Originally Posted by golf2140 (Post 981947)

Most of the time the fire truck arrives first. They are also trained Para-Medics. They supply the medical attention until the ambulance gets there. Recently a friend was saved the the firemen and it took the ambulance 20 minutes to arrive. Lighten up, you may need them one day.

Originally Posted by NavyNJ (Post 982272)

First off, the scenario OP outlines is not unique to TV, or Fla. for that matter, as many others have stated already. It also has little to do with funding or manpower, but more to do with availability of required resources to respond. It also might depend on the nature of the initial 911 call (heart attack, stroke, fall from ladder, non-responsive, etc.) and the protocol employed by that dispatch center.

It also happens that Emergency Services, particularly EMS, is primarily structured at the state and local level across the country, so you have plenty of variety in how things are not only done, but organized. A good example is the designation and location of a "Para-Medic" (versus an EMT) - In NJ, by statute, a Para-Medic can only be attached to a Hospital and dispatched with an ALS (Adv. Life Support) unit such as a Mobile ICU (Suburban or other big SUV). Fire Depts and Rescue Squads, paid or volunteer, can only be staffed by an EMT. Whereas, in Fla., many (maybe most) Fire Depts have Para-Medics on staff who are on nearly every engine/truck. Big difference on how quick that level of care might get to a call, based on who they arrive with.

Anyway, as many others have said.....wouldn't be too concerned about how many vehicles arrive, or who gets there first....so long as they get there quick!! Cheers!! :)

Originally Posted by VT2TV (Post 983334)

Realizing that all states can be different, but where we are from, the paid and volunteer crews travel with at least 2 crew members, occ. 3. At least 1 is a paramedic and the other 2 would be EMT's. I have never seen a ambulance/EMS unit dispatched from a hospital, they have always been stationed either in the fire station, or in their own free standing EMS building. The only paramedics I have seen working in a hospital were there to assist the nurses in transporting monitored patients during transfer to a critical care area or step-down unit, and working in the telementry area. We also flew a nurse/paramedic team with the helicopter. To answer the question someone asked about what the fire trucks did after the call---as soon as the EMS unit marked enroute to the hospital with the patient, the firemen went back to the station to prepare for the next call.