Sorry to read that, Beckie… Unfortunately, unless you are giving birth, calling 911 is rarely a happy moment. As a former ambulance dispatcher, I remember how it was to try to help all the people who needed medical care… I hope you always had a good service!
When I was younger, my father was a detective in our home town. Along with my grandfather being chief of police. Both of them, mean alcoholics.
I would have to call the police quite often to our home when my father got out of control.
Because these cops were buddies of my father, they really didn’t help matters much in the least, only increased the level of tension.
However, I have had to contact the police and/or EMT’s thereafter, and they responded in a prompt manner and werevery kind and tremendously helpful.
I did report reckless drivers in the past, too! And once, with my parents, I discovered an elder who had collapsed in a parking lot, in the middle of the night. At least, I never had to call the emergency services for anyone close to me, yet, either. Let’s keep it that way, right?
Yep. I woke one early morning (about 2:30 a.m.) to find myself in a severe blood sugar crash and I could not formulate enough reason to help myself. I did dial 911 and got some EMTs to come help me until my sugar leveled out. Scary.
Yes, I called 111 which is the non-emergency line and they put me through to 999 (our equivalent) about some suspicious behaviour in the neighbourhood.
Interestingly, although our emergency number has always been 999 in the UK, you can now also dial 911 as so many people were doing that because of watching American TV.
LOL that’s really interesting, Kristian… Just comes to show the immense influence of our friends in the US 😉 Thanks for sharing, I’m going to bed that much smarter, again!! 🙂
Yes, when the kids were ready to walk to school and there was a man out front my door sleeping. I thought he was dead since he had a red covered newspaper under his head that looked like blood and wasn’t moving for a long time. I was afraid for him so called 911.
Woa, that must have been scary!! I had a similar experience, a couple of years back, just around the corner. I was working the 5am shift, and on my way to work, I found a man who had collapsed on the sidewalk. I was afraid he was dead too, but after checking that he was breathing, I called 911 to have an ambulance pick him up.
I can’t imagine how hard and scary it must be to send someone you love with paramedics. I always tried to keep that in mind when I dispatched ambulance, to give the kindest service possible! Thank you for sharing, Tony xx
Someone called 911 on my behalf at about 2AM one morning when I was in a hotel in Orange County, California. Suddenly the room was full of people talking on radios and waving flashlights around. They pumped me full of morphine. Which was great.
And then we were racing through the empty streets with sirens blaring. A fire engine was involved, for some reason. It was better than being on television.
Oh geez! What a night that must have been!! May I ask what had happened to you? I never needed an ambulance yet, myself. And I am in no hurry to try the experience 😉
I’ve had a few ambulance journeys – several via football injuries, a car accident and sudden illness … but that one was a response to kidney stones – and I certainly would not suggest you hurry to try that.
Ooops, indeed, I am not putting kidney stones on my to-do list… I tried the gallbladder ones, and they were more painful than I would have imagined. The first time I went to the hospital for them (it took 3 visits to the ER before they got the diagnostic right) I thought I was having a heart attack. At the age of 21, that was especially scary!
During another one I had some suspected nasty internal injuries so they drove, as a precaution, at about 10mph. “Can’t you at least turn the siren on?” I remember asking
Yes for my husband who woke me up in the night and had heart attack symptoms. He had just had stents put in his heart arteries .The fire department arrived and an ambulance and he was taken to the hospital. It all turned out ok it was not a heart attack and I was grateful for the emergency services.
What a relief! I am glad you experienced a good service. I know for having worked closely with some of them that most paramedics are amazing workers. And thank God for that… It’s good to know we have such efficient teams ready to help when needed!
Cyranny's Cove 
Yes… For several unfortunate reasons. 😖 😞
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Sorry to read that, Beckie… Unfortunately, unless you are giving birth, calling 911 is rarely a happy moment. As a former ambulance dispatcher, I remember how it was to try to help all the people who needed medical care… I hope you always had a good service!
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When I was younger, my father was a detective in our home town. Along with my grandfather being chief of police. Both of them, mean alcoholics.
I would have to call the police quite often to our home when my father got out of control.
Because these cops were buddies of my father, they really didn’t help matters much in the least, only increased the level of tension.
However, I have had to contact the police and/or EMT’s thereafter, and they responded in a prompt manner and werevery kind and tremendously helpful.
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Yeah, but only when witnessing an out of control driver or an accident.
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I did report reckless drivers in the past, too! And once, with my parents, I discovered an elder who had collapsed in a parking lot, in the middle of the night. At least, I never had to call the emergency services for anyone close to me, yet, either. Let’s keep it that way, right?
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Yes, ma’am. That’s the hope. 😃
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Yep. I woke one early morning (about 2:30 a.m.) to find myself in a severe blood sugar crash and I could not formulate enough reason to help myself. I did dial 911 and got some EMTs to come help me until my sugar leveled out. Scary.
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Pfeww… I’m glad you were councious enough to call for help! Close call… *wink*
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Yes, I called 111 which is the non-emergency line and they put me through to 999 (our equivalent) about some suspicious behaviour in the neighbourhood.
Interestingly, although our emergency number has always been 999 in the UK, you can now also dial 911 as so many people were doing that because of watching American TV.
LikeLiked by 1 person
LOL that’s really interesting, Kristian… Just comes to show the immense influence of our friends in the US 😉 Thanks for sharing, I’m going to bed that much smarter, again!! 🙂
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Sleep well. 🙂
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Thank you 😉 xx
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Yes, when the kids were ready to walk to school and there was a man out front my door sleeping. I thought he was dead since he had a red covered newspaper under his head that looked like blood and wasn’t moving for a long time. I was afraid for him so called 911.
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Woa, that must have been scary!! I had a similar experience, a couple of years back, just around the corner. I was working the 5am shift, and on my way to work, I found a man who had collapsed on the sidewalk. I was afraid he was dead too, but after checking that he was breathing, I called 911 to have an ambulance pick him up.
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My mom fell a couple of months ago and I had to call 911 for her to send an ambulance to take her to the hospital. Scary stuff.
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I can’t imagine how hard and scary it must be to send someone you love with paramedics. I always tried to keep that in mind when I dispatched ambulance, to give the kindest service possible! Thank you for sharing, Tony xx
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Someone called 911 on my behalf at about 2AM one morning when I was in a hotel in Orange County, California. Suddenly the room was full of people talking on radios and waving flashlights around. They pumped me full of morphine. Which was great.
And then we were racing through the empty streets with sirens blaring. A fire engine was involved, for some reason. It was better than being on television.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh geez! What a night that must have been!! May I ask what had happened to you? I never needed an ambulance yet, myself. And I am in no hurry to try the experience 😉
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I’ve had a few ambulance journeys – several via football injuries, a car accident and sudden illness … but that one was a response to kidney stones – and I certainly would not suggest you hurry to try that.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ooops, indeed, I am not putting kidney stones on my to-do list… I tried the gallbladder ones, and they were more painful than I would have imagined. The first time I went to the hospital for them (it took 3 visits to the ER before they got the diagnostic right) I thought I was having a heart attack. At the age of 21, that was especially scary!
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During another one I had some suspected nasty internal injuries so they drove, as a precaution, at about 10mph. “Can’t you at least turn the siren on?” I remember asking
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Hahaha! Sorry, the situation isn’t funny, but I am just imagining their faces when you asked 😉
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Yep, probably more than most. The fun of working in retail in a really really rough town
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Oh and monkey when he was 2 rang 999 to ask for a woo woo helicopter. Bloody Fireman Sam
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LOL I’m trying to imagine the dispatcher’s face… ‘
‘What’s you’re emergency, again?”
”Woo woo!”
”Sorry, say that again?”
”Woo woo Helicopter!”
”…”
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I apologised for wasting time.
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Oh my!! Do people shop with baseball bats where you live?? 😛 Or should they? 😛
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It would be a regular occasion to be threatened and I had a knife pulled on me a couple of times.
My problem was that I was too bulshy. I know, I know its hard to believe
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No, thank goodness.
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Let’s keep it that way!! 🙂
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Yes for my husband who woke me up in the night and had heart attack symptoms. He had just had stents put in his heart arteries .The fire department arrived and an ambulance and he was taken to the hospital. It all turned out ok it was not a heart attack and I was grateful for the emergency services.
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What a relief! I am glad you experienced a good service. I know for having worked closely with some of them that most paramedics are amazing workers. And thank God for that… It’s good to know we have such efficient teams ready to help when needed!
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