In the US it is more likely that there is a fire department close to any particular residence (in fact they are usually spaced out to minimize response time ove

In the US it is more likely that there is a fire department close to any particular residence (in fact they are usually spaced out to minimize response time over the entire area) while ambulances tend to be dispatched from hospitals or ambulance services and so their response time is more varied. Fire department paramedics and ambulances may both be dispatched for emergencies, but ambulances also cover things like non-emergency patient transfers and other medical transport scenarios. It is often the case that the role of the FD paramedic is to be first on scene and try to stabilize the patient if possible so that once the ambulance arrives they can scoop and go if needed.