Your husband is cleaning gutters and falls off the ladder, losing consciousness briefly, and it looks like he broke his leg. Or you awaken one morning and you can’t speak clearly or move the right side of your face — you suspect stroke and know you need medical attention fast. The right response in both these situations, and countless other medical emergencies, is to call 9-1-1 so that you can be raced to the hospital by ambulance — lights flashing, sirens blaring, no time to stop for traffic signals. Right?

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