Can any 999 control room operators answer a question

[BigcatLittlecat]

Last year my sister sadly passed away. We had to call 999 and start CPR which in itself was very traumatic, and obviously it is in my mind a lot.
I was just thinking do calls come through very often saying the patient is not breathing? Unresponsive? It must be awful to be on the end of the line listening to such distress. I just remember counting with her.
Also when the paramedics (who were amazing) arrived I just told her they had arrived and stopped the call, I always regret not saying thank you for her help. I don't want her to think less of me, when she had been helpful. Probably overthinking!

Not a call handler but did work closely with them. I'm sure she had a little moment to herself afterwards as it is hard to take those calls. However I'm also sure she would have been back to take another call and to help the next person. Call handlers are an amazing bunch.

If you wanted to thank her you could send a card to the ambulance service HQ (or look on their website, some have contact details for sending compliments). The date, approximate time of the call and the address the ambulance was sent to should be enough to trace the call and therefore the call handler. Or you could just send a general thank you without any of that info. I remember seeing thank you cards up in the call centre and on stations, they are really appreciated.

Oh and I'm so sorry for your loss. How lovely to be thinking of the call handler. I wish you well.

I did this job for a few years. Unresponsive and not breathing is, unfortunately, a regular occurrence.

But it's not awful. You're able to help someone in their very worst moments, before any help arrives. It's really rewarding and while the outcome is often sad, you can also hope that you have brought the caller the comfort of knowing they did all they could for their loved one. It's a really proud profession, emergency dispatchers (to give its proper title) take it very seriously.

Don't give not saying thank you a second thought. The very next step after a paramedic arrives is to hang up, so you were only seconds ahead. Also, every dispatcher giving CPR advice wants nothing more than for someone to arrive, they'll have been watching the ambulance icon the whole way and wanting it to move faster.

I'm so sorry for your loss. Don't let this add to your burden x

really sorry for your loss

I went through something similar with my mum, she collapsed & had a massive seizure, ds was upstairs with her & sods law our mobile network was down so I was downstairs on the landline shouting directions to ds. The call handler stayed on the line until the paramedics arrived, ds had put mum in the recovery position, thankfully she was breathing & by the time they arrived she was conscious. She was admitted to coronary care & was diagnosed with irregular heartbeat, fitted with a loop recorder & given medication. The call handler was brilliant kept me calm when all I wanted to do was panic.

Oh @Duttercup , what a lovely post. That actually gives comfort to think that the person on the other end cares so much. I guess it's obvious that that would be the case, humans are empathetic creatures after all, but for you to write it so beautifully is really moving.

I'm so sorry, op, for your loss. I don't think you ever get over losing someone you love, but I hope living with it is getting a bit easier.