We go "emergency" way to much. Period. My unit is dispatched emergency to well over 95% of our calls. I transport emergency to the hospital maybe once a month.
At my service, the dispatchers will raise a unit for a call by saying "Unit soandso, copy an emergency." It seems that every imaginable complaint under the sun is an "emergency." And when we respond emergency, it means that we are going to a scene with some sort of fire apparatus. It's not the dispatcher's fault.
Perhaps we should better educate the public on the definition of "emergency."
Why do we need 6 EMTs and 2 Paramedics in, collectively, a fire engine, rescue truck, and an ambulance for a 35 year old man with kidney stones? Or for that matter, a child with a fever? Or for the nursing home patient with abnormal labs?
Those people need a taxi, not an ambulance, much less 3 humongous vehicles driving emergency, forcing cars to the side of the road for their bullshit complaint.
I think the call-takers in my county should be able to provide directions to the hospital.
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