclosing that the Company recommends rejection of such tender or exchange offer (each of the foregoing referred to as a triggering event);



•

by the Company:



(i)

in order to accept a superior proposal (in compliance with the terms of the merger agreement) and enter into an alternative acquisition agreement providing for such superior proposal, provided , that the Company pays the $116,505,000 break-up fee prior to or concurrently with such termination; or



(ii)

if, after the marketing period (as defined below in " The Merger Agreement—Financing "), (a) all of the conditions to Parent's obligation to close the transactions contemplated by merger agreement have been satisfied or waived (other than those conditions that by their terms are to be satisfied at the closing of the merger), (b) Parent has failed to consummate the merger closing by the time set forth in the merger agreement, (c) the Company has

9

Table of Contents

notified Parent in writing that it stands and will stand ready, willing and able to consummate the merger at such time and (d) the Company has given Parent written notice at least one business day prior to such termination stating the Company's intention to terminate the merger agreement and the basis for such termination.

Termination Fees (page 80)

        If the merger agreement is terminated by Parent for a triggering event as described above or by the Company to accept a superior proposal, we will be obligated to pay CD&R or its designated affiliate a break-up fee in the amount of $116,505,000, which we refer to as the break-up fee.

        If the merger agreement is terminated by the Company for either (i) Parent's uncured breach of representations or warranties or uncured failure to perform any of its covenants, which would give rise to, if continuing at the effective time of the merger, the failure of any of the conditions to the Company's obligation to close the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement (as described above) or (ii) the reasons described in the last paragraph above under "— Termination of the Merger Agreement " as a result of Parent's failure to consummate the merger as contemplated by the Merger Agreement, then Parent will be obligated to pay us a termination fee of $203,884,000, which we refer to as the termination fee.

Limitations on Remedies; Limited Guarantee (page 46)

        Parent and Merger Sub are, and subject to certain exceptions the Company is, entitled to seek an injunction, specific performance and other equitable relief to prevent breaches under the merger agreement, and to enforce specifically its terms and provisions. Upon the satisfaction of certain conditions, we will be entitled to seek specific performance to cause the equity financing to be funded to fund the merger consideration and to consummate the merger. However, while we may pursue both a grant of specific performance or other equitable remedy and the payment of the termination fee, we may not receive both a grant of specific performance of the obligation to consummate the merger and monetary damages in connection with the merger agreement or any termination thereof (including any portion of the termination fee).

        Concurrently with the execution of the merger agreement, CD&R Fund VIII entered into a limited guarantee in our favor pursuant to which it irrevocably guaranteed certain of Parent's obligations under the merger agreement, including payment of the termination fee, if and when due, and payment of certain reimbursement and indemnification obligations of Parent in connection with our cooperation with the arrangement of the financing. However, in no event will CD&R Fund VIII's liability under the limited guarantee exceed $203,884,000, the amount of the termination fee. The limited guarantee is our sole recourse against CD&R Fund VIII, its affiliates and related parties, including CD&R, for any damages we may incur in connection with the merger agreement and the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement.

Appraisal Rights (page 83)

        Under the DGCL, holders of our common stock who do not vote in favor of adopting the merger agreement will have the right to seek appraisal of the fair value of their shares of our common stock as determined by the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware if the merger is completed, but only if they comply with all requirements of the DGCL for exercising appraisal rights (including Section 262 of the DGCL, the text of which can be found in Annex C to this proxy statement), which are summarized in this proxy statement. This appraisal amount could be more than, the same as or less than the $64.00 per share merger consideration. Any holder of our common stock intending to exercise appraisal rights must, among other things, submit a written demand for an appraisal to us prior to the vote on the adoption of the merger agreement at the special meeting and must not vote or otherwise submit a

10

Table of Contents

proxy in favor of adoption of the merger agreement. Your failure to follow exactly the procedures specified under the DGCL will result in the loss of your appraisal rights.

Market Price of the Company's Class A Common Stock (page 91)

        The closing sales price of our Class A common stock on the NYSE on December 13, 2010, the day immediately prior to our public acknowledgment that we were reviewing strategic alternatives to enhance stockholder value, was $53.86 per share. The closing sales price of our Class A common stock on the NYSE on February 11, 2011, the last trading day prior to our public announcement that we had entered into the merger agreement, was $70.66 per share. On April 15, 2011, the most recent practicable trading date prior to the date of this proxy statement, the closing sale price of our Class A common stock on the NYSE was $63.76 per share.

Litigation Related to the Merger (page 42)

        Eleven purported shareholder class actions relating to the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement have been filed in state court in Delaware and federal and state courts in Colorado against various combinations of the Company, the members of our board of directors, CD&R, Parent, Merger Sub, Onex, Onex subsidiaries, Goldman, Sachs & Co., Bank of America Corporation and BofA Merrill Lynch, which we refer to as the Actions. The Actions consist of the following: Seven actions were filed in the Delaware Court of Chancery beginning on February 22, 2011, which have since been consolidated into one action entitled In re Emergency Medical Services Corporation Shareholder Litigation , Consolidated C.A. No. 6248-VCS. On April 4, 2011, the Delaware plaintiffs filed their consolidated class action complaint. Two actions, entitled Scott A. Halliday v. Emergency Medical Services Corporation, et al. , Case No. 2011CV316 (filed on February 15, 2011), and Alma C. Howell v. William Sanger, et. al. , Case No. 2011CV488 (filed on March 1, 2011), were filed in the District Court, Arapahoe County, Colorado. Two other actions, entitled Michael Wooten v. Emergency Medical Services Corporation, et al. , Case No. 11-CV-00412 (filed on February 17, 2011), and Neal Greenberg v. Emergency Medical Services Corporation, et. al. , Case No. 11-CV-00496 (filed on February 28, 2011), were filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado.

        The Actions generally allege that the directors of the Company, Onex and/or the Onex subsidiaries breached their fiduciary duties by, among other things: approving the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement, which allegedly were financially unfair to the Company and its public stockholders; agreeing to provisions in the merger agreement that will allegedly prevent the board from considering other offers; permitting the unitholders agreement and failing to require a provision in the merger agreement requiring that a majority of the public stockholders approve the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement; and/or making allegedly materially inadequate disclosures. The Actions further allege that certain defendants aided and abetted these breaches. In addition, the two actions filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado contain individual claims brought under Section 14(a) and Section 20(a) of the Exchange Act pertaining to the purported dissemination of allegedly misleading proxy materials. The Actions seek unspecified damages and equitable relief, including an injunction halting the transaction or rescission of the transaction as applicable. The Company has filed a motion to dismiss the federal claims in the Wooten action and to dismiss or stay the other claims in that case. The Company believes that all of the allegations in the Actions are without merit and intends to vigorously defend these matters.

        One of the conditions to the closing of the merger is that no law, temporary restraining order, preliminary or permanent injunction or other order issued by any court of competent jurisdiction shall be in effect enjoining or otherwise preventing or prohibiting the consummation of the merger. As such, if any one of the plaintiffs is successful in obtaining an injunction prohibiting the completion of the merger on the agreed-upon terms, then such injunction may prevent the merger from becoming effective, or from becoming effective within the expected timeframe.

11

Table of Contents

Additional Information (page 94)

        You can find more information about the Company in the periodic reports and other information we file with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC. The information is available at the SEC's public reference facilities and at the website maintained by the SEC at www.sec.gov. For a more detailed description of the additional information available, see "Where You Can Find More Information" beginning on page 94.

12

Table of Contents

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT THE MERGER AND THE SPECIAL MEETING

         The following questions and answers address briefly some questions you may have regarding the special meeting and the proposed merger. These questions and answers may not address all questions that may be important to you as a stockholder of EMSC. Please refer to the more detailed information contained elsewhere in this proxy statement, the annexes to this proxy statement and the documents we refer to or incorporate by reference in this proxy statement.

         Q:     Why am I receiving these materials?

        A:    You are receiving this proxy statement and proxy card because you own shares of our common stock. Our board of directors is providing these proxy materials to give you information for use in determining how to vote in connection with the special meeting.

The Merger and Related Transactions

         Q:     What is the proposed transaction?

        A:    The proposed transaction is the acquisition of the Company by Parent pursuant to the merger agreement. Under the terms of the merger agreement, if the merger agreement is adopted by the Company's stockholders and the other closing conditions under the merger agreement have been satisfied or waived (other than those which, by their nature, are satisfied upon the closing of the merger or are non-waivable), Merger Sub will be merged with and into the Company, with the Company continuing as the surviving corporation as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Parent. After the merger, shares of the Class A common stock will cease to be traded on the NYSE.

         Q:     What will I receive for my shares of EMSC common stock in the merger?

        A:    Upon completion of the merger, you will receive the $64.00 per share merger consideration in cash, without interest and less any applicable withholding taxes, for each share of our common stock that you own. This does not apply to (i) shares held by any of our stockholders who are entitled to and who properly exercise, and do not properly withdraw, their appraisal rights under the DGCL, (ii) treasury shares and (iii) shares held by Parent or Merger Sub. Upon the effective time of the merger, you will not own shares in EMSC or Parent.

        See " The Merger—Material United States Federal Income Tax Consequences " beginning on page 44 for a more detailed description of the U.S. tax consequences of the merger. You should consult your own tax advisor for a full understanding of how the merger will affect your federal, state, local and/or foreign taxes.

         Q:     What vote of the Company's stockholders is required to adopt the merger agreement?

        A:    The adoption of the merger agreement requires the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the voting power of the Company's outstanding common stock and the Class B special voting share voting together as a single class of capital stock. A failure to vote your shares of common stock, abstention from the vote or a "broker non-vote" will have the same effect as voting "AGAINST" the adoption of the merger agreement for purposes of the stockholder approval. A "broker non-vote" occurs when a broker does not have discretion to vote on the matter and has not received instructions from the beneficial holder as to how such holder's shares are to be voted on the matter.

        The Onex Affiliates have agreed to vote their interests, which represent approximately 81.5% of the voting power of our capital stock, "FOR" the adoption of the merger agreement.

         Q:     How will the Company's stock options be treated in the merger?

        A:    We have agreed to take all action necessary so that each unexercised Company stock option will be fully vested and cancelled and the holder thereof will be entitled to receive, with respect to each

13

Table of Contents

such stock option, on the date the effective time of the merger occurs, an amount in cash equal to (i) the excess, if any, of (A) the $64.00 merger consideration over (B) the exercise price per share of Class A common stock subject to such stock option, multiplied by (ii) the number of shares of Class A common stock subject to such stock option, without interest and less any applicable withholding taxes. In lieu of the payment described in the immediately preceding sentence, if mutually agreed by Parent and any holder of Company stock options, Company stock options may be converted into fully vested and exercisable options to purchase common stock of Parent.

         Q:     How will the restricted shares be treated in the merger?

        A:    We have agreed to take all action necessary so that all outstanding restricted shares will be fully vested and cancelled. Each holder of restricted shares will receive an amount in cash equal to (i) the $64.00 merger consideration multiplied by (ii) the number of restricted shares held by the holder, without interest and less any applicable withholding taxes.

         Q:     How will the RSUs be treated in the merger?

        A:    We have agreed to take all action necessary so that all outstanding RSUs will be fully vested and cancelled. Each holder of RSUs will receive an amount in cash equal to (i) the $64.00 merger consideration multiplied by (ii) the number of shares of Class A common stock subject to such RSUs held by such holder, without interest and less any applicable withholding taxes.

         Q:     When do you expect the merger to be completed?

        A:    We are working toward completing the merger as quickly as possible, and we anticipate that it will be completed in the second quarter of 2011. In order to complete the merger, we must obtain the stockholder approval and the other closing conditions under the merger agreement must be satisfied or waived (to the extent such conditions are waivable). In addition, the closing date could be affected, among other things, by the marketing period for Merger Sub's debt financing. See " The Merger Agreement—Financing " beginning on page 72 and " The Merger Agreement—Effective Time; Marketing Period" on page 60. Neither we nor Parent and Merger Sub are obligated to complete the merger unless and until the closing conditions in the merger agreement have been satisfied or waived (to the extent such conditions are waivable); these conditions are described in " The Merger Agreement—Conditions to the Completion of the Merger " beginning on page 77.

         Q:     What effects will the proposed merger have on the Company?

        A:    Upon completion of the proposed merger, EMSC will cease to be a publicly traded company and will be a wholly-owned subsidiary of Parent. As a result, you will no longer have any interest in our future earnings or growth, if any. Following completion of the merger, the registration of our Class A common stock and our reporting obligations with respect to our Class A common stock under the Exchange Act are expected to be terminated. In addition, upon completion of the proposed merger, shares of our Class A common stock will no longer be listed on the NYSE or any other stock exchange or quotation system.

         Q:     What happens if the merger is not completed?

        A:    If the merger agreement is not adopted by our stockholders, or if the merger is not completed for any other reason, our stockholders will not receive any payment for their shares pursuant to the merger agreement. Instead, EMSC will remain a public company and our Class A common stock will continue to be registered under the Exchange Act and listed for trading on the NYSE. Under specified circumstances, we may be required to pay Parent's designee a "break-up fee", or Parent may be required to pay us a "termination fee", in each case as described in " The Merger Agreement—Termination Fees " beginning on page 80.

14

Table of Contents

The Special Meeting

         Q:     Where and when is the special meeting?

        A:    The special meeting will be held on [                                      ] , 2011 at [                                      ] at [              ]  a.m., local time.

         Q:     What matters will be voted on at the special meeting?

        A:    You will be asked to consider and vote on the following proposals:

•

adoption of the merger agreement; and



•

approval of any motion to adjourn the special meeting, if necessary or appropriate, to solicit additional proxies if there are insufficient votes at the time of the special meeting to adopt the merger agreement.

         Q:     Does our board of directors recommend that our stockholders vote "FOR" the adoption of the merger agreement?

        A:    Yes. After careful consideration, our board of directors, by a unanimous vote, recommends that you vote:

•

" FOR " the adoption of the merger agreement; and



•

" FOR " the adjournment of the special meeting, if necessary or appropriate, to solicit additional proxies if there are insufficient votes at the time of the special meeting to adopt the merger agreement.

        You should read " The Merger—Purpose and Reasons for the Merger; Recommendation of Our Board of Directors " beginning on page 26 for a discussion of the factors that our board of directors considered in deciding to recommend the adoption of the merger agreement. In addition, in considering the recommendation of our board of directors with respect to the merger agreement, you should be aware that some of the Company's directors and executive officers have interests in the merger that may be different from, or in addition to, the interests of our stockholders generally. See " The Merger—Interests of the Company's Directors and Executive Officers in the Merger " beginning on page 47.

         Q:     How do the Onex Affiliates and the directors and executive officers of the Company intend to vote?

        A:    In the aggregate and as of April 7, 2011, the Onex Affiliates and the directors and executive officers of the Company hold approximately 82.5% of the total voting power of our capital stock.

        The Onex Affiliates, who as of April 7, 2011 hold approximately 81.5% of the total voting power of our capital stock, have entered into the unitholders agreement pursuant to which they have agreed with Parent to exercise all of their voting rights in favor of the adoption of the merger agreement. Our directors and executive officers, who hold approximately 1.0% of the total voting power of our capital stock, have informed us that they intend to vote all of their shares of common stock "FOR" the adoption of the merger agreement because they believe that the merger and the merger agreement are in the best interests of the Company's stockholders. None of our executive officers or directors has made a recommendation with respect to the merger other than as set forth in this proxy statement.

         Q:     Are all stockholders of the Company as of the record date entitled to vote at the special meeting?

        A:    Yes. All stockholders who own our common stock at the close of business on March 21, 2011, the record date for the special meeting, will be entitled to vote (in person or by proxy) the shares of our common stock they hold on that date at the special meeting, or any adjournments of the special meeting.

15

Table of Contents

        At the close of business on March 21, 2011, the record date, 30,482,075 shares of Class A common stock (which have one vote per share) and 52,228 shares of Class B common stock (which have ten votes per share) were outstanding and entitled to vote at the special meeting. In addition, at the close of business on March 21, 2011, 13,724,676 LP exchangeable units were issued and outstanding. The LP exchangeable units are exchangeable on a one-for-one basis for shares of Class B common stock. Through the Class B special voting share, the holders of the LP exchangeable units will be able to exercise the same voting rights at the special meeting as they would have after the exchange into Class B common stock.

         Q:     What constitutes a quorum for the special meeting?

        A:    The presence at the special meeting, in person or by proxy, of the holders of a majority of the voting power of our outstanding common stock and the Class B special voting share entitled to vote at the special meeting as of the close of business on the record date for the special meeting will constitute a quorum for purposes of the special meeting.

         Q:     What information do I need to attend the special meeting?

        A:    Only stockholders and their proxies may attend the special meeting. As a result, you will need an admission ticket to attend the special meeting. If you are a record stockholder who received a paper copy of this proxy statement, an admission ticket is included with the mailing and is attached to the proxy card. If you hold your shares in "street name" through a broker, bank or other nominee, or if you have received your proxy materials electronically, you may obtain an admission ticket in advance by sending a written request, along with proof of ownership, such as a voter instruction card or a bank or brokerage account statement, to us at Corporate Secretary at Emergency Medical Services Corporation, 6200 South Syracuse Way, Suite 200, Greenwood Village, Colorado 80111. If you arrive at the special meeting without an admission ticket, we will admit you only if we are able to verify that you were an actual stockholder of EMSC as of the record date for the special meeting.

         Q:     What vote of the Company's stockholders is required to adjourn the special meeting for the purpose of soliciting additional proxies to adopt the merger agreement?

        A:    Adjournment of the special meeting to solicit additional proxies if there are insufficient votes at the time of the special meeting to adopt the merger agreement requires the affirmative vote of the holders of at least a majority of the voting power of the Company's capital stock that are present, in person or by proxy, and entitled to vote at the special meeting, whether or not a quorum is present.

        A failure to vote your shares of common stock or a broker non-vote will have no effect on the outcome of the vote to approve the proposal to adjourn the special meeting. An abstention will have the same effect as voting "AGAINST" any proposal to adjourn the special meeting.

         Q:     How do I vote my shares without attending the special meeting?

        A:    If you hold shares in your name as a stockholder of record on the record date, then you received this proxy statement and a proxy card from us. You may submit a proxy for your shares by the Internet, telephone or mail without attending the special meeting. To submit a proxy by the Internet or telephone twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, follow the instructions on the proxy card. Please be aware that if you submit a proxy over the Internet or by telephone, you may incur costs such as telephone and Internet access charges for which you will be responsible. To submit a proxy by mail, complete, sign and date the proxy card and return it in the accompanying postage-paid envelope. The Internet and telephone proxy facilities for stockholders of record will close at 11:59 p.m., Eastern Time, on [                                ] , 2011, the day prior to the special meeting. If you hold shares in "street name" through a broker, bank or other nominee, then you received this proxy statement from the nominee, along with the nominee's voting instructions. You should instruct your broker, bank or other nominee on how to vote your shares of common stock using the voting instructions.

16

Table of Contents

        With respect to stockholders submitting a proxy card, if you properly sign your proxy card but do not mark the boxes showing how your shares should be voted on a matter, the shares represented by your properly signed proxy will be voted "FOR" the proposal to adopt the merger agreement and "FOR" the proposal to adjourn the special meeting, if necessary or appropriate, to solicit additional proxies.

         Q:     How do I vote my shares in person at the special meeting?

        A:    If you hold shares in your name as a stockholder of record on the record date, you may vote those shares in person at the special meeting by giving us a signed proxy card or ballot before voting is closed. If you would like to do that, please bring proof of identification and an admission ticket with you to the special meeting. Even if you plan to attend the special meeting, we strongly encourage you to submit a proxy for your shares in advance as described above, so your vote will be counted if you later decide not to attend.

        If you hold shares in "street name" through a broker, bank or other nominee, you may vote those shares in person at the meeting only if you obtain and bring with you a signed proxy from the necessary nominee giving you the right to vote the shares and proof of identification. To obtain a signed proxy prior to the special meeting, you should contact your nominee.

         Q:     If my shares are held in "street name" by my broker, will my broker vote my shares for me?

        A:    Your broker will not vote your shares on your behalf unless you provide instructions to your broker on how to vote. You should follow the directions provided by your broker regarding how to instruct it to vote your shares. Without those instructions, your shares will not be voted, which will have the same effect as voting "AGAINST" the adoption of the merger agreement for purposes of the Company stockholder approval, but will have no effect for purposes of the proposal to adjourn the special meeting, if necessary or appropriate, to solicit additional proxies.

         Q:     Can I revoke or change my vote?

        A:    Yes. If you hold your shares through a broker, bank, or other nominee, you have the right to change or revoke your proxy at any time before the vote is taken at the special meeting by following the directions received from your broker, bank or other nominee to change or revoke those instructions. If you hold your shares in your name as a stockholder of record, you have the right to change or revoke your proxy at any time before the vote is taken at the special meeting by (i) delivering to our Corporate Secretary at 6200 South Syracuse Way, Suite 200, Greenwood Village, Colorado 80111, a signed written notice of revocation, bearing a date later than the date of the proxy, stating that the proxy is revoked, (ii) attending the special meeting and voting in person (your attendance at the meeting will not, by itself, change or revoke your proxy—you must vote in person at the meeting to change or revoke a prior proxy), (iii) submitting a later-dated proxy card or (iv) submitting a proxy again at a later time by telephone or Internet prior to the time at which the telephone and Internet proxy facilities close by following the procedures applicable to those methods of submitting a proxy.

         Q:     What does it mean if I get more than one proxy card or voting instruction form?

        A:    If your shares are registered differently and are in more than one account, you may receive more than one proxy card or voting instruction form. Please complete, sign, date and return separately all of the proxy cards and voting instruction forms you receive regarding this special meeting (or submit your proxy for all shares by telephone or Internet) to ensure that all of your shares are voted.

         Q:     Are appraisal rights available?

        A:    Yes. As a holder of common stock of the Company, you are entitled to appraisal rights under Section 262 of the DGCL if (i) you do not vote in favor of adopting the merger agreement, (ii) you

17

Table of Contents

deliver to us a written demand for appraisal prior to the vote at the special meeting and (iii) you satisfy certain other conditions. See " Appraisal Rights \" beginning on page 83.

         Q:     Will any proxy solicitors be used in connection with the special meeting?

        A.    Yes. To assist in the solicitation of proxies, the Company has engaged Alliance Advisors, LLC.

         Q:     Who will count the votes cast at the special meeting?

        A:    A representative of our transfer agent, American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC, will count the votes and act as an inspector of election. Questions regarding stock certificates or other matters pertaining to your shares may be directed to our Corporate Secretary at 6200 South Syracuse Way, Suite 200, Greenwood Village, Colorado 80111, or by telephone at (303) 495-1200.

         Q:     Should I send in my stock certificates now?

        A:    NO. PLEASE DO NOT SEND IN YOUR STOCK CERTIFICATES WITH YOUR PROXY.

        If you hold your shares in your name as a stockholder of record, then shortly after the merger is completed you will receive a letter of transmittal with instructions informing you how to send in your stock certificates to the paying agent in order to receive the merger consideration in respect of your shares of our common stock. You should use the letter of transmittal to exchange your stock certificates for the merger consideration which you are entitled to receive as a result of the merger. If you hold your shares in "street name" through a broker, bank or other nominee, then you will receive instructions from your broker, bank or other nominee as to how to effect the surrender of your "street name" shares in exchange for the merger consideration.

         Q:     What should I do if I have lost or misplaced my stock certificate?

        A:    You may contact our transfer agent, American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC, by telephone at (800) 937-5449 if you have lost your stock certificate.

         Q:     Who can help answer my other questions?

        A:    If you have more questions about the merger, need assistance in submitting your proxy or voting your shares, or need additional copies of this proxy statement or the enclosed proxy card, you should contact Corporate Secretary in writing at Emergency Medical Services Corporation, 6200 South Syracuse Way, Suite 200, Greenwood Village, Colorado 80111, or by telephone at (303) 495-1200. You may also contact the Company's proxy solicitor:

Alliance Advisors, LLC
200 Broadacres Drive, 3rd Floor
Bloomfield, NJ 07003
Email: ems@allianceadvisorsllc.com
Toll-Free: (877) 777-4575

18

Table of Contents

THE PARTIES TO THE MERGER

The Company

Emergency Medical Services Corporation
6200 South Syracuse Way, Suite 200
Greenwood Village, Colorado 80111
(303) 495-1200

        The Company is a Delaware corporation and is a leading provider of emergency medical services in the United States. We operate two business segments: AMR, our medical transportation services segment, and EmCare, our outsourced facility-based physician services segment. AMR is the leading provider of ambulance services in the United States. EmCare is a leading provider of outsourced physician services to healthcare facilities. In 2010, we provided services in approximately 14 million patient encounters in more than 2,000 communities nationwide.

        For more information about us, please visit our website at www.emsc.net. The information provided on our website is not part of this proxy statement, and therefore is not incorporated by reference. Detailed descriptions about our business and financial results are contained in our annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2010, which we incorporate into this proxy statement by reference. See " Where You Can Find More Information " beginning on page 94.

        Our Class A common stock is publicly traded on the NYSE under the symbol "EMS".

Parent and Merger Sub

CDRT Acquisition Corporation
CDRT Merger Sub, Inc.
c/o Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, LLC
375 Park Avenue, 18 ^th  Floor
New York, New York 10152
(212) 407-5200

        Parent is a Delaware corporation that was organized and is currently owned by CD&R Fund VIII, a private investment fund managed by CD&R. Merger Sub is a Delaware corporation and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Parent. Both Parent and Merger Sub were formed solely for the purpose of entering into the merger agreement and consummating the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement, including the merger. Neither Parent nor Merger Sub has engaged in any business except activities incidental to their formation and in connection with the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement. Upon the completion of the merger, Merger Sub will cease to exist and the Company will continue as the surviving corporation.

19

Table of Contents

THE MERGER

Background of the Merger

        Our board of directors and management have periodically reviewed and assessed strategic alternatives for the Company. During July and August 2010, various directors had informal discussions concerning the exploration of strategic and financial options and determined to invite legal and financial advisors with an existing relationship with the Company to attend the next board of directors meeting for the purpose of discussing these matters with the full board of directors. Although the Company's results of operations met expectations in the second fiscal quarter of 2010, and the Company was projecting growth in revenues and earnings over the next five years (projections prepared later in the year and used in connection with the sale process showed the Company doubling its net income by 2015 and approximately doubling its revenues during that period), the board of directors had concerns about near-term and long-term business trends that could adversely affect the Company's ability to achieve those results. In particular, the board of directors considered the following:

•

Uncertainty surrounding the impact of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 that had recently been enacted and other aspects of healthcare reform, including potential changes in reimbursement policies and rates and the extent to which hospital systems and large individual hospitals that became accountable care organizations would continue to utilize outsourcing.



•

Uncertainty as to the ability to continue the Company's non-participating strategy with regard to managed care and insurance programs, due to the increasing resistance to such strategy by hospital systems and individual hospitals.

The board of directors also believed that the current favorable financing environment would make a recapitalization feasible and could increase the price a buyer would pay to acquire the Company, while uncertainty in the public markets as to the impact of healthcare reform could result in an increased volatility for healthcare stocks, including the Company's Class A common stock.

        On August 16, 2010, the board of directors held a meeting by telephone conference, together with the Company's financial advisors, Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, which we refer to as BofA Merrill Lynch, and Goldman Sachs, and the Company's counsel, Kaye Scholer LLP, which we refer to as Kaye Scholer, at which the board discussed a variety of strategic and financial options that could be undertaken by the Company, including a possible sale of the Company. The board of directors selected BofA Merrill Lynch and Goldman Sachs as financial advisors based on their reputation, experience and familiarity with the Company and its business. Goldman Sachs and BofA Merrill Lynch each assisted the Company in its sale process. There was no distinction between their respective roles, except that the board of directors contemplated that Goldman Sachs would deliver a fairness opinion and requested that BofA Merrill Lynch serve as a potential source of debt financing, as described below. Kaye Scholer had represented the Company in significant transactional and other matters for more than five years. The board of directors was aware that Kaye Scholer would also be acting as counsel to Onex in connection with the strategic and financial options under consideration and that Kaye Scholer was representing Onex and its other portfolio companies in a variety of matters and had done so for more than 20 years. As the board of directors considered the interest of Onex in any potential transaction to be aligned with the interests of the other stockholders, it did not view Kaye Scholer's concurrent representation of the Company and Onex as presenting a conflict of interest.

        On August 20, 2010, the board of directors held a meeting by telephone conference at which it reviewed and discussed the Company's five-year model, which had been prepared by management. On August 22, 2010, the board of directors held a meeting by telephone conference at which it reviewed a revised model that included a "high" case (the model presented at the August 20 meeting), a "base" case and a "low" case. The board of directors determined to use the base case for planning purposes going forward, as it incorporated what it believed were reasonably conservative assumptions with

20

Table of Contents

respect to growth in volumes, rates and margins. The board of directors also discussed a potential sale process, including the timing of inviting strategic bidders to participate, and discussed the respective merits of different transaction structures with Kaye Scholer.

        On September 15, 2010, the board of directors held a meeting at the offices of Kaye Scholer at which the Company's financial advisors discussed with the board of directors various strategic alternatives for the Company, including a leveraged recapitalization (which could involve a special dividend or stock repurchases), strategic acquisitions by the Company, a spin-off to separate the AMR and EmCare businesses and a sale of the entire Company. The board also discussed the possibility of selling the Company's AMR and EmCare units separately, but recognized that this approach could involve substantial additional tax costs. The board of directors determined to continue a review of a possible sale of the entire Company, which it believed was the strategic alternative most likely to maximize value for the Company's stockholders. The board of directors decided it would revisit other strategic alternatives discussed at the meeting only if the entire Company could not be sold at a price the board of directors believed to be in the stockholders' best interests.

        On October 14, 2010, the board of directors held a meeting by telephone conference at which it discussed the Company's financial results for the quarter ended September 30, 2010. The board of directors again discussed whether to pursue a sale of the Company, and determined that any decision with respect to a sale process should be deferred until after the Company released its financial results for that quarter.

        On November 2, 2010, the Company announced its results for the quarter and nine months ended September 30, 2010.

        On November 5, 2010, the board of directors held a meeting by telephone conference at which it discussed the potential sale process with the Company's financial advisors and authorized them to invite a group of well capitalized financial sponsors selected by the board of directors to participate in a process that would lead to their providing indications of interest in acquiring the Company. The board of directors was concerned about disclosing confidential information to potential industry competitors that might use that information to compete with the Company (whether the Company continued as a stand-alone entity or was acquired by a third party), and therefore decided not to invite potential strategic purchasers to participate in the process until after the Company received initial indications of interest and the board of directors determined to continue to pursue a sale of the Company. In addition, to enhance the confidentiality of the process by reducing the number of financial institutions involved before the board of directors determined whether to proceed with a formal sale process, the board of directors determined not to allow potential purchasers to disclose information to possible equity or debt financing sources. Rather, the board of directors requested that BofA Merrill Lynch provide potential purchasers with its preliminary views as to the possible financing for an acquisition and, if requested by qualified purchasers, to arrange and/or provide for such financing (however, potential purchasers were advised that they would not be required to use BofA Merrill Lynch financing for any transaction). Subsequent to this meeting, the Company provided its written consent to permit BofA Merrill Lynch and its affiliates to serve as a potential source of debt financing, if requested by qualified purchasers, which consent outlined certain information and communication barriers that would be put in place between BofA Merrill Lynch's financial advisory team providing services to the Company and the bank's financing teams that would be established in connection with potential financing to qualified purchasers.

        On November 15, 2010, at the direction of the board of directors, the Company's financial advisors invited nine potential purchasers that had been selected by the board of directors to participate in the sale process, and interested parties were provided with a form of non-disclosure agreement. Given the substantial commitment of management time and attention to each potential purchaser involved in the sale process in facilitating their due diligence review of the Company, the board of directors determined to focus its sale process on these financial sponsors based on their perceived interest in

21

Table of Contents

investments in the healthcare industry and, based on the size of their respective private equity funds, their perceived ability to fund the entire equity contribution necessary to acquire the Company.

        On November 19, 2010, the board of directors held a meeting by telephone conference, together with the Company's legal and financial advisors, at which the Company's financial advisors updated the board of directors as to the sale process. Kaye Scholer discussed various transaction structures.

        During the week of November 22, 2010, CD&R, having learned of the sale process, contacted the Company, through Goldman Sachs, to indicate its interest in participating. The board of directors concluded that CD&R would be a credible participant in the sale process. On November 23, 2010, the Company's financial advisors, at the direction of the board of directors, invited CD&R to participate in the sale process, and CD&R was provided with the form of non-disclosure agreement that had been provided to other potential purchasers.

        On November 24, 2010, Debevoise & Plimpton LLP, which we refer to as Debevoise & Plimpton, counsel to CD&R, provided comments on the proposed non-disclosure agreement to the Company's general counsel. During November 26 through 28, 2010, Kaye Scholer and Debevoise & Plimpton negotiated the form of non-disclosure agreement and it was executed by CD&R and the Company on November 28, 2010.

        On November 30, 2010 and December 1, 2010, preliminary due diligence discussions were held between the Company's management and the various potential purchasers, including a discussion with CD&R on November 30, 2010.

        On December 1 and 2, 2010, a first round process letter with invitations for submission of indications of interest was sent to potential purchasers. The letter instructed potential purchasers to base their indications of interest on a financing structure proposed by BofA Merrill Lynch. The letter stated that potential purchasers were not required to use BofA Merrill Lynch financing for an acquisition of the Company and would have the opportunity to work with other sources of financing in preparing final bids.

        On December 6, 2010, the board of directors held a meeting by telephone conference at which Mr. Sanger provided the board of directors an overview of management's meetings with various financial sponsors. A follow-up meeting of the board of directors was scheduled to consider any indications of interest received by the Company, at which neither Mr. Sanger nor other members of management of the Company would be present.

        On December 10, 2010, the board of directors held a meeting by telephone conference at which the Company's financial advisors reviewed the sale process. Nine potential bidders had signed non-disclosure agreements and seven had participated in initial meetings with Company management. On December 8, 2010, the Company received indications of interest from six potential purchasers, including CD&R. CD&R's indication of interest included a purchase price range of $60 to $63 per share. CD&R expressed a strong preference to partner with Onex or with another financial sponsor. (Onex has not had any discussions with CD&R regarding any such potential partnership.) The indications of interest received from other potential purchasers included purchase price ranges from as low as $59 per share to as high as $65 per share. The board of directors determined to continue the process with five of the six potential purchasers that submitted indications of interest. The sixth party's indicated value was not competitive with ranges of value of the other potential purchasers. At the direction of the board of directors, the Company's financial advisors informed the sixth party that its indicated value was not competitive. This party thereafter declined to revise its proposal. The board of directors also authorized the Company's financial advisors to invite three additional parties to participate in the sale process, including two financial sponsors that control portfolio companies regarded by the board of directors as potential strategic purchasers and one other potential strategic purchaser; the board of directors selected only those strategic purchasers it believed had sufficient financial resources to complete an acquisition of the Company.

22

Table of Contents

        At the December 10 meeting, the board of directors also formed a special committee, which we refer to as the special committee, consisting of Robert Le Blanc (a Managing Director of Onex), James Kelly and Michael Smith. The board of directors concluded that a special committee consisting of a select group of board members who had the appropriate experience and could meet as frequently as the board believed would be necessary, often with limited advance notice, could most effectively direct the Company's financial advisors and manage the sale process, reporting to the board of directors as appropriate. Mr. Le Blanc was appointed to the special committee because of his considerable expertise in mergers and acquisitions. The board of directors believed that Onex's interests were aligned with the interests of the Company's other stockholders; Onex had advised the board of directors that Onex was not a potential purchaser of the Company, and it would not seek to receive additional or different consideration from that received by public stockholders. The board of directors also recognized that, because of Onex's ownership of approximately 81.6% of the voting power of the Company, no transaction could be completed without Onex's approval.

        Given that the special committee was formed to deal with logistics, and not because of any conflict among stockholders' interests, all board members other than Mr. Sanger were invited to participate in all meetings of the special committee, other than a meeting held on January 15, 2011 to review in detail the proposed terms of the draft merger agreement to be provided to potential purchasers and a meeting held on January 24, 2011 on short notice. The draft merger agreement had been provided to all the board members (other than Mr. Sanger) in advance of the January 15 meeting, and all members had an opportunity to comment on the draft. However, the special committee believed that a small working group would provide a more effective and efficient means of providing input to counsel on the proposed draft. With this exception and the January 24 process update meeting, other members of the board of directors (other than Mr. Sanger) participated frequently and fully in special committee meetings.

        On December 10, 2010 and December 13, 2010, at the direction of the board of directors, the Company's financial advisors contacted the additional three potential purchasers authorized by the board of directors at its December 10, 2010 meeting. Two of these potential purchasers entered into non-disclosure agreements; only one of them submitted an indication of interest and it terminated its participation in the process in January 2011.

        On December 14, 2010, the Company, in response to unusual market activity in its Class A common stock, issued a press release in which it announced that it was reviewing various strategic alternatives to enhance stockholder value. The closing sale price of the Class A common stock that day was $63.00 per share, an increase of $9.14 per share from the $53.86 closing sale price on the previous day. The closing sale price of the Class A common stock on November 12, 2010, the last trading day before the board of directors authorized the Company's financial advisors to invite potential purchasers to participate in a sale process, was $50.85 per share.

        During the weeks of December 13, 2010 and December 20, 2010, meetings were held between Company management and potential purchasers, including a meeting with CD&R on December 20, 2010.

        On December 23, 2010, the special committee held a meeting by telephone conference to review the progress of the sale process. In addition to the members of the special committee, Mr. Benson, Mr. Epstein, Dr. Iannini and Dr. Riggs participated in the meeting.

        During January 2011, numerous diligence meetings and telephone calls were held between Company management and potential purchasers, together with their respective advisors, including meetings and calls with CD&R from January 19, 2011 through January 26, 2011.

        On January 8, 2011, the special committee authorized CD&R and another bidder, which we refer to as Party A, to submit a joint bid; CD&R initially had indicated a strong preference to partner with another financial sponsor, and the special committee believed that CD&R could strengthen Party A's

23

Table of Contents

bid. In addition to the members of the special committee, Mr. Epstein participated in the January 8 meeting. On January 10, 2011, a form of agreement permitting that conduct was provided to CD&R and Party A; it was negotiated and signed on January 12, 2011.

        On January 14, 2011 and January 17, 2011, two of the parties that had submitted indications of interest advised the Company that they were no longer interested in submitting a bid.

        On January 15, 2011, the special committee held a meeting by telephone conference to review with Kaye Scholer a proposed form of merger agreement.

        On January 21, 2011, the three remaining potential purchasers, CD&R, Party A and another bidder, which we refer to as Party B, were provided with a proposed form of merger agreement and the related Company disclosure schedules and were instructed to provide any requested changes to those documents with their bid.

        On January 24, 2011, the special committee held a meeting by telephone conference at which it discussed recent developments in the sale process.

        On January 26, 2011, the three remaining potential purchasers were provided with a proposed form of unitholders agreement and instructed to provide any requested changes to that document with their bid.

        On January 28, 2011 and January 31, 2011, Kaye Scholer and Debevoise & Plimpton discussed some initial comments concerning the proposed form of merger agreement and possible transaction structures.

        On January 30, 2011, Party A, which was the potential purchaser that had submitted an indication of interest with $65.00 per share at the upper end of its range and had been authorized to submit a joint bid with CD&R, advised the Company, through the Company's financial advisors, that it was no longer interested in submitting a bid, either alone or jointly with CD&R.

        On January 31, 2011, the special committee held a meeting by telephone conference to review developments in the sale process, including Party A's decision not to proceed in the process. The special committee was informed that CD&R had requested permission to partner and submit a joint bid with another potential purchaser. The special committee denied that request because it believed it would negatively impact the sale process by providing information to the remaining potential purchasers as to their reduced number. In addition to the members of the special committee, Mr. Benson, Mr. Epstein, Dr. Iannini and Dr. Riggs participated in the meeting.

        After subsequent discussion with its potential debt financing sources, and weighing the likely interest of equity co-investors in the proposed transaction whose participation could be arranged after execution of a merger agreement, CD&R determined to make its bid for the Company without partnering with another financial sponsor.

        On February 4, 2011, bids were received from CD&R and Party B. The CD&R bid proposed a purchase price of $63.00 per share and was accompanied by specific proposed changes to the merger agreement and unitholders agreement, and proposed forms of limited guarantee, equity commitment letter and debt financing commitments. As anticipated and authorized by the board of directors, CD&R's debt financing commitment letters contemplated the participation of BofA Merrill Lynch and certain of its affiliates in the proposed debt financing for the merger as one of six potential debt financing sources. CD&R's proposed changes to the merger agreement contemplated a structure in which Onex entities holding more than a majority of the voting power of the Company's outstanding stock would approve the merger agreement by written consent immediately after the merger agreement was signed, which would have had the effect of eliminating the board of directors' ability to terminate the merger agreement if it were to receive a superior proposal. (See " The Merger Agreement—Change in Board Recommendation; Termination in Connection with a Superior Proposal .") That change was not

24

Table of Contents

acceptable to the board of directors. Party B's bid proposed a price below that offered by CD&R and included commitment letters for debt financing from multiple financing sources, including BofA Merrill Lynch.

        On February 5, 2011, Kaye Scholer and Debevoise & Plimpton had a preliminary telephone conversation concerning CD&R's mark-up of the merger agreement. Later that day, the special committee held a meeting by telephone conference, together with the Company's legal and financial advisors, at which the bids that had been received from CD&R and Party B were reviewed. The special committee directed the Company's financial advisors to seek improved terms from CD&R and Party B. In addition to the members of the special committee, Mr. Benson, Mr. Epstein, Dr. Iannini and Dr. Riggs participated in the meeting.

        Following the February 5, 2011 special committee meeting, at the direction of the special committee, the Company's financial advisors held discussions with CD&R and Party B to seek improvements to the terms and conditions of their bids. On February 7, 2011, CD&R advised the Company's financial advisors that it was prepared to improve its bid to $63.75 per share and provide for a break-up fee and reverse termination fee each equal to 5% of transaction equity value.

        On February 6, 2011, Kaye Scholer and Debevoise & Plimpton discussed the transaction structure and other aspects of the proposed merger agreement. Debevoise & Plimpton conveyed CD&R's view that the Onex Affiliates should commit to vote in favor of the adoption of the merger agreement, unless the merger agreement was terminated to accept a superior proposal prior to receipt of stockholder approval.

        On February 7, 2011, the board of directors held a meeting, together with the Company's legal and financial advisors, for an update as to the bids that had been received from CD&R and Party B and subsequent conversations with such bidders. Goldman Sachs also presented a preliminary financial analysis of the proposed merger consideration. The board of directors discussed the bids and financial analysis and whether to proceed with a transaction at a price that was likely to be below the then current market price of the Class A common stock. The board of directors concluded that, if the sale process were terminated without a transaction, the market price of the Class A common stock, which had risen following deal-related speculation, would decline to substantially below the levels reached during the sale process and would not be likely to rise again to reach the purchase price offered by CD&R for a significant period of time. The board of directors instructed the Company's financial advisors to inform each of CD&R and Party B as to the improvements in its bid that would be required before the board of directors would be prepared to authorize final negotiation of a proposed transaction.

        The closing sale price of the Class A common stock during the period from August 2010 through November 12, 2010, the last trading day before the board of directors authorized the Company's financial advisors to invite potential purchasers to participate in a sale process, generally had been in the low $50's per share. In the six trading days before the Company issued a press release on December 14, 2010 stating that the Company was reviewing strategic alternatives, the closing sale price ranged from $53.14 per share on December 6, 2010 to $54.91 per share on December 8, 2010, with a closing sale price of $53.86 per share on December 13, 2010; the closing sale price of the Class A common stock on December 14, 2010 increased $9.14 per share from the prior day's close. The members of the board of directors were generally aware of reports issued by equities research analysts in November and December 2010, prior to December 14, 2010, with price targets up to $74.00 per share, and on December 14, 2010 and thereafter, with price targets (including sale price targets) up to $80.00 per share, in each case for periods that ranged from 12 to 18 months.

        Following the board of directors' meeting on February 7, 2011, at the direction of the board of directors the Company's financial advisors communicated to CD&R the board's proposed purchase price of $65.00 per share, a break-up fee equal to 2% of transaction equity value and a reverse

25

Table of Contents

termination fee equal to 10% of transaction equity value. CD&R was unwilling to increase its proposed purchase price, but proposed a break-up fee equal to 4.5% of transaction equity value and a reverse termination fee equal to 5.5% of transaction equity value.

        On February 8, 2011, at the direction of the board of directors the Company's financial advisors communicated to CD&R the board of directors' proposal of a purchase price of $64.50 per share, a break-up fee equal to 4% of transaction equity value and a reverse termination fee equal to 7% of transaction equity value. CD&R agreed to increase the proposed purchase price to $64.00 per share and accepted the break-up fee and reverse termination fee proposed by the board of directors. At the direction of the board of directors, the Company's financial advisors contacted Party B to advise Party B that it needed to raise its proposed purchase price to be competitive. Party B increased its proposed price; however, the increased purchase price remained below that offered by CD&R. At the direction of the board of directors, Party B was advised by the Company's financial advisors that, absent an increased bid by Party B, the Company would be sold to another bidder. Party B stated that it was unwilling to increase its price and there was no further contact with Party B.

        On February 9, 2011, Kaye Scholer provided revised drafts of the merger agreement and other transaction documents to Debevoise & Plimpton. Commencing that evening, Kaye Scholer and Debevoise & Plimpton negotiated the proposed merger agreement and other transaction documents. On February 12, 2011, Kaye Scholer and Debevoise & Plimpton agreed upon proposed execution forms of the merger agreement and other transaction documents.

        On February 13, 2011, the board of directors held a meeting by telephone conference, together with the Company's legal and financial advisors, at which the proposed merger agreement and other transaction documents were reviewed. At the meeting, Goldman Sachs gave a presentation to the board of directors on its financial analyses of the merger consideration. At the end of its presentation, and at the request of the board of directors, Goldman Sachs then orally rendered its opinion to the board of directors (subsequently confirmed in writing) that, as of such date and based upon and subject to the factors and assumptions set forth in the written opinion, the $64.00 per share of common stock in cash to be paid to the holders of outstanding shares of common stock (which, for purposes of the opinion, included Class B common stock for which outstanding LP exchangeable units are to be exchanged prior to the effective time of the merger pursuant to the unitholders agreement) pursuant to the merger agreement was fair from a financial point of view to such holders. The full text of the opinion of Goldman Sachs, dated February 13, 2011, which sets forth assumptions made, procedures followed, matters considered and limitations of the review undertaken by Goldman Sachs in connection with such opinion, is attached hereto as Annex B. Following discussions and the presentation by Goldman Sachs, the board of directors approved, and authorized the execution and delivery of, the merger agreement and other transaction documents in the forms presented to the board of directors. The merger agreement and other transaction documents were executed and delivered by the parties later the same day.

        On February 14, 2011, the Company issued a press release announcing the proposed merger.

Purpose and Reasons for the Merger; Recommendation of Our Board of Directors

        The purpose of the merger is to enable the Company's stockholders to realize the value of their investment in the Company through their receipt of the $64.00 per share merger consideration in cash, without interest. The board of directors believes that the current interest in healthcare companies and robust acquisition finance market result in a favorable environment in which to pursue a sale; the $64.00 per share merger consideration is in excess of the highest price at which the Class A common stock ever traded prior to December 14, 2010, the date on which the Company announced that it was reviewing various strategic alternatives to enhance stockholder value. The board of directors also considered separate sales of the Company's AMR and EmCare businesses, but determined that such a

26

Table of Contents

transaction would result in tax costs that are not applicable to a sale of the entire Company in a single transaction.

        Our board of directors, with the assistance of the Company's legal and financial advisors, evaluated the proposed merger, including the terms and conditions of the merger agreement. At a meeting on February 13, 2010, our board of directors unanimously (i) determined that the merger agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby, including the merger and the unitholders agreement, are in the best interests of the Company and our stockholders, (ii) determined that the merger agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby, including the merger, are advisable in all respects, (iii) determined that the merger agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby, including the merger, are fair to and in the best interests of our stockholders, (iv) approved and declared advisable the merger agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby, including the merger and the unitholders agreement, upon the terms and conditions contained in the merger agreement, and (v) determined to recommend that the Company's stockholders vote to adopt the merger agreement.

        The members of the board of directors were generally aware that equities research analysts had issued reports during the period from November 1, 2010 through December 14, 2010 (the date the Company announced that it was exploring strategic alternatives) with price targets of up to $74.00 per share over periods that ranged from twelve to eighteen months; they were also generally aware that the equity analyst reports issued after December 14, 2010 had target sale prices in excess of $64.00 per share. The board of directors reviewed the Company's prospects and the near-term and long-term business trends that could affect the Company's ability to achieve its projected results. The board of directors concluded that the merger, at the price of $64.00 per share, is in the best interests of the Company's stockholders; the board of directors did not consider equities research analysts' trading price targets or sale price targets to be of significance in the board's analysis.

        In the course of reaching its determination and recommendation, our board of directors considered the following factors as being generally positive or favorable, each of which our board of directors believed supported its determinations and recommendations:

•

the opinion, dated February 13, 2011, of Goldman Sachs to our board of directors to the effect that, as of that date and based upon and subject to the factors and assumptions set forth in its opinion, the $64.00 per share in cash to be paid to the holders of outstanding shares of common stock (which, for purposes of the opinion, included shares of Class B common stock for which outstanding LP exchangeable units are to be exchanged prior to the effective time of the merger pursuant to the unitholders agreement) pursuant to the merger agreement was fair from a financial point of view to such holders, as more fully described in "— Opinion of Goldman, Sachs & Co. " beginning on page 30;



•

the fact that the merger consideration is all cash, allowing the stockholders to immediately realize a certain value for all shares of their common stock;



•

the fact that Parent and Merger Sub had obtained committed equity and debt financing for the transaction, the limited number and nature of the conditions to the equity and debt financing, and the obligation of Parent to use its reasonable best efforts to obtain the debt financing and, if Parent fails to complete the merger under certain circumstances, to pay the Company a termination fee of $203,884,000 (equal to approximately 7.0% of the equity value of the transaction);



•

the limited guarantee of CD&R Fund VIII of up to $203,884,000, in the Company's favor with respect to the payment by Parent of certain of its payment obligations under the merger agreement;



•

the inclusion in the merger agreement of provisions allowing the Company's board of directors, under certain circumstances, to provide information to, and participate in discussions and

27

Table of Contents

negotiations with, third parties regarding unsolicited acquisition proposals after the date the merger agreement was entered into, as well as the Company's ability, under certain circumstances, to terminate the merger agreement in order to enter into a definitive agreement related to a superior proposal, subject to paying a break-up fee of $116,505,000 (equal to approximately 4.0% of the equity value of the transaction); recognizing that, as a result of the commitment by the Onex Affiliates in the unitholders agreement to vote in favor of the adoption of the merger agreement (which CD&R insisted upon as a condition of its bid), stockholder approval would be obtained at the special meeting unless the merger agreement is terminated in order to accept a superior proposal prior to the special meeting;

•

the other terms and conditions of the merger agreement, described under " The Merger Agreement " beginning on page 59 of this proxy statement, which the board of directors, after consulting with its legal counsel, considered to be reasonable and consistent with precedents it deemed relevant;



•

the sale process conducted by the Company's board of directors, with the assistance of the Company's financial advisors, did not result in any proposals to acquire the Company at a price higher than $64.00 per share;



•

the likelihood, considering CD&R's reputation, proven experience in completing similar transactions, and financial and capital resources, that the merger would be completed, and completed in a reasonably prompt time frame;



•

the possible alternatives to a sale, including maintaining the status quo, which alternatives our board of directors determined were less favorable to our stockholders than the merger given the potential risks, rewards and uncertainties associated with those alternatives;



•

the possibility that if the sale process were terminated without a transaction, the market price of shares of our Class A common stock would decline substantially and it could take a considerable period of time before the market price would thereafter sustain at least the merger consideration of $64.00 per share, as adjusted for present value, and the possibility that such value might never be obtained because of the risks and uncertainties in any business (the members of the board of directors were generally aware of reports issued by equities research analysts in November and December 2010, prior to December 14, 2010, with price targets up to $74.00 per share, and on December 14, 2010 and thereafter, with price targets (including sale price targets) up to $80.00 per share, in each case for periods that ranged from 12 to 18 months); the closing sale price of the Class A common stock on February 11, 2011 was $70.66 per share;



•

recent volatility in the markets and the trading price of our Class A common stock;



•

the fact that all of our stockholders, including the stockholder that controls a majority of the Company's voting power, will receive the same consideration per share of common stock, regardless of the class of capital stock; and



•

the availability of appraisal rights to the stockholders who comply with all of the required procedures under Delaware law for exercising appraisal rights, which allow such holders to seek appraisal of the fair value of their stock as determined by the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware in lieu of receiving the merger consideration.

        The board of directors did not believe that the Company's current financial situation or near-term future prospects indicated a need to sell the Company. However, it believed that the proposed merger is fair to and in the best interests of all of the Company's stockholders, including those not affiliated with Onex, for the foregoing reasons.

28

Table of Contents

        In the course of reaching its determinations and recommendations, our board of directors also considered the following risks and other factors concerning the merger agreement and the merger as being generally negative or unfavorable:

•

the stockholders will not participate in any future earnings or growth of our business and will not benefit from any appreciation in our value, including any appreciation in value that could be realized as a result of improvements to our operations;



•

the possibility that Parent will be unable to obtain all or a portion of the financing for the merger and related transactions, including the debt financing proceeds contemplated by the commitment letter it received from the initial lenders;



•

the risks and costs to us if the merger does not close, including the diversion of management and employee attention and the potential effect on our business and our relationships with customers;



•

the requirement that we pay a break-up fee of $116,505,000 if we enter into a definitive agreement related to a superior proposal or the merger agreement is terminated under certain other circumstances;



•

even for a breach by Parent or Merger Sub that is deliberate or willful, the Company would be limited to $203,884,000 that is payable in certain circumstances, which payment is guaranteed by CD&R Fund VIII;



•

the fact that an all cash transaction would be taxable to the stockholders that are U.S. persons for U.S. federal income tax purposes;



•

the restrictions on the conduct of our business prior to the completion of the merger, requiring us to conduct our business only in the ordinary course, subject to specific limitations, which may delay or prevent us from undertaking business opportunities that may arise pending completion of the merger; and



•

the risk that, while the merger is expected to be completed, there can be no assurance that all conditions to the parties' obligations to complete the merger will be satisfied, and as a result, it is possible that the merger may not be completed even if approved by our stockholders.

        In addition, our board of directors was aware of and considered the interests that certain of our directors and executive officers have with respect to the merger that differ from, or are in addition to, their interests as stockholders of the Company, as described in " —Interests of the Company's Directors and Executive Officers in the Merger " beginning on page 47.

        In the course of reaching its determination and recommendation regarding the fairness of the merger to the stockholders of the Company and its decision to recommend that the stockholders adopt the merger agreement, the board of directors considered financial analyses presented by Goldman Sachs to the board of directors on February 13, 2011 concerning EMSC, which analyses are summarized below under "— Opinion of Goldman, Sachs & Co ."

        The foregoing discussion of the information and factors considered by our board of directors is not intended to be exhaustive, but includes the material factors considered by our board of directors. In view of the wide variety of factors considered by our board of directors in evaluating the merger agreement and the merger, our board of directors did not find it practicable, and did not attempt, to quantify, rank or otherwise assign relative weights to the foregoing factors in reaching its conclusion. In addition, individual members of our board of directors may have given different weights to different factors and may have viewed some factors more positively or negatively than others. The board of directors' determinations and recommendations described above were based upon the totality of the information considered.

29

Table of Contents

         Our board of directors recommends that you vote "FOR" the adoption of the merger agreement and "FOR" the adjournment of the special meeting, if necessary or appropriate, to solicit additional proxies.

Opinion of Goldman, Sachs & Co.

        Goldman Sachs rendered its opinion to the Company's board of directors that, as of February 13, 2011 and based upon and subject to the factors and assumptions set forth therein, the $64.00 per share of common stock in cash to be paid to the holders of outstanding shares of common stock (which, for purposes of the opinion and this section of the proxy statement, included shares of Class B common stock for which outstanding LP exchangeable units are to be exchanged prior to the effective time of the merger pursuant to the unitholders agreement) pursuant to the merger agreement was fair from a financial point of view to such holders.

         The full text of the written opinion of Goldman Sachs, dated February 13, 2011, which sets forth assumptions made, procedures followed, matters considered and limitations on the review undertaken in connection with the opinion, is attached as Annex B . Goldman Sachs provided its opinion for the information and assistance of the Company's board of directors in connection with its consideration of the merger. The Goldman Sachs opinion is not a recommendation as to how any holder of the Company's common stock or other securities should vote with respect to the merger, or any other matter.

        In connection with rendering the opinion described above and performing its related financial analyses, Goldman Sachs reviewed, among other things:

•

the merger agreement;



•

annual reports to stockholders and Annual Reports on Form 10-K of the Company for the five fiscal years ended December 31, 2009;



•

certain interim reports to stockholders and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q of the Company;



•

certain other communications from the Company to its stockholders;



•

certain publicly available research analyst reports for the Company; and



•

certain internal financial analyses and forecasts for the Company prepared by its management, as approved for Goldman Sachs' use by the Company, which we refer to as the "Forecasts." For more information on the Forecasts, please see "The Merger—Certain Projections."

        Goldman Sachs also held discussions with members of the senior management of the Company regarding their assessment of the past and current business operations, financial condition and future prospects of the Company; reviewed the reported price and trading activity for the Class A common stock; compared certain financial and stock market information for the Company with similar information for certain other companies the securities of which are publicly traded; reviewed the financial terms of certain recent business combinations in the outsourced emergency medical services industry and in other industries; and performed such other studies and analyses, and considered such other factors, as it deemed appropriate.

        For purposes of rendering the opinion described above, Goldman Sachs relied upon and assumed, without assuming any responsibility for independent verification, the accuracy and completeness of all of the financial, legal, regulatory, tax, accounting and other information provided to, discussed with or reviewed by it and it does not assume any responsibility for any such information. In that regard, Goldman Sachs assumed with the consent of the board of directors of the Company that the Forecasts were reasonably prepared on a basis reflecting the best currently available estimates and judgments of the management of the Company. Goldman Sachs did not make an independent evaluation or

30

Table of Contents

appraisal of the assets and liabilities (including any contingent, derivative or other off-balance-sheet assets and liabilities) of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, nor was any evaluation or appraisal of the assets or liabilities of the Company or any of its subsidiaries furnished to Goldman Sachs. For the purpose of rendering its opinion, Goldman Sachs treated the LP exchangeable units and the Class B common stock as equivalent to the Class A common stock from a financial point of view. Goldman Sachs assumed that all governmental, regulatory or other consents and approvals necessary for the consummation of the merger will be obtained without any adverse effect on the expected benefits of the merger in any way meaningful to its analysis. Goldman Sachs has also assumed that the merger will be consummated on the terms set forth in the merger agreement, without the waiver or modification of any term or condition the effect of which would be in any way meaningful to its analysis.

        Goldman Sachs' opinion does not address the underlying business decision of the Company to engage in the merger, or the relative merits of the merger as compared to any strategic alternatives that may be available to the Company; nor does it address any legal, regulatory, tax or accounting matters. Goldman Sachs' opinion addresses only the fairness from a financial point of view, as of the date of the opinion, of the $64.00 per share of common stock in cash to be paid to the holders of outstanding shares of common stock pursuant to the merger agreement. Goldman Sachs' opinion does not express any view on, and does not address, any other term or aspect of the merger agreement or merger or any term or aspect of any other agreement or instrument contemplated by the merger agreement or entered into or amended in connection with the merger, including, without limitation, the fairness of the merger to, or any consideration received in connection therewith by, the holders of any other class of securities, creditors, or other constituencies of the Company; nor as to the fairness of the amount or nature of any compensation to be paid or payable to any of the officers, directors or employees of the Company or class of such persons, in connection with the merger, whether relative to the $64.00 per share of common stock in cash to be paid to the holders of outstanding shares of common stock pursuant to the merger agreement or otherwise. Goldman Sachs does not express any opinion as to the impact of the merger on the solvency or viability of the Company or Parent or the ability of the Company or Parent to pay their respective obligations when they come due. Goldman Sachs' opinion was necessarily based on economic, monetary, market and other conditions as in effect on, and the information made available to it as of the date of the opinion and Goldman Sachs assumed no responsibility for updating, revising or reaffirming its opinion based on circumstances, developments or events occurring after the date of its opinion. Goldman Sachs' advisory services and its opinion were provided for the information and assistance of the Company's board of directors in connection with its consideration of the merger and its opinion does not constitute a recommendation as to how any holder of common stock or other securities should vote with respect to such merger or any other matter. Goldman Sachs' opinion was approved by a fairness committee of Goldman Sachs.

        The following is a summary of the material financial analyses delivered by Goldman Sachs to the board of directors of the Company in connection with rendering the opinion described above. The following summary, however, does not purport to be a complete description of the financial analyses performed by Goldman Sachs, nor does the order of analyses described represent relative importance or weight given to those analyses by Goldman Sachs. Some of the summaries of the financial analyses include information presented in tabular format. The tables must be read together with the full text of each summary and are alone not a complete description of Goldman Sachs' financial analyses. Except as otherwise noted, the following quantitative information, to the extent that it is based on market data, is based on market data as it existed on or before February 11, 2011 and is not necessarily indicative of current market conditions.

        Selected Companies Analysis.     Goldman Sachs reviewed and compared certain financial information for the Company to corresponding financial information, ratios and public market multiples for the following publicly traded corporations in the outsourced medical services industry:

Selected Hospital Outsourcing Companies

31

Table of Contents

•

IPC The Hospitalist Company, Inc.;



•

Team Health Holdings, Inc.; and



•

Mednax, Inc.

Selected Ambulance Response Services Companies

•

Rural/Metro Corporation; and



•

Air Methods Corporation.

        Although none of the selected companies is directly comparable to the Company, the companies included were chosen because they are publicly traded companies with operations that for purposes of analysis may be considered similar to certain operations of the Company.

        Goldman Sachs calculated and compared various financial multiples and ratios for the selected companies based on financial data as of February 11, 2011, information it obtained from SEC filings (including the most recent publicly available balance sheets for the selected companies), IBES estimates and other Wall Street research. The multiples and ratios for the Company were based on the Company's balance sheet as of December 31, 2010 provided by the Company's management, information obtained from SEC filings, IBES estimates and other Wall Street research, and calculated using both the Class A common stock closing share price on February 11, 2011 and December 13, 2010 (the "Undisturbed Date"), the trading day immediately prior to the Company's announcement stating that it was considering strategic alternatives. With respect to the selected companies and the Company, Goldman Sachs calculated:

•

enterprise value, or EV, which is the market value of common equity plus the book value of debt and equivalents less cash and equivalents, as a multiple of estimated 2011 earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, or EBITDA; and



•

price as a multiple of estimated 2011 earnings per share, or EPS.

        For purposes of this analysis, EBITDA of the Company represents net income before equity in earnings of unconsolidated subsidiary, income tax expense, loss on early debt extinguishment, interest and other income, realized gain on investments, interest expense, and depreciation and amortization, or Adjusted EBITDA (as used in the Company's SEC filings, IBES estimates and Wall Street research referenced above as well as "— Certain Projections " below).

        The multiples observed for each of the selected companies are as follows:

32

Table of Contents