History Main / InstantEmergencyResponse

-->-- '''Michael Westen''', "Rough Seas", ''Series/BurnNotice''

* Implied in ''Film/TheRoom''. A couple minutes after [[spoiler:Johnny has committed suicide]], emergency lights can be seen flashing in the background, before anyone could even have had a chance to call for emergency responders.

* While response times were narrowed for obvious dramatic and show-length reasons, ''Series/{{Emergency}}'' did generally avert instant response by indicating several minutes or more had passed between alarm and arrival (in fact, every dispatch would end with an ETA, rarely under 10 minutes, often more). One episode which had a subplot of paramedics being pissed off because they were being called out to dinky non-emergencies had them commenting about the length of time it was taking units to arrive on a scene because the closest unit that should have responded was off on one of the crap calls. This is, unfortunately, [[TruthInTelevision something that they have to deal with all the time]]: people call 911 (or their equivalent emergency number) for non-emergency medical situations, meaning fewer fire/EMS units are left available for the serious emergencies (such as car accidents, heart attacks, etc.), and have to respond from a greater distance, increasing response times.

* [=PredPol=] ('''pred'''ictive '''pol'''icing) developped a numeric tool using data on criminality to predict local crimes. It enabled sometimes police to be on a crime scene ''before'' the (would-be) criminal.

* [=PredPol=] ('''pred'''ictive '''pol''icing) developped a numeric tool using data on criminality to predict local crimes. It enabled sometimes police to be on a crime scene ''before'' the (would-be) criminal.

* Inverted in the case of most Filipino action films. The TragicHero usually has enough time for an elaborate pre-death speech before the cops / paramedics / what-have-you arrive. And usually, when they finally arrive, [[ForegoneConclusion the hero has already passed on]].

* This is a staple of the ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto'' series. In most titles, the police can descend on your position mere seconds after you obtain a wanted level, and paramedics and firefighters tend to arrive the location of a murdered pedestrian or fire in a similarly punctual manner. From ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIV'' onwards, you can use your phone to call 911 and summon the emergency service of your choosing, even in the absence of an actual emergency, and they'll likewise pull up not too long after you finish the call.

* In the infamous [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBdJfsN_aps British texting while driving PSA]] ''Only Stwpd Cowz Txt N Drive'', rescue crews arrive about 1 minute after the crash, even though no-one on screen made a call; that being said, the fact that the crash occurred on what looks like a main road may have played a part, since people not involved in the crash, or who narrowly avoided getting caught up would have likely called, and main roads tend to be among the most accessible and easy to navigate by emergency vehicles. Here's the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDOmwjgKBcI&feature=related full version]] of the PSA.

* Averted in ''Film/{{Heat}}'': During the armored car robbery, Neil's crew calculates an estimated police response time of three minutes from the moment they begin the robbery, and they just narrowly manage to fit the robbery into that time window due to a short delay when they have to execute the guards due to Waingro impulsively shooting one of them down. They are just driving away in their stolen ambulance when the first patrol cars are arriving, and lay down a spike strip to blow out the cops' tires and keep them from giving chase.
* Averted in ''Film/ClerksII''. [[spoiler: Dante calls the firemen thinking the Mooby's is on fire, but it's the smoke machine from the donkey show Randall has gotten as a going away present. They take so long Dante forgets calling them.]]

* A particularly bad straight example happens in the movie ''Film/ABronxTale''. 8 year old Calogero observes the neighborhood mobster that he idolizes intervene in a fight that had gotten out of hand by shooting the attacker. His mother whisks him upstairs and into their apartment, and within seconds of them shutting the door the police are knocking on it. Later in the film, a group of young Italian thugs attack a group of black students biking through their neighborhood, within about a minute people are shouting for them to leave because they can already see and hear the sirens coming. Given that both NYPD response time and the unlikeliness of getting an answer when trying to directly call a police precinct has been a source of controversy/outrage in New York for ''decades'', this break from reality seems egregious.

* Lampshaded and Subverted in Film/PhoneBooth. The main character Stu, who's being held hostage in a phone booth in busy New York city by a hidden sniper, warns the sniper that if he fires his gun, there'll be absolute chaos and cops swarming all over. The sniper decides to test this by shooting a nearby toy robot, and then mocks Stu when nobody even notices.

* In ''[[Literature/SixteenThirtyTwo 1635: The Cannon Law]]'', the immediate response of guards to a disturbance in a neighborhood which isn't patrolled regularly tips everyone in the area off to the fact that the whole thing was a deliberately orchestrated event.

* In ''Series/{{The Promise|2011}}'', following a suicide bombing of a Cafe, the Israeli police, ambulances and fire brigade arrive almost simultaneously, apparently mere seconds after the explosion. Somewhat justified in that it's a ''suicide bombing'' in ''Israel'', and that it's in a very urban place somewhere near the infamous Gaza strip, so the emergency services were probably all but anticipating something like this to happen at any moment. Nevertheless, the reactions time still seems rather quick to be realistic.

* Averted in the ''Series/{{Firefly}}'' episode "Trash," when Haymer activates his own personal panic alarm. It takes about ten minutes or so in real-time for police to arrive, during which time he's quietly stalling Mal and Saffron.
* While response times were narrowed for obvious dramatic and show-length reasons, ''Series/{{Emergency}}'' did generally avert instant response by indicating several minutes or more had passed between alarm and arrival (in fact, every dispatch would end with an ETA, rarely under 10 minutes, often more). One episode which had a subplot of paramedics being pissed off because they were being called out to dinky non-emergencies had them commenting about the length of time it was taking units to arrive on a scene because the closest unit that should have responded was off on one of the the crap calls. This is, unfortunately, [[TruthInTelevision something that they have to deal with all the time]]: people call 911 (or their equivalent emergency number) for non-emergency medical situations, meaning fewer fire/EMS units are left available for the serious emergencies (such as car accidents, heart attacks, etc.), and have to respond from a greater distance, increasing response times.

* An aversion to this starts the plot of ''Series/{{APB}}''. Tech billionaire Gideon Reeves tries to report an armed robbery to 911, only for his call to be put on hold until after the thief had shot his best friend and escaped. So Reeves built a state of the art crime reporting and dispatch control app so that such things won't happen again.

* There's several episodes in ''Series/Numb3rs'' where the protagonists try to predict specific crimes, basing on previously glaned data, and in some of these cases they actually suceed.

* In the ''TabletopGame/D20Modern'' supplement ''Urban Arcana'', the "City Districts" section of the book details the average expected response time for emergency services in each district of a typical city. They range from near-instant (less than one minute for high-security areas like airports and seaports) nearly-immediate (<5 minutes for affluent business or residential areas) to average (5-15 minutes for middle-class residential or business areas or industrial zones) lengthy (15-30 minutes in lower-class areas, rural areas, and industrial zones) to very lengthy (at least half an hour to an hour for underground areas, subways, and sewer systems).

** In an area rated "AAA" by Lone Star Security, emergency response is measured in minutes. If the area's rating is below "A," security usually shows up later, but heavily-armed. Don't even bother calling cops if the area's rated "E" or "Z."

* Fluff for ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'' explains that, in Marienburg, time before city guards come largely depend from the place, from less than four minutes in the Palace to half a hour in Ostwald.

** [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] in the ''Official PAYDAY Xmas Carol 2014'' by [[MissionControl Bain]]: "On the Tenth day of Christmas, Payday gave to me: Ten seconds response time." ExaggeratedTrope as Dallas puts a gun at the head of a civilian calling 911 and turns around to see a '''very''' large SWATTeam that appeared from nowhere.

* One of the many bugs in ''VideoGame/Cyberpunk2077'' is that police simply spawn next to your location in huge numbers when you commit a crime, inadvertently functioning as a literal version of this trope. Sniping from the top of a tower? They're on the next tower over. Enter a room with one entrance? They're quite-literally [[BehindTheBlack right behind you even if you're facing the door]]. Driving a vehicle? [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRVSF_OqcTI One's in the passenger seat]].

* In ''WesternAnimation/HomeMovies'', Mcguirk spray paints graffiti and [[KilroyWasHere signs it with]] [[FrameUp someone else's name]], then calls the police to report he's spotted someone making graffiti. To his shock, the police show up as soon as he finishes the phone call and he's caught red handed.

* While the trope is not to be expected in most cases in RealLife, there are some generalized situations where it can exist, or at least usual times can be sped up.

** A good example of this occurred during the Boston Marathon Bombings of 2013, when the bombs went off at the finish line, an area that was already full of police and [=EMTs=] who were around for security reasons and to treat runners of the Marathon who might have medical issues after the race. As a result they were able to get to the victims quickly, get them to ambulances that were already standing by and by extension hospitals, several of which are ranked among the best in the world within city limits in mere minutes (with the record being a total of only ''eight minutes'' between the blasts and the first victim getting into surgery) and as a result there were only three fatalities of an estimated 264 serious injuries. Since several victims suffered massive blood loss that caused and/or required limb amputations the total number of deaths could have been ''much'' higher.

* For quick fire response, being near a fire station and within the first five floors of a building is the best, with being near areas where on-duty firefighters stop for meals next. For quick ''brush fire'' response, your place is a lot safer if it's near a reservoir, lake, ocean, large river, or even very large pool as firefighters working via helicopter tend to set up near sources of available water, and helicopter/aircraft drops are the most likely to put out large areas of fire.
* For quick police response, being near a police station, near a highly-patrolled area, a gun range (since many cops will go to other ranges as well as the official police range, if there is even a police range) or near where the cops tend to hang out is best, though it may put you at risk if you personally do something stupid that turns out to be illegal. If you wish to protect yourself from random street crime such as robbery or theft, do your work on electronic devices/count money/similar at coffee shops or donut shops frequented by cops -- few thieves are stupid enough to steal anything from anyone where there's a police cruiser parked outside. This is also why, if you work the graveyard shift at a gas station or convenience store, it's a good idea to make friends with some guys in blue if you can -- having police regularly visiting your store at those hours for snacks or drinks or to fuel up the patrol car or whatever makes it a less appealing target for robbery. In that last case, [[MustHaveCaffeine keep the coffee fresh]] and they'll keep coming.
* Police response times are often taken advantage of by petty criminals and street drug dealers, or by people who are doing something that could get them in trouble out of necessity (e.g. public defecation/urination/vomiting). Generally, unless police are nearby, it takes them around four to five minutes to arrive at least if called (and usually far more if there's something more urgent going on -- if there's a riot across town, for example, no-one's going to care if someone's urinating on your lawn) -- more than enough time to steal small items, make simple graffiti tags or exchange a small amount of illegal drugs for money or other drugs, or to urinate or defecate or vomit and get somewhat cleaned up and out of the area. This is sometimes fought by police with cameras and deputizing people to make citizen's arrests and the like if the problems are especially bad, and some other times, given up on entirely unless someone actually files a complaint.

** Some jurisdictions allows off-duty and retired cops to keep and bear weapons.
* The North Hollywood shootout of 1997. The two gunmen planned to rob a Bank of America in North Hollywood and even set their watches for the approximate time they thought it would take the police to respond, eight minutes. Except, a patrol car happened to be driving past the bank at the moment they were getting out of their car to enter the bank, and put out a call for help. By the time the robbers had finished their botched heist, the police had established a perimeter around the entire bank. A 44 minute shootout still ensued that led to the deaths of both robbers as well as injuries to over a dozen officers.
* The Montreal Dawson college shooter was cornered within a minute of the first shot because police officers happened to be across the street for unrelated reasons when panic broke out and they immediately rushed in. This is in contrast with the Montreal Polytechnique shooting decades prior where police ''did'' arrive, but decided to [[PoliceAreUseless wait outside for the SWAT team to intervene]], leading to 14 deaths.
* During one of the 2017 terror attacks on London, police were at the scene in ''under a minute''. This is accredited to the scaled up police preparedness due to a large number of terror attacks in the country at the time. During the 2017 Westminster Bridge vehicle ramming attack, after the terrorist had crossed Westminster bridge, killing and injuring several innocent pedestrians by ramming them with his car, he crashed into a set of gates outside the Houses of Parliament and was met by an unarmed police officer on patrol, who was unfortunately stabbed to death by the terrorist. A set of armed officers also on patrol at the same area then trained their guns on the attacker and fired, killing them before they could continue their rampage.

* InanimateInsanity: In the Season 3 episode "Tragedy at 60 Feet", after Box is damaged from both a hammer and falling down a rocky hill, Dr. Fizz, a medic, immediately arrives to assess Box's condition and do first aid.

[[folder:Web Comics]]
* Elliot of ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'' expects this trope to happen even though it doesn't. After a [[http://egscomics.com/comic/2016-02-10 battle between a spider vampire and a griffin]] [[http://egscomics.com/comic/2016-02-15 ends in an explosion,]] Elliot assumes that the explosion must have attracted attention, and [[http://egscomics.com/comic/2016-02-22 "The police will be here at any second."]] It turns out that no-one even called the police, as we're treated to a montage of different people dismissing the explosion as fireworks.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheRenAndStimpyShow'' ''Adult Party Cartoon'' episode "Ren Seeks Help", the psychiatric ambulance arrives immediately after Ren kills his "psychologist", [[FridgeLogic even though no one called for it]].

So there's been a major fire, car crash, robbery, heart attack, or other catastrophe. Isn't it amazing how the police, firefighters, or [=EMTs=] show up really quickly, often in a matter of seconds? Sometimes, you don't even have to call 911 [[note]]or whatever the local emergency number is if you're outside the USA[[/note]]!

So there's been a major fire, car crash, robbery, heart attack, or other catastrophe. Isn't it amazing how the police, firefighters, or [=EMTs=] show up really quickly, often in a matter of seconds? Sometimes, you don't even have to call 911!

[[folder: Advertising ]]

[[folder: Films -- Live-Action ]]

* Averted and used as a major plot point in ''Film/ReservoirDogs.'' When discussing the botched robbery, Mr. Pink and Mr. White comment on how there were two distinct waves of police that responded to the alarm; officers on foot that appeared ''right after'' the alarm sounded and the robbery turned violent, and then officers in squad cars that showed up several minutes later. For them to have shown up ''right then'', the officers on foot had to have been pre-positioned and waiting for the robbery, which convinces the two criminals that somebody must have tipped off the police. The second wave of police, in the squad cars, were the normal responders to the emergency and showed up piecemeal as they heard about the crime in progress.

* BZZT*\\

'''Simon Phoenix:''' What? Fuck you! ''[Tosses the ticket over his shoulder]''\\
* BZZT*\\

'''Simon Phoenix:''' Yeah, right. ''[Sirens are immediately heard]'' [[LampshadeHanging Fuckers are fast, too.]]\\
* BZZT*\\

[[folder: Literature]]

[[folder: Live Action TV ]]

* In ''Series/ThePromise2011'', following a suicide bombing of a Cafe, the Israeli police, ambulances and fire brigade arrive almost simultaneously, apparently mere seconds after the explosion. Somewhat justified in that it's a ''suicide bombing'' in ''Israel'', and that it's in a very urban place somewhere near the infamous Gaza strip, so the emergency services were probably all but anticipating something like this to happen at any moment. Nevertheless, the reactions time still seems rather quick to be realistic.

* Averted in the ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' episode "The Body". Not only does the ambulance take a long time to arrive, but the sorrow of a relative of the [[CharacterTitle eponymous 'body']] is shown entirely during those long, long minutes.

* Those ''Series/{{Thunderbirds}}'' are extraordinarily fast--the situation has barely had time to decay when they arrive. Which is all the more amazing when you consider that they're operating from an island in the middle of the ''South Pacific Ocean''.

* Averted in ''Series/{{Rescue 911}}'' considering that the true stories having emergency services seeming to take forever to get to the emergencies. For instance, there is a story of wounded man in an isolated farm house and it was noted that it would take 20 minutes for the ambulance to get there at maximum speed with lights and siren.
* In the PrisonEpisode [[Recap/SupernaturalS02E19FolsomPrisonBlues "Folsom Prison Blues" (S02, Ep19)]] of ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'', the police arrive within 30 seconds of the Winchesters triggering a motion sensor in a museum.

[[folder: Public Service Announcements]]

* In the infamous [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBdJfsN_aps British texting while driving PSA]] ''Only Stwpd Cowz Txt N Drive'', rescue crews arrive about 1 minute after the crash, even though no-one on screen made a call; that being said, the fact that the crash occurred on what looks like a main road may have played a part, since people not involved in the crash, or who narrowly avoided getting caught up would have likely called, and main roads tend to be among the most accessible and easy to navigate by emergency vehicles. Here's the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDOmwjgKBcI&feature=related full version]] of the PSA.

[[folder: Tabletop Games ]]

* In TabletopGame/{{Cyberpunk}} 2020, the Trauma Team arrives after a random number of minutes. Usually pretty darn quick, as it is determined by d10 roll (and thus, 10 minutes is longest they can take), but this is justified as they fly in VTOL aircrafts and are not hindered by traffic - or buildings, for that matter.
* Averted in most [=RPGs=], usually ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'', where the town guard never shows up until a fight has ended.
** Unless your DM wants you to stay on the tracks, then the guards show up instantly when an unscripted fight starts.

* In the ''TabletopGame/D20Modern'' supplement ''Urban Arcana'', the "City Districts" section of the book details the average expected response time for emergency services in each district of a typical city. They range from near-instant (less than one minute for high-security areas like airports and seaports) nearly-immediate (<5 minutes for affluent business or residential areas) to average (5-15 minutes for middle-class residential or business areas or industrial zones) lengthy (15-30 minutes in lower-class areas, rural areas, and industrial zones) to very lengthy (At least half an hour to an hour for underground areas, subways, and sewer systems).

[[folder: Video Games]]

* [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] in the ''Official [[VideoGame/{{Payday2}} PAYDAY]] Xmas Carol 2014'' by [[MissionControl Bain]]: "On the Tenth day of Christmas, Payday gave to me: Ten seconds response time." ExaggeratedTrope as Dallas puts a gun at the head of a civilian calling 911 and turns around to see a '''very''' large SWATTeam that appeared from nowhere.

[[folder:Webcomics]]
* Elliot of ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'' expects this trope to happen even though it doesn't. After a [[http://egscomics.com/comic/2016-02-10 battle between a spider vampire and a griffin]] [[http://egscomics.com/comic/2016-02-15 ends in an explosion,]] Elliot assumes that the explosion must have attracted attention, and [[http://egscomics.com/comic/2016-02-22 "The police will be here at any second."]] It turns out that no one even called the police, as we're treated to a montage of different people dismissing the explosion as fireworks.

[[folder: Western Animation ]]

-->'''Police''': We came when we saw the explosion.\\
'''Rigby''': You guys got here fast.\\
'''Police''': Of course we did we're the police.

[[folder: RealLife]]

* For quick medical response, generally real estate nearest hospitals or fire stations (in places that have EMS as part of the fire service) will have a far faster response time, as will areas close to where paramedics generally take meals or frequently respond to other calls. Also, some events will have paramedics or firefighters on standby - you have a far better chance of immediate help or treatment at such an event then at one where they need to be called.

** Another good example is the crash-landing of United Airlines Flight 232 in 1989. This was because the pilots managed to contact Sioux City Airport in enough time that emergency crews were already out and in position before the plane came in and crash-landed. This quick response likely saved the lives of a large number of passengers and crew on board.
*** Also in their favor was that it happened during a shift change at both the regional trauma center and burn centers in Sioux City, meaning more medical personnel were on duty to treat the injured. In addition, the Iowa Air National Guard were stationed on duty at Sioux Gateway Airport, giving 285 more trained personnel to assist with triage and evacuation of the injured.

* For quick police response, being near a police station, near a highly-patrolled area, a gun range (since many cops will go to other ranges as well as the official police range, if there is even a police range) or near where the cops tend to hang out is best, though it may put you at risk if you personally do something stupid that turns out to be illegal. If you wish to protect yourself from random street crime such as robbery or theft, do your work on electronic devices/count money/similar at coffee shops or donut shops frequented by cops - few thieves are stupid enough to steal anything from anyone where there's a police cruiser parked outside. This is also why, if you work the graveyard shift at a gas station or convenience store, it's a good idea to make friends with some guys in blue if you can - having police regularly visiting your store at those hours for snacks or drinks or to fuel up the patrol car or whatever makes it a less appealing target for robbery.
** In that last case, [[MustHaveCaffeine keep the coffee fresh]] and they'll keep coming.
* Police response times are often taken advantage of by petty criminals and street drug dealers, or by people who are doing something that could get them in trouble out of necessity (e.g. public defecation/urination/vomiting). Generally, unless police are nearby, it takes them around four to five minutes to arrive at least if called (and usually far more if there's something more urgent going on - if there's a riot across town, for example, no one's going to care if someone's urinating on your lawn) - more than enough time to steal small items, make simple graffiti tags or exchange a small amount of illegal drugs for money or other drugs, or to urinate or defecate or vomit and get somewhat cleaned up and out of the area. This is sometimes fought by police with cameras and deputizing people to make citizen's arrests and the like if the problems are especially bad, and some other times, given up on entirely unless someone actually files a complaint.
* In some areas of the world, emergency response, while not instant, ''is'' faster - due to experimental attempts to enable immediate response from people actually nearby instead of/while waiting for a vehicle to arrive. A few examples from around the world include:

** Allowing firefighters to keep their protective clothes/ a professional grade fire extinguisher/ a medical kit if they are paramedics as well off duty - which allows them to be capable of providing an immediate response to a disaster or emergency as well as getting to the station.
** Allowing/encouraging paramedics or doctors specializing in trauma/emergency medicine/the like to have a medical kit with them at all times - so they can respond first to any medical emergency.
** Posting police in "police boxes" (small mini-stations) or on foot assigned to specific locations has actually been proven to be correlated with a lower crime rate than patrols or response alone, as well as being more environmentally friendly and providing greater satisfaction with police services. This is primarily done in Japan. (Patrols, as done in the US, are actually highly ''ineffective'' ways of crime reduction - the only time they stop crime in progress is by sheer luck of being there AND of the crime occurring openly and in public in front of them - whereas a police box stations police within immediate response range of a reported crime without having to drive long distances to it, by which time it's already likely over and the criminal has fled, addressing the major "reason" for patrol over response-only policing without the need for the fossil-fuel consumption and need to pad the arrest records that patrol provides.)
** Smartphone apps such as the under-development Peacekeeper and similar apps (as well as having local emergency contacts such as neighbors or friends immediately accessible) can put one in contact with people in the immediate area who can help you - though the caveat is that anyone (or anyone who can qualify for the skills required with some) can sign up. Nevertheless, these are useful if the emergency is one that doesn't require extremely specialized help, e.g. a break-in where an armed or physically imposing neighbor showing up in seconds will likely protect you more than a police car five minutes across town will, or if it is one where law enforcement involvement could only make things worse, e.g. your spouse/child/friend is having a bad trip or psychotic episode or seizure or similar, and you want people who ''aren't'' armed or going to lash out, but simply to establish a supportive environment or provide medical assistance.

* During one of the 2017 terror attacks on London, police were at the scene in ''under a minute''. This is accredited to the scaled up police preparedness due to a large number of terror attacks in the country at the time.
** During the 2017 Westminster Bridge vehicle ramming attack, after the terrorist had crossed Westminster bridge, killing and injuring several innocent pedestrians by ramming them with his car, he crashed into a set of gates outside the Houses of Parliament and was met by an unarmed police officer on patrol, who was unfortunately stabbed to death by the terrorist. A set of armed officers also on patrol at the same area then trained their guns on the attacker and fired, killing them before they could continue their rampage.