Something to remember - ambulances

[Bobby Winds]

Originally Posted by dirty underpants

Response varies by community and staffing levels. A lot of communities utilize combination responses for medical alarms. Keep in mind that in today's day and age, the person riding the fire truck is most likely trained as a first responder, and in a lot of areas are EMTs and/or paramedics. They're sent because they're closer, trained, and equiped.

Pretty much as du said here....keep in mind a area with a full time volunteer staff you don’t know who is available when the alarm goes off.....during the day many are working and can’t respond and most communities don’t have enough staff to respond because our younger generations don’t want to volunteer due to the huge commitment in just training alone. Meanwhile the older guys just can’t respond like they use to.....the one exception when you see the old guys respond like they were still in their prime is when the emergency involves a child, then it’s all hands on deck.

We need more 1st responders, especially FIREFIGHTERS.......PLEASE consider joining your local fire department.

[Dave in Walker]

Yes you are missing something, I am a ret Mpls FF when the call comes in and they say someone slipped, you can never take their word for it, when they say it is just a small nothing fire, you do not know for sure. We send multiple rigs, and when the first rig is on the scene, they can make a assessment and cancel xtra help or ask for more. Mpls FF's and paramedics were never more then 3 minutes away, unless bad weather or some unforeseen situation. Volunters in the country of course take longer. Where I live here now in N Minnesota, anything serious happens to me I am toast, history

[Marble Eye 62]

Originally Posted by Dave in Walker

Yes you are missing something, I am a ret Mpls FF when the call comes in and they say someone slipped, you can never take their word for it, when they say it is just a small nothing fire, you do not know for sure. We send multiple rigs, and when the first rig is on the scene, they can make a assessment and cancel xtra help or ask for more. Mpls FF's and paramedics were never more then 3 minutes away, unless bad weather or some unforeseen situation. Volunters in the country of course take longer. Where I live here now in N Minnesota, anything serious happens to me I am toast, history

Dave's 100% correct, couldn't tell you how many times a what was called in as a small incident turned into an all hands on deck upon arrival. Its kind of like dressing for winter, you can take things off if you get to warm, but when in need, you can't put it on if you don't have it with you. Especially if the caller failed to mention that the slip patient comes in around 400 pounds, and is on the top floor of a 5 story apartment building with no elevator and narrow hallways. Yah, been there done that!

[jfishpa]

Here in the city of Pittsburgh firefighters usually respond first then medics, in the township where i worked it was police first then volunteer firefighters if they were available then the medics. Police had first aid training ( CPR ) .