They can be the difference between life and death, and have dealt with all manner of emergencies.
But today ambulance workers faced an unusual challenge - when a duckling got stuck in a drain outside the East of England Ambulance Service call centre in Hellesdon.
Photos of the duck family were posted on the twitter account of the ambulance trust's Norwich DLOs (duty locality officers) after the rescue today.
'Technical rescue at HQ!' a spokesman said. 'Mother duck had lost a baby down the drain!!!'
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here