2008/03/01 by Thomas E. Lambert, Peter B. Meyer · 2 citations
Health Professions · Social Sciences · #Homelessness and Social Issues #Urban Transport and Accessibility #Disaster Management and Resilience
paper · doi:10.1177/0160323x0804000205
openalex publication_date 2008/03/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/11
Much has been written over the years about longer emergency medical services (EMS) response times in rural areas as opposed to urban areas. Yet within urban areas, outside of case studies of certain cities, not much has been written about longer EMS response times in newer, fringe suburban or ex-urban areas. Examining first the largest county within each metro area and next the municipalities and unincorporated areas of all of the counties of metropolitan areas, the findings of this exploratory research note show that the density and age of different residential areas or jurisdictions explain some of the variation in average EMS response times between urban and suburban or ex-urban locations. Holding other things constant, those who live in more sparsely settled and newer developments tend to have longer waiting times for EMS. The implications for regional growth management are discussed.