What's the done thing - ambulance blocking me in

[rightsofwomen]

Ambulance (no flashing lights) outside blocking me (and 5 neighbours) in.

Need to leave (non urgent) in 10 mins.
I can’t ask them to move, can I?

[MonkeyJumping]

Cross post, enjoy the film!

[flyingpigsinclover]

Yay, go go go and don't forget to bring us back some popcorn.

[ElsieMay123]

This happened to me recently when we were going out for dinner. The owner of the house could see us in the car not able to pass but didn't do anything so we guessed it was serious. We did the British thing of not wanting to interrupt and walked to get a lift. Two weeks later we found out a visiting elderly relative had subsequently died and was presumably extremely unwell when the ambulance attended. Despite being mildly peeved at the time I'm so glad that we didn't intrude, but if it was something really important then we would have politely asked to be let out.

[BeingATwatItsABingThing]

Yeah, I can imagine beeping at the Police Officers didn’t end well. 😳

[dotdotdotmustdash]

My FIL collapsed at home last year. The ambulance arrived with lights on and parked in the middle of the cul-de-sac, along with another emergency responder vehicle. The 3 staff spent an hour doing CPR on him and none of them could have left to move their vehicles if they had been asked. Fortunately it happened in the late evening so nobody had to leave, unfortunately he died in hospital shortly after arrival.

[WitchesHatRim]

I had this this other day but with the police. I didn't know which house they were in, so beeped my horn, just the one, quickly. I didn't go down well at all sad If fact I got a lesson in correct usage.

I'm not surprised tbh.

[Usernamegone]

Ambulances don't leave their flashing lights on when parked. I would not knock as they could be dealing with a life or death situation inside

[Oblomov17]

I’m surprised by the reactions. Surely an ambulance shouldn’t block anyone in, ideally.

[rwalker]

wouldn't bother we had this at work other week ambulance came into carpark stopped blocking entrance and 40 plus people in .3 foot further in and no problem. And every one to get out also nearer the door for them to get patient out . When they got out no running to emergancy (suspected broken ankle) . 10 mins later they appeared with patient who walked to ambulance looked at every one still waiting got in and still 5 minutes before moving .There was people panicking about pick kids up from school one lady asked and got told "it's an ambulance" .If it was medical emergency of course you would wait all day .Funny thing was they way the carpark is and exit on to road, ambulance had to wait for every one they had blocked in to get out of the way to get out as carpark VERY tight to get round . Difficult one unless you know what going on think you will have to wait.

[AdalindSchade]

I’m surprised by the reactions. Surely an ambulance shouldn’t block anyone in, ideally

I doubt they would if they had a choice.

[BeingATwatItsABingThing]

Ideally, no they wouldn’t. However, I would rather they blocked me in rather than wait for a parking space or go off in search of one.

[Brittbugs80]

I'd wait. An ambulance came to my relatives four weeks ago and the neighbour came round all agitated having a go at the Paramedics and asking them to move as he needed the car off the drive, that Ambulance staff are not above the law etc.

The Paramedics were polite and said they couldn't move the van right now and he went off again saying it's not urgent as their lights were night on.

What he didn't know was they were sat with us after finding our relative had unexpectedly died.

[JonSnowsWife]

If you know where they are politely go and ask them to move.

I really wouldn't. If it's taking a while it's probably because they're stabilising a very poorly patient.

The fact they're lights are not on does not mean anything. It once took a Paramedic 30 minutes to stabilise my DD before she was stable enough to move her.

Someone's non urgent trip is the least of the Paramedics problems and they'll simply do what they did to my neighbour who kicked off about them blocking his drive.

Ignore you and focus on the patient.

[WeAllHaveWings]

I was blocked in last week while they attended to my neighbour who had a suspected heart attack (turned out it was), we only knew it was serious as his son knocked on our door asking for aspirin while they waited for the ambulance to arrive.

Ds was due out of cinema but we couldn’t get out to pick him up. No way (even if we didn’t know what was going on next door), would we have asked the paramedic if they could move, it’s pretty obvious they arent inside drinking tea and having a nice chat, the fact it an emergency service says all you need to know. They don’t have time to look for a convenient parking space before attending to a potentially life threatening situation.

[JonSnowsWife]

I didn't go down well at all sad If fact I got a lesson in correct usage.

So you bloody well should aswell!

[GreenTulips]

The open door of the house btw, she wasn't in the ambulance

I shouldn't but LOL

[JonSnowsWife]

an ambulance shouldn’t block anyone in, ideally

Oblomov Emergency vehicles are exempt from the usual rules. For very obvious reasons. Whilst they do try to be courteous, the public should use their common sense and know that they are attending an emergency, not nipping into the local deli for a sandwich.

[NeverTwerkNaked]

Glad you managed to go.

In my experience (son gets ill a lot)- if it’s life or death ambulances pretty much get parked however. If it’s less drastic then the paramedics will take more care how they park up, or even go and move the ambulance once they’ve assessed the situation.

[ukelelebanana]

I’m surprised by the reactions. Surely an ambulance shouldn’t block anyone in, ideally

They hardly did it just for the laugh What are you surprised at?

[JonSnowsWife]

They don’t have time to look for a convenient parking space before attending to a potentially life threatening situation.

Exactly weallhavewings.

You can just picture the scenario. Someone having a major cardiac arrest and the caller ringing the ambulance service back up to find out where they are. "sorry love we're still driving round looking for a space so we don't piss Mr&Mrs Jones off at No30".

[outedmyselfagain]

They don’t have their lights on usually once they’re parked. I was really ill earlier in the year and kept getting whisked away in an ambulance and they never had flashing lights outside the house even though they had lights and sirens on the way into hospital.

Glad you got to the cinema. Hope neighbours are okay and the film is good. Xx

[JonSnowsWife]

Just knock on the door and politely ask if they are able to move.

The last person to to that with us got told in categoric terms to fuck right off. By me. Whilst attached to oxygen and being wheeled out to the ambulance.
The paramedics have to remain professional at all times, I had no such reason and someone being blocked in at stupid o clock in the morning yelling at the paramedics in his pyjamas and slippers was the least of my problems.

[helpfulperson]

I think you need to assess a situation and make a judgement. If the patient is in the ambulance then it's a no. If you see a paramedic stroll out to the ambulance to get something it might be ok to approach them.. And i would always phrase it as a question that the answer can be no to, so 'is it possible for you to move the ambulance'? and if the answer is negative then fine.

[GabsAlot]

thy dont need their lights on when parked-i live in a cul de sac usd to be an old lady who was quiet ill had ambulance out quite alot it blocked most of us in but tough where are they supposed to park

[numbmum83]

We regularly see ambulances with the lights flashing and the paramedics inside a house . I suspect it's how busy the road is just to make people aware there could be an emergency in that area. One time I was waiting for a bus , it was rush hour traffic and the dark nights when an ambulance pulled up and half blocking the traffic left all the lights flashing .
We tend to get so many ambulances in the West Midlands constantly zooming around , even a lady who came from Wales to a meeting here commented she had never seen so many ambulances on the roads.