In an emergency, every minute counts. Which is why the Albuquerque Ambulance is using cutting-edge technology that could truly save lives
On a normal day, paramedics load into their units and drive to a particular spot in the city and just sit, waiting for a call.
Chief Kurt Krumperman said there's a very good reason for that.
"If you see an Albuquerque Ambulance sitting out on a street, you know next to a Starbucks, they are being posted for a call, they're not just having coffee," Krumperman said.
Unlike the Albuquerque Fire Department, that has stations throughout the city, all of Albuquerque Ambulance Services' units are located and stored in one spot.
When paramedics go on shift, Krumperman said their office can be just about anywhere.
"They sit on street corners or in parking lots," Krumperman said.
But the chief also said where they park is no accident.
Dispatchers determine where to place more than 60 ambulances from a heat map that takes five years of data and predicts where calls might come from.