In the U.S., only 3 to 5 percent of fire department calls nationally are related to building fires. It is probably similar here in Canada. There is an interesting article questioning the rationale for dispatching huge fire trucks to non-firefighting situations. Here is an excerpt:
“Dispatching a 80-ton fire-fighting vehicle to respond to a possible heart attack doesn’t necessarily make sense. American cities could take a page from international peers that use smaller vehicles—even motorcycles and bikes—to respond to less-urgent medical calls.”
Maybe we should catch up with the rest of the world in how it deals with medical emergencies by not sending a huge fire truck with several firefighters. You can read the full article here: