Final answer:
In emergency situations, preserving life is the first priority. This means removing the person from danger and ensuring their safety before providing further assistance.
Step-by-step explanation:
When responding to an initial call for service, it is important to always preserve life first and remove the person from danger.
This means assessing the situation and taking immediate action to get the person to safety, whether it is removing them from water, a burning building, or any other hazardous situation.
For example, if someone is drowning, you should prioritize getting them out of the water before administering CPR because CPR is ineffective in water.