Why “ambulance” is being discussed
The most recent Hacker News stories and comments contributing to this topic's mentions.
> We're facing the issue in Ontario where firefighters are bored out of their minds and are being used as first responders for anything and everything. They show up to random fe…
by gamerdonkey · Oct 21, 2026
> No, it means some billionaires catch strays and have to sell one of their yachts out of their fleet, or cut dividends. Their capital isn't your body armour. Anything it costs…
by ben_w · Oct 21, 2026
Where I live, the fire department has rescue trucks which sometimes can be large (like a ladder-less fire truck) but can also be as small as a heavy duty work truck. Some depart…
by wildzzz · Oct 21, 2026
It depends. In Ontario (or at least Toronto where I live), the fire department and ambulance services are separate. The paramedics are chronically underfunded and the result is…
by hylaride · Oct 21, 2026
Firefighters do a lot more than you probably realize. For instance, who is carrying grandma with her broken hip down the rickety stairs from her top floor bathroom? It's probabl…
by petcat · Oct 21, 2026
In my town every firefighter is also an EMT and every fire truck has an AED and ventilation bag. And the local firehouse is invariably closer to basically everything than the AL…
by petcat · Oct 21, 2026
Interest
Proportion of Hacker News items mentioning "ambulance" over time.
Mentions
Total number of Hacker News items mentioning "ambulance" over time.
An ambulance is a medically equipped vehicle used to transport patients to treatment facilities, such as hospitals. Typically, out-of-hospital medical care is provided to the patient during the transport. Ambulances are used to respond to medical emergencies by emergency medical services (EMS), and can rapidly transport paramedics and other first responders, carry equipment for administering emergency care, and transport patients to hospital or other definitive care. Most ambulances use a design based on vans or pickup trucks, though others take the form of motorcycles, buses, hearses, aircraft and boats. Read more on Wikipedia