# Why does firetruck accompany ambulance?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-firetruck-accompany-ambulance/766272>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 18, 2016, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-firetruck-accompany-ambulance/766272 "2016-09-18T16:36:35Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\
**Post date:** [September 20, 2016, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-firetruck-accompany-ambulance/766272/41 "2016-09-20T21:44:39Z")

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> [@Iggy](#):
>
> Some medical cases need two people working on the patient. A third is then needed to drive.

You see, this is Totally believable.

in fact, it makes what one female EMT told me back in the day (that they work better after staring at a fireman’s ass for 5 minutes) seem like Total BS.

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**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\
**Post date:** [September 20, 2016, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-firetruck-accompany-ambulance/766272/42 "2016-09-20T23:19:12Z")

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I remember when my oldest daughter swallowed a push-pin and my then-wife called 911. The firefighters were the only ones who responded. They checked her to make sure she was breathing and not otherwise in distress, then advised to take her to an ER to be safe. In the end (pun intended) my daughter was fine and passed it into her diaper. (We got a hilarious X-ray photo out of the whole deal.)

I figure if they have the training and can get there fastest then more power to them.

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**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\
**Post date:** [September 20, 2016, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-firetruck-accompany-ambulance/766272/43 "2016-09-20T23:33:19Z")

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> [@HMS\_Irruncible](#):
>
> If you’re just taking someone on a spineboard to the ER an hour away, a ladder truck can handle that just fine.

Short of a disaster of biblical proportions, you will never see a piece of fire apparatus transport a patient, they are HORRIBLE platforms for this for a legion of reasons.

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