10/22/2026
Have you ever wondered why an ambulance and emergency vehicles come flying into your neighborhood with lights flashing, then leave like nothing ever happened?
We get this question a lot: “if it was an emergency, why aren’t you transporting with lights on?”
The truth is, the vast majority of calls we respond to are not truly “life-threatening,” although they always have the potential to become life-threatening. When we are dispatched we often respond emergently based on “what could be happening.” After arriving on scene, our crews receive report from Medical First Responders on scene, or the Patient and their Family directly.
Once we get the Patient in our ambulance, we often perform a more thorough assessment, evaluation and treatment, which could include re-checking vital signs, performing a 12-Lead EKG, or starting an IV, among other things. Performing these procedures and interventions can take time, but helps us better care for our Patients and understand what might actually be going on.
Most of the time, our calls require transport to the hospital, but might not be immediately life-threatening, so we usually transport Patients non-emergently. This helps improve Patient and Crew safety, while also allowing us to provide the best care and service we can.
Rest assured, when we do run into severe and life-threatening emergencies (STEMI’s, Strokes, Major Traumas, and more) that require rapid transport, you’ll see us leave just as fast as we arrived!
