EMT here. A thousand percent this. We’re slammed constantly and overworked which could be mitigated by simply hiring more EMTs and paramedics and putting more ambulances in service, but the healthcare system wants to make money so they won’t do it. Hell, they’re too cheap to even pay us what we deserve. This problem is also exacerbated by the rampant 911 abuse from entitled people who think the ambulance is their golden ticket past triage. At least once a week I see a news headline about obscenely long ambulance response times, sometimes to the point that people have no choice but to drive their critically ill or injured loved one to the hospital themselves because they can’t wait any longer. It makes my stomach turn every time I see that. I hate that critical patients are having to wait that long for an ambulance but there’s not anything I can do about it as the EMT, and that is what is truly gut wrenching about it. I simply go when dispatched and try to get there as quickly as is safe for me and other drivers if it’s a code 3. I never have any idea how much time passed between the caller dialing 911 and the tones going off. I love my job but this bullshit makes me feel physically sick.