The average response time is considerably shorter than 10 minutes in many metro areas. In Los Angeles the average is 6 minutes and 14 seconds, with 98.8% of responses in under 15 minutes.

For reference in Los Angeles, a notoriously traffic filled metropolitan area, the average response time for a life threatening ambulance call is 6 minutes and 14 seconds and 98.8% in under 15 minutes

I am an anesthesiologist. This is false. We bill 1 unit every 15 minutes, and then we receive startup units on top. A gall bladder removal is 7 units and often takes an hour. So we would receive 11 units for that hour. If it takes 2 hours we would get 15 units. If it takes 3 hours we would get 19 units.

There is no cap for billing, but realize when an operation goes long it not only means we make less per hour, but there is also usually a good reason for that. Even if there isn’t a good reason, it’s not like we have control over how fast a surgeon operates.