Fire apparatus care basic life support medical equipment, including defibrillators and oxygen.
This allows trained medical professionals to arrive at the scene of an injury or illness quickly and begin assessment and treatment. With potential serious medical problems, this early access to medical carry can significantly increase the chances for survival. In the case of less serious problems, an extra set of trained hands to supplement those of the ambulance crew can lessen the time it takes to ready the patient for transport. In reality, we rarely know the true nature of the emergency before we arrive on scene to deal with it. With that in mind, we often plan for the worst case scenario, choosing to err on the side of caution when lives are at stake.