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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Air ambulance ghouls

68 replies

PostItInABook · 15/08/2023 19:20

The air ambulance has just landed in the field between our and another estate and about 5 people in the street have rushed from their houses with their kids to go and gawp at it.

Why don’t these people stop and think for a minute…….that someone in our community is seriously / critically injured or unwell…….and going to gawp is really inconsiderate, invasive and insensitive.

If you want your kids to learn about air ambulances or emergency vehicles / services then go and visit one of the many emergency services days that are put on regularly or attend an air ambulance charity function or ask the school to request a school visit. Don’t take them to watch someone in your community in their hour of need as if it was some sort of children’s entertainment. It’s gross behaviour.

OP posts:
YellowReadingLamp · 15/08/2023 19:27

Absolutely agree 100%.

It's the same when you see people slowing down in their cars when there is an accident on the OTHER side of the motorway so they can have a gawp. This happened when I was driving recently - the scene on the other side featured 2 paramedics trying to resuscitate the driver of a motorbike.

MooseBeTimeForSnow · 15/08/2023 19:29

It happens everywhere. Fire crews near us had to battle through spectators in parked cars watching a house burn. They all got an earful from the RCMP.

lovewoola · 15/08/2023 19:31

it's worse when they film it

Hawkins009 · 15/08/2023 19:33

Excellent points on how to learn more about their activities and how the helicopter operates etc, op.

As for human behaviour, I'm not qualified to offer an analytical perspective on that.

BiscuitsandPuffin · 15/08/2023 19:34

YABU. It's an unusual event. Human behaviour the world over is to point and stare when something unusual happens. It may be distasteful on a cerebral level but when that helicopter lands people's rational thought goes out of the window.
Also as someone who had to go in an ambulance last week I didn't begrudge the kids hanging around it with their parents at all. They just wanted to see an ambulance up close. Didn't make an ounce of difference to my treatment if they snapped a photo of a toddler by an ambulance.
Filming it while it's being loaded, on the other hand, is distasteful.

gogomoto · 15/08/2023 19:37

I know what you mean op, I find it distasteful too. I was out walking the other day and saw a crowd - people were watching the coastguard, rnli and police trying to rescue a family. The emergency services were asking people to get out of their way!

ChoresSuck · 15/08/2023 19:38

Another thing that's pisses me off is when they gossip on social media about an incident and say "hope everyone is ok" as if this makes it ok to gossip.

Owjrbvr · 15/08/2023 19:40

I also hate the whole thing on social media which is just wanting to know the gossip. I shiver when I know the air ambulance has landed and i never go to look at what could easily be the worst moments of someone’s life.

panko · 15/08/2023 19:41

Are they gawping? Or are they looking and thinking I want to do that when I'm older?

As long as the patient's privacy isn't being invaded, their treatment or the flying of the helicopter being impeded. I don't see why people shouldn't go and look at what is hopefully an unusual event. Taking smiley selfie photos with it is distasteful I agree.

Crunchymum · 15/08/2023 19:44

I would say YANBU (I hate rubber necking) but we found ourselves in a park when the air ambulance had to land in the football pitch.

No-one could leave as you had to walk past the pitch so we all kind of sat there like idiots.

As it turned out road ambulances were able to attend the scene faster so there was no patient for the air ambulance team to deal with and at this point they called people over to give them an impromptu demonstration of the helicopter and equipment (along with the "please sign up to donate as we rely solely on donations" spiel)

Was all a bit surreal.

CandyflossKaren · 15/08/2023 19:46

Yet you were interested enough to count and notice where it landed and how many people went out!

Awaiting the expected drip feed....

Original poster
PostItInABook · 15/08/2023 19:54

CandyflossKaren · 15/08/2023 19:46

Yet you were interested enough to count and notice where it landed and how many people went out!

Awaiting the expected drip feed....

Not that I need to explain anything to you……I looked out the window to see which air ambulance it was as we have two that operate in our patch and which field it was landing in and noticed all the people running out of their houses with their kids. Then I went back to perusing the internet.

OP posts:
exarchaeologist · 15/08/2023 19:57

The air ambulance sometimes lands in the grounds of where I work. We all go to the window to watch it land and take off, not to gawp at the injured person - plus it’s so loud it’s impossible to work when it is there.. It’s just something a bit different to see, there is no disrespect or ghoulishness behind it 🤷🏻‍♀️

exarchaeologist · 15/08/2023 19:58

PostItInABook · 15/08/2023 19:54

Not that I need to explain anything to you……I looked out the window to see which air ambulance it was as we have two that operate in our patch and which field it was landing in and noticed all the people running out of their houses with their kids. Then I went back to perusing the internet.

Show quote history

So you are allowed to look for your own personal interests/reasons, but no one else is allowed to look for theirs?

loveourplanet · 15/08/2023 20:02

ChoresSuck · 15/08/2023 19:38

Another thing that's pisses me off is when they gossip on social media about an incident and say "hope everyone is ok" as if this makes it ok to gossip.

Wholeheartedly agree with this

SarahSaysYes · 15/08/2023 20:02

YANBU. I was in the park with my then-partner and our children a few years ago. It was very busy with some event or other and a helicopter was overhead.

We saw police and St John’s volunteers and realised that the air ambulance was coming in so moved on quickly. I’ve never forgotten the surge of people moving towards the helicopter as it landed, presumably to get a
closer look at someone who had just suffered a cardiac arrest or some other horror. I don’t care if it IS human nature to be curious, sometimes it’s respectful to override your natural urge to see what’s going on.

I couldn’t have helped that person (am not a
health care professional of any sort) but I
could certainly have made things worse for them and/or those working to help. Sometimes staying away IS how you help.

Original poster
PostItInABook · 15/08/2023 20:03

exarchaeologist · 15/08/2023 19:58

So you are allowed to look for your own personal interests/reasons, but no one else is allowed to look for theirs?

Show quote history

I’m talking about the ones that have left their houses with their kids in tow to go over to the field, not the ones that briefly look out their window. 🙄

OP posts:
ToughFuss · 15/08/2023 20:05

I get your point, but I don’t really agree. An air ambulance landed in the field behind my house the other day, I took my son to have a look. I also wanted to make sure I didn’t need to move any of the electric fencing for them and that the horses weren’t going to cause an issue, but my son wanted to see and I couldn’t see any harm in him having a look from a distance once we’d left them to it to be honest.
My husband has been up in an air ambulance before, accident on the farm, and they were just amazing. I couldn’t have given less of a fuck if anyone was watching the helicopter tbh. Neither could he. If seeing it inspired anyone at all into following that career, or even just encouraged a respect for what they do, then that’s a win imo.

ToughFuss · 15/08/2023 20:06

I should say, of course, that anyone getting in the way or trying to get a look at the injured party are in the wrong.

Toddlerteaplease · 15/08/2023 20:08

Because it's a helicopter and they are fairly unusual to see land. Not that it makes gawping at it right.

SugarPlumpFairy3 · 15/08/2023 20:10

Of course it’s human nature to look up/around if something unusual is happening. However, there is a world of difference between looking up to see what the noise/commotion etc is and RUNNING out of your house for a better view.

These types of people aren’t concerned for the people involved. All they want to gain is a front row view and to be able to put it first on social media…I woz there, mentality.

Totally different but I was on a rough ferry crossing last week and a poor lady was terribly sea sick. The man behind me opened up his phone specifically to film her! Ffs what is the actual matter with these people? And yes I did say something and he pretended he was filming the boat. He definitely wasn’t 😠.

Original poster
PostItInABook · 15/08/2023 20:12

Many patients don’t like crowds being gathered around when they’re in a vulnerable state. It can be incredibly distressing for them if they know they’re being watched by a load of randoms and there’s only so much you can do to shield them and you can’t always move them quickly to get them out of sight.

Like I said previously, there are plenty of ways your children can get to see the vehicles/choppers and even have a look around them without intruding on another person in a vulnerable state.

If people could just show a little respect for the privacy and dignity of others it would be nice.

OP posts:
PuttingDownRoots · 15/08/2023 20:14

To be fair they might not know its the air ambulance, just a helicopter!

People gawp at unfamiliar aircraft all the time. People track stuff on Flight Radar. Its because its different.

SarahSaysYes · 15/08/2023 20:14

@SugarPlumpFairy3 the man filming is just creepy! Why on earth would you do that? The mind boggles.

shieldmaiden7 · 15/08/2023 20:16

One landed near our local supermarket as we were leaving yesterday and I said to my DH is depressing watching all these idiots illegally parking and going to watch with either their children or big camera. I don't understand it.