First Responder: Why Do Fire Trucks Often Arrive Before Ambulances For Medical Emergencies?

Curious City

WBEZ Chicago

Society & Culture, Education, Public, Chicago, Arts, City, Radio, Curious, Investigation

4.8 • 642 Ratings

🗓️ 2 April 2017

⏱️ 13 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Medical calls outnumber fire calls 20 to one in Chicago. So why does the city own so many more fire trucks than ambulances?

Transcript

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0:00.0	Planet Money helps you understand the economy.
0:02.7	We find the people at the center of the story.
0:05.1	Garbage in New York, that was like a controlled substance.
0:08.6	We show you how money influences everything.
0:11.6	Tell me what you like by telling me how you spend your money.
0:15.5	And we dig until we get answers.
0:17.5	I had a bad feeling you're going to bring that up.
0:19.4	Planet Money finds out.
0:20.7	All you have to do is listen. The Planet Money podcast from NPR.
0:26.2	It's Curious City, where we take your questions about Chicago and the region, and investigate, report,
0:32.5	explore from WBEZ. Hi, I'm WBEZ.
0:41.2	Hi, I'm WBEZ reporter Monica A.
0:45.7	And last summer, Curious City was out at the Woodson Library on Chicago South Side.
0:51.1	We were gathering questions for the show from library visitors when this guy came by the table. My name is Todd H. Stroger, and I am the former Cook County Board President.
0:58.0	But just because he had a powerful political job, it doesn't mean he understands everything
1:02.7	about how local government works.
1:04.8	In fact, he's been puzzled by something in Chicago for a long time.
1:09.6	See, 20 years ago, his fiancé lived near a nursing home way on the north side.
1:14.3	And it seemed that whenever I'd drive up there to visit her, that there would be a fire truck outside of the senior facility.
1:23.7	And I was always wondering, why is there a fire truck here?
1:27.0	I know it's not a fire going on. And if there's someone sick, what do is there a fire truck here? I know it's not a fire going on.
1:28.4	And after someone's sick, what do they need a fire truck for?
	...

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