Who is truly the first responder?
A first responder is, at its core, the individual who can reach someone in crisis the fastest. In emergencies, we rely on services like 911 with the expectation of rapid assistance. However, in practice, average response times are approximately 10 minutes for police and up to 15 minutes for emergency medical services.
In critical situations—such as initiating an Amber Alert—procedural steps can introduce additional delays. When every second is vital, even small gaps in response time can have significant consequences.