A question about emergencies and speeding

If somebody's in an situation where they need to speed on an emergency, like they got their friend in the back of the car and they absolutely need to go to the emergency room or they die or something, are they allowed to break certain rules or take certain measures or anything or can the cops do anything special? I ask because my grandfather once had a similar scenario like 50 years ago and the state trooper gave him an escort to the hospital. I'm wondering if that still applies today. Thanks