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How to call an ambulance

By Chris Jefferies
September 23, 2009 at 6:19 pm

It seems simple. Dial 999/112*, give your address and wait for the ambulance. If only!

Calling for an ambulance can be a difficult experience, especially if the situation is stressful or someone you know is injured. I’ve put together a few tips from my personal experiences, and from speaking to those in the ambulance service.

I hope you never have to dial those three digits, but if you do, remember these simple things:

> Try to speak clearly

Remember the operator can’t see the situation. They are relying solely on what you tell them, speaking clearly and explaining the situation will help them greatly! Try and give clear and concise answers to the questions they ask.

> Know the location

Whilst calls from landlines and public phone boxes can normally be traced by the ambulance service, calls from mobile phones cannot be pinpointed. Try and give the exact location using landmarks and local knowledge if you can.

Following on from this, if possible then always send someone to flag down and meet the ambulance.

> Answer questions as best you can

The operator will ask you for your telephone number. This is so that if the line is disconnected they can call you back. They will also ask you for your address and the nature of the emergency.

Then, the operator will go through a list of questions to find out information about the casualty. These questions will include things like “Are they conscious?” and “Are they breathing?”. It’s important that you give the correct information (as best you can, if you don’t know then say!). Answering these questions will not delay the ambulance.

Unlike the media portrays, 999 calls can take time, be patient with the operator…they are trying their best to help you!

The questions asked are important as they help the operator assess the severity of the call and send the right level of emergency help.

(For those interested, the system used to categorise calls is called ‘Advanced Medical Priority Dispatch System’ or AMPDS for short)

> Follow the instructions given

The operator is trained to give simple first aid instructions over the phone (such as how to perform cardio-pulmonary resuscitation on someone who isn’t breathing). Even if you haven’t done any first aid training you can still follow these instructions to help the casualty. Remember, its far better to do something rather than nothing.

> Stay with the patient

Always stay with the patient in case their condition changes (for example, they stop breathing or become unconscious). If this happens it’s important that you call 999 again and update the operator.

Staying calm and understanding how to call for help in an emergency situation can save lives. Take the example of a three-year-old girl from Brent who called an ambulance when her mother collapsed.

Knowing basic first aid can save lives, for example up to 85 per cent of preventable pre-hospital deaths from road accidents could be avoided by giving first aid. It can also take some time for ambulances to reach critically ill patients, especially in heavy traffic or poor weather conditions. In these situations, knowing lifesaving skills could make all the difference.

Have you ever had to dial 999?

*112 is the emergency number for Europe. Dialing 112 anywhere in the Europe Union will put you through to the local emergency services

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Tags: 999, ambulance, emergency services, First aid

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009 at 6:19 pm and is filed under First aid. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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