“I don’t understand why a fire chief would show up on such a scene. It’s not a house fire requiring management of a three-alarm response.”
I think that’s exactly why the Chief showed up. He knew it was a crap call, and left his crew where they’d be able to respond in case of an ACTUAL emergency — a three-alarm fire.
Once the EMS providers are there, they’re there for the duration. They’re not going to leave the patient and come back later.
If a three-alarm fire comes up and an ambulance is needed while they’re pretty much wasting time with this 10-year-old, the call center will dispatch the next-closest available ambulance.
Sometimes it really sucks. Like when you’re wasting time on a nonsense call and a pediatric cardiac arrest comes up two blocks away. Unfortunately, that child will have to wait 5 or 7 minutes, because you’re stuck.