Can't remember if it was here or in the media but I recall reading about the sad case of ambulance crews being slagged for taking their breaks while somewhere someone was in need of help. It's the nature of the job - similar to other healthcare workers, in that you can't plan when someone is going to need you and when they do, you can't say - Can you stop bleeding for half an hour while I grab lunch? The other issue is, as ever, budget. To cover your patch while you have lunch - no one will work for half an hour - or even for an hour. But they could look at making the hand over periods work better. I read that you generally have 2 crew on a bus and 1 first responder. Perhaps if they staggered the FR start/crossover times against the 2crew - somewhere someone might get a break?