The average time for EMS to respond after a 911 call is about seven minutes in the United States, according to EMS records in 2015.

In rural areas, the response time is much longer. Per EMS records, nearly one in ten 911 calls in rural areas took 30 minutes.

This impacts a large percentage of Americans. "A good portion of the American population lives in rural areas,” says John Rogers, Chairman of the board of directors of the American College of Emergency Physicians.

The authors of the study in JAMA point out that in cases of severe bleeding, life threatening allergic reactions, cardiac arrest or other time sensitive illnesses or injuries, bystanders need to be ready to help while waiting for an ambulance.

The Department of Homeland Security, Health and Human Services and the Department of Defense has created a program called "Until Help Arrives".

It was designed to empower all of us to provide care to those who are ill or injured until EMS personnel arrives on scene.