BACKGROUND: On July 21, 2009, the Medical Council of India officially recognized the specialty of emergency medicine in India. The city of Chennai with over six and a half million people is the fourth largest on the subcontinent and has already been a prominent city of interest in the specialty's development. However, there is no standardization of the resources found in the city's emergency departments. This study was to survey the equipment, training, and certification of Chennai area emergency departments and their staff. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional survey of emergency department staff from 38 Chennai area hospitals. The survey instrument contained 44 questions pertaining to hospital demographics, staff training and certification, and ED equipment and supplies. The items on the survey were specifically chosen to represent only the most basic and common resources necessary to practise emergency medicine. RESULTS: The survey found a majority of hospitals are privately operated but there is a wide range in terms of size and volume of patients. A minority of both doctors and nurses are certified in BLS, ACLS, PALS, and ATLS. While almost all departments surveyed had the basic code medications, a number of basic equipment items were lacking from a large percentage of the EDs surveyed. CONCLUSION: The newly established EP community in Chennai will have the responsibility to establish standards for both training and resources so that the specialty may grow and provide a higher standard of emergency care moving into the future.