Even if your emergency isn't a fire, odds are you'll have fireman banging down your door to assist you.
It's due mostly to location- there are more fire departments than ambulance hubs so firefighters trained in first aid can get to medical emergencies the quickest.
But that's about to change and budget woes are to blame.
$30,000 was cut from the Springfield Fire Department’s budget, so it’s got to make some cuts as well- starting with its services.
"Our fuel costs in the last two years like everyone else's have doubled."
So the Springfield Fire Department is cutting back on gas, by cutting out unnecessary trips in the fire trucks.
Assistant Fire Chief David Hall explains officials first considered charging a fee for medical runs, but when that didn't prove feasible, they opted instead to reduce them, in a way that won't put those in need at risk.
“We want to respond to all of them that are truly life-threatening and can make a difference,” Hall says.
So 911 dispatchers will automatically send firefighters along with an ambulance crew to 10 kinds of calls that involve things like gunshot wounds, burns, drownings, and people who are unconscious or bleeding uncontrollably.
Otherwise, they only go when there's a fire or a serious car accident.
In 2007, two-thirds of the calls the fire department responded to were medical, so you may be wondering, what are they going to do with their time now that they're making some cuts?
Well, for one they can concentrate more on building inspections at places like KSPR.
“We’ll also continue to be able to do more training."
Something Hall says went up in smoke with medical calls spreading like wild fire.
The change goes into effect August 18th.
The fire department will evaluate its new response policy 30 days, 90 days, and one year from now to decide whether it is saving money and serving the community's best interest.