Stupid woman rings 999 about ice cream problem

[CumberCookie]

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-27687763

Aside from the fact that it was a bloody sstupid thing to do, AIBU to think the operator should have cut her off sooner and made her fully aware of the problem with doing this? I.e There could have been a potentially life and death situation on the other line that couldn't get through. The operator just lets her ramble on for ages and then is really polite and directs her to customer advice bureau?

qbp

You weren't asked that because they didn't believe you, but to prioritise resource to send to you. If you've fully broken your leg, you're going to need an actual ambulance, and a fully qualified paramedic because you might need hardcore painkillers to move you. Also, if you know 100% you've broken your leg, it's likely to be a bad one. If it's a sprain or minor fracture, it would require less resource to assist.

I know someone who was in an emergency situation who had to wait for over an hour for an ambulance because of time wasters. It's a shame people think 999 is an information or taxi service and not for medical emergency

If you're in labour call a taxi not an ambulance (unless you've left it far too late!)

So this is why it took me 5 minutes to get through when calling for an ambulance when I was in labour.

Were there complications with the labour? If not, surely a taxi company would be the best port of call to take you to the hospital.

'Technically a normal, uncomplicated start of labor is also not an emergency and you were also just another clogger-upper'

'(If you're in labour call a taxi not an ambulance (unless you've left it far too late!)'

I was alone, an hour from the nearest hospital and knew within minutes of labour starting there wasn't a cat in hells chance of making it to hospital. My husband missed the birth as he couldn't get home quick enough. DS was born in the street 5 minutes after the ambulance arrived. I was alone and terrified. I think I did the right thing.

This reminds me of the time I was queuing up in Boots during lunch hour behind a fucking tosser who wanted a qualified pharmacist to help him deal with a cold.

How she kept a straight face I'll never know, but she nodded seriously as he listed his complaints (runny nose, sneezing, headache) then walked him over to the huge sign marked COLD REMEDIES and explained to him what paracetamol was, as he took it in as if it was the first he'd heard of such a condition existing.

He was my age and v articulate. You could see he wanted more of the same attention. He looked one sneeze away from an emergency phone call.

Its a pity people like this just disappear again into thin air, and can't be tracked down and fined for, well, I was going to say wasting police time, but its not really the police. Is it actually an offence to waste the emergency callers time? If its not, it should be...

It is an offence to waste the time of the emergency services. I saw a TV program once where there was a serial hoax caller and they tracked him down with CCTV to the call box he was in and arrested him! Wish that had happened to some of the numpties.

I sliced halfway through the top of my finger through the nail and hailed a taxi with the bloody hand wrapped in kitchen roll. Six stitches.

DH also hailed a taxi for us when I suffered chest pains one Christmas Day evening - indigestion. I gather it's very common. We walked home. It was very romantic though I was burping.

What brave little soldier I am. Saving the NHS so much money too.

However, I did call 999 on a nod and a wink from my GP who felt my scheduled hospital admission for surgery for a dangerous condition was too far away. She said: 'If you were to fall and injure yourself then it would be completely justified to want to go to A&E. Just remember to tell them that you want to go to the hospital where your rather complicated surgery is scheduled rather than the local one.'

I feel no guilt for following her instructions and I doubt she does. The ambulance crew and the admitting house officer didn't seem that pissed off either.

I used to read these stories in disbelief at how stupid people could be.

Then I suffered acute psychosis and called 999 because I was really, really frightened of the doctor and he wouldn't leave when I screamed at him asked him to.

Now I fully understand why some people call 999 when it's not necessary

Fair play please

But why Ioethe? Just end the call in a minute, which is what this person did?

Or should we tie up the courts, that are similarly expensive and have quite important things to do too, with numpties?

At the other end of the spectrum, my dad told his GP not to bother calling him an ambulance as he had the car with him so would drive himself. He was having a heart attack at the time.

quietbatperson - yes, I understand that. I know that people are not talking about my type of situation.

But the end result is the same. My non essential 999 call may still have stopped genuine callers getting through.

And I no longer judge people the way I used to when I hear these types of stories, because I have no way of knowing what the background is.

And neither does anyone else on here.

My favourite is a man called 999 for a fictitious problem. When the crew arrived he said they were actually needed to take him to hospital for a routine appointment and showed his appointment card. When the paramedic started to object the man interrupted with "I pay your wages through my tax so you will take me now". The crew took him to the hospital with no more argument, took him straight to the correct department. Then announced to the receptionist that this person had called an emergency ambulance and his appointment was actually tomorrow.

The crew promptly left the hospital so this idiot had to take a taxi home and then use taxis again the next day.

"quietbatperson - yes, I understand that. I know that people are not talking about my type of situation.

But the end result is the same. My non essential 999 call may still have stopped genuine callers getting through."

There is a difference between a 999 call made in good faith and someone making hoax call. I really don't think that many of the emergency services would be angry with mawbroon. Thankfully somoene with acute pychosis making 999 calls is so rare it does not significantly clogg up the system. What cloggs up the system is idiots (who are mentally healthy) calling 999 about triva.

Surely this woman would have been wasting police time if she had called 101 anyway? Not having enough sprinkles on an ice-cream is not a police issue at all!

Then I suffered acute psychosis and called 999 because I was really, really frightened of the doctor and he wouldn't leave when I screamed at him asked him to.

But that's not a stupid 999 call. You needed emergency help, just maybe not the sort of help you were trying to get when you called 999. There is an enormouse difference between your situation, where you were experiencing a genuine medical emergency, and someone who calls about their icecream sprinkles, or because they've broken a nail or not organised transport to hospital at the beginning of ordinary labour.

Morethanalittlebitconfused

My last labour lasted 40 minutes from the first contraction, no warning, no niggles, just 3 massive contractions.
I was alone in the house with 2 small children asleep upstairs.
I knew I had to get help quickly.

Sometimes it is necessary to call 999 for labour.

My dd was born seconds after I was carried out of the ambulance into the labour ward, having been blue lighted very fast on what would normally have been a 30 minute journey.

Every time anyone mentions calling an ambulance when in labour on here, they get lectured about wasting NHS resources. It isn't always the case.

Another reason to keep people on the line is that although they are phoning for spurious reasons they could be in a vulnerable situation such feeling mentally unwell and thus confused or experiencing side effects of medication.

You talk for a while thinking WTF? And slowly it becomes clear what's going on.

Although in this instance the person was an idiot

i think no rational person would dare call 999 unless it was very serious and life threatening. i know i wouldn't.
recently a member of the in laws called 999 because she saw a hedgehog with a mc Donalds cup on its head...... needless the more switched on members of the inlawd were appalled at her incompetence, while others just laughed it off.
its not funny and very tragic to think people can't determine when is and is not a life threatening situation....

3littlefrogs

That's why I said
beginning of ordinary labour.

Yours wasn't, and an ambulance was needed. But most women don't need an ambulance as soon as their waters break.

Astonishing.

Just wondering how her thought processes work? He's not given me enough sprinkles and they're not even distributed either... I've asked for more.. he said no... I kept asking he got a bit stroppy and keeps saying no I know I'll call 999 and the police will come and force him to give me more sprinkles.. they may even be here before my ice cream melts.