4 ms·

I am not sure what you are referring to. I was involved in a motorcycle accident in October of 2017 and I was treated by SFFD paramedics in an ambulance.

chrisseaton 8y ago
Why does the fire department respond to a medical emergency?
- Bucephalus355 8y ago
  Often this is because many firefighters are also certified EMTs. So sometimes, it’s just easier to have the fire department respond. That being said, I live in a rural state where this makes sense. I cannot imagine the crowded streets of SF are good for this.
- thatfrenchguy 8y ago
  They do in most countries actually. There's a lot of similarity in the skills you need.
  - grkvlt 8y ago
    Don't most countries have a separate ambulance/paramedic service for medical emergencies? Certainly in the UK we have fire, police and ambulance as the three emergency services, one (or more) of which will be sent by the dispatcher following a 999 emergency call. I think most commonwealth countries are the same.
- lvturner 8y ago
  Because Ambulances tend not to carry the kind of heavy duty cutting equipment required to get people out of mangled cars
- firemancoder 8y ago
  Often times fire engines and trucks are staffed with 3 EMTs and at least 1 Paramedic. Then the ambulance with 2 paramedics, or 1 paramedic 1 EMT arrives. It's all about level of care. Overkill for a twisted ankle sure but crucial for a cardiac or other life threatening event.
  - deleted 8y ago
    [deleted]
- dragonwriter 8y ago
  Because “fire department” is the label put on the general purpose non-law-enforcement emergency response unit of most local governments.
- TimTheTinker 8y ago
  US fire departments are classed as "first responders", with a service level requirement that they normally arrive on-scene within minutes, usually long before police/ambulance/etc. It makes sense to staff FDs with EMTs and give them responsibility for responding to all manner of emergencies (medical included), since they are already the first responders.
curun1r 8y ago
The fire department does have some ambulances, but they still respond to non-fires with fire engines as well. Prior to the unification of services, non-fire medical emergencies were serviced by ambulances and EMTs were not required to be firefighters. Now, all EMTs have to be firefighters. I had friends who lost their jobs when the switchover happened because they didn't want to train as firefighters.

chrisseaton 8y ago

Why does the fire department respond to a medical emergency?

Bucephalus355 8y ago
Often this is because many firefighters are also certified EMTs. So sometimes, it’s just easier to have the fire department respond. That being said, I live in a rural state where this makes sense. I cannot imagine the crowded streets of SF are good for this.
thatfrenchguy 8y ago
They do in most countries actually. There's a lot of similarity in the skills you need.
- grkvlt 8y ago
  Don't most countries have a separate ambulance/paramedic service for medical emergencies? Certainly in the UK we have fire, police and ambulance as the three emergency services, one (or more) of which will be sent by the dispatcher following a 999 emergency call. I think most commonwealth countries are the same.
lvturner 8y ago
Because Ambulances tend not to carry the kind of heavy duty cutting equipment required to get people out of mangled cars
firemancoder 8y ago
Often times fire engines and trucks are staffed with 3 EMTs and at least 1 Paramedic. Then the ambulance with 2 paramedics, or 1 paramedic 1 EMT arrives. It's all about level of care. Overkill for a twisted ankle sure but crucial for a cardiac or other life threatening event.
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
dragonwriter 8y ago
Because “fire department” is the label put on the general purpose non-law-enforcement emergency response unit of most local governments.
TimTheTinker 8y ago
US fire departments are classed as "first responders", with a service level requirement that they normally arrive on-scene within minutes, usually long before police/ambulance/etc. It makes sense to staff FDs with EMTs and give them responsibility for responding to all manner of emergencies (medical included), since they are already the first responders.

curun1r 8y ago

The fire department does have some ambulances, but they still respond to non-fires with fire engines as well. Prior to the unification of services, non-fire medical emergencies were serviced by ambulances and EMTs were not required to be firefighters. Now, all EMTs have to be firefighters. I had friends who lost their jobs when the switchover happened because they didn't want to train as firefighters.