Ex ambulance 999 handler AMA

[Ollivander84]

Also a carer so you can AMA on that!

[Dillydallyer]

Sorry for the typos. Bloody phone

[Dillydallyer]

Ok, obviously I mean DEAF people

[Dillydallyer]

@farmergilesnomore

There's a thing being shared on facebook these days about pressing a certain number (555?) if you can't speak or are afraid etc. Is that true? Also if the person can't tell you their location for whatever reason can you trace their number?

I’m a police call handler. It’s the Met Auto 55 system you’re referring to I believe. If you ring police from a landline then your address details will automatically come through to us. Our policy is any abandoned or silent 999 calls with an address we dispatch to as an emergency. It’s harder with mobiles. We check our system to see if there have been any previous calls from that number. If that’s the case we dispatch as an emergency to the last know address. If there is no trace of the number on our systems and there is no sound of disturbance we have nothing to go on so chances are wouldn’t be able to dispatch. The 55 is fab if there’s evidence of a disturbance going on so we know that help is needed but we get so many kids ringing each day and pressing 55 that we can dispatch to them all. If we believe that someone is in danger we would do subscriber checks or, failing that, triangulation where we pinpoint the location of the phone from the nearest masts. Unfortunately this is expensive so is only done if we believe the call to be high risk.
My advice would be to register your mobile with the 999 text service. If you’re ever unable to speak you can then text 999 with location, what’s going on, any weapons etc. Far quicker than waiting for police/BT try to trade you. This is usually for dead people do I would only advise to use it in a genuine emergency when you aren’t able to speak.

[YesQueen]

@farmergilesnomore yes, it applies to police though, if no service is requested then the operator will connect to the police so it's not something I've ever dealt with.
They might ask you to tap the phone or press buttons
And not always to location. If you ring from a landline then yes, mobile then no unless you've previously rung and it was for the same address. If we couldn't get the address then we would ring the police and also check with them

[farmergilesnomore]

There's a thing being shared on facebook these days about pressing a certain number (555?) if you can't speak or are afraid etc. Is that true? Also if the person can't tell you their location for whatever reason can you trace their number?

[Walnutwhipster]

I ended up on life support after a seven hour op with peritonitis, sepsis, kidney failure and pneumonia. Apparently patients normally scream louder.

[YesQueen]

@Walnutwhipster a bit of both
The paramedic does the initial triage so blood pressure/pulse and stuff like that but then obviously the hospital will evaluate further
I hope you are ok now, it sounds like something went very wrong there

[Walnutwhipster]

Is it the paramedic or the hospital that triages when you get to hospital? I waited in a corridor with the crew for four and a half hours with a perforated bowel. That wait at hospital almost cost me my life.

[PeppaGeorgeBabyAlexander]

Thank you for the swift reply. My best friend has an assessment centre coming up shortly so will pass on the information! I think it may be for a 111 ambulance role if that's the same kinda thing!

Thank you for all your hard work while being in the service.

[YesQueen]

@PeppaGeorgeBabyAlexander still here
Location, location, location!
Breathing/conscious
Injuries or symptoms (briefly!)
Medical history - only as in "they're having chest pains and they've had 5 heart attacks before" as opposed to "she's 72, and she had stitches she 6"
Mostly listen to what you are being asked and follow the advice

[PeppaGeorgeBabyAlexander]

Not sure whether this thread is still active.

Can you tell me the most important information you need when taking the call, I can only think of location? what's wrong? Are they breathing?

I'm curious as the documentaries don't give the call handlers much air time, I'm guessing there's more that goes on behind the scenes.

[Toddlerteaplease]

Can't believe it's only a band 3. I thought it would be at least a 5/6.

[Ollivander84]

Fuzzy - absolutely no idea on that, it's definitely not on the triage I was used to! But different areas do use different triage systems but even so it's a bit... baffling

[FuzzyCustard]

I called an ambulance for my DH on Christmas day (blood cancer - possible neutropenic sepsis, as explained) and was asked twice by the dispatcher "Is he going to die in the next five minutes?". Why on earth would I be asked such an insensitive question? Especially since an ambulance can't get to us within 20 mins (rural).

(I have had to call 999 four times for him and tis was the only time the dispatcher was anything but professional and kind)

[Ollivander84]

SDGT - with areas you tended to find that we had knowledge of different ones so you could get help from someone else, but you narrow it down by questions and using the mapping system

Stupid reason... probably a guy who had sex with a woman, the condom broke and he wanted to see if he had an STI

[SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius]

What is the most stupid ‘reason’ for calling an ambulance that you have either taken yourself or heard of from colleagues?

Also, do you need to have a good working knowledge of the area you are covering, so you can easily pinpoint which crew to send, or do you get help from the computer?

Thanks!

[Ollivander84]

To add I once helped with a woman in labour who didn't know she was pregnant. The crew arrived and I heard panic and shouts for a second crew. Baby was 26 weeks it turned out. About 10 minutes later I got a call saying the baby is pink and breathing on his own and I've never felt so relieved

[Ollivander84]

Bloody - it can be one of the hardest things, you hear everything but see nothing. TBH dispatch are pretty good and will let you know the outcome of anything you ask for

[Bloodyhell2018]

If you have a call for a peri arrest child or similar, do you find it better not knowing the outcome in hospital, or would you prefer the crew to ring up and let you know or the shift manager to follow it up for you? I just can't imagine not knowing one way or the other.

As a paramedic I went to a teenager traumatic cardiac arrest and two strangers were doing CPR with their phone on loudspeaker and the call taker counting the compressions in the background, and I just thought that being part of that without being able to see or physically do anything and then not knowing for certain the final outcome (death declared in a&e) would be utterly horrendous.

[SealSong]

Band 3! That's a terribly low wage for the amazing work you and your colleagues do. Thank you

[NCPuffin]

OK, that's roughly one every two months over a big area - feeling slightly reassured now We're a five minute drive from the hospital so I should be OK, really

[Ollivander84]

tears - no, another area!

Paie- I saw it and applied, no special qualifications needed but had to pass a typing and listening test as well as standard GCSEs etc and then all training provided

[Paie]

Another poster with great admiration for your job and I like to think it's the type of thing I'd love to do!
How did you get into it/ what qualifications did you need or did they provide all training from any stage?

[tearsofrobertsmith]

That sounds like such a big area, are you Highlands and Islands? A friend’s husband was a handler there and geographically it is such a massive are to control. What an amazing job you all do/did. Thank you.

[Ollivander84]

NC - yes that's just the ones that delivered before. Over a decade and an area of around 5700sq miles