Why Jewish Neighborhoods Have Their Own Ambulance (And Why It Gets There First)

Two ambulances race to the same man outside my bakery, and only one of them wears the city's name. I'm Shmuel, and I show why the plain car with the neighbor inside usually beats the city siren to the door. The dispatcher, the gear in his own trunk, and the Shabbos radio that never goes quiet all play a part. I end in Israel, where the same chain runs on motorcycles and a phone, and on what happens when nobody's keeping score of who calls first.