I’m not privy to the details surrounding the recently publicly published case, but I am sure that either side will use it to further their case, regardless of the facts or circumstances.
Yet, It’s important to understand that no two situations are alike. The standard of pre-hospital care is to provide advanced life support services. This is for emergencies that require more than a basic assessment and transport to the hospital. Not only do these advanced interventions directly save lives, but they can diagnose certain time-sensitive diseases, such as heart attacks, and notify the receiving hospital so they can activate the appropriate team, all while initiating treatment and continuous monitoring.
Without advanced capabilities, the basic providers may be forced to transport the patient to the nearest hospital, which often will not be the appropriate hospital, as it may not have the capabilities to treat this patient. The unnecessary delay in care may cause a worse outcome than if they would have had the capability of transporting to a more appropriate hospital.
This is in addition to the fact that having an agency that regularly treats and resuscitates patients, as well as having an integrated ALS system, improves the chances for success and better patient management. This is beyond the original EMT certification, but being in a system that regularly treats these patients is an important factor.
These are just a few of many reasons why there is more to managing a health care system, especially a pre-hospital response system comprised of volunteers tasked with managing critical patients, and should not be compared to a chesed organization that is here to help with something such as a flat tire.