I was a paramedic/firefighter for 14 years. I think while there's merit in calling out people jumping at shadows, I do get how this situation, stupidly, escalated.

And there's a bit more to EMS than "imminent life threats only".

Property damage is often explicitly listed by municipalities as a reason to call 911. They might not care in New York or San Francisco, but in most small towns they usually try to catch vandals in the act.