[Closed] Think before dialling 999

samuri - Member

It's only a broken leg, I drove home from the skate park and then took my son to football practice the next morning where I finally passed out with the pain before finally heading to the hospital with my broken leg.

I got a lift to hospital when I broke my hip, walked into A&E with a bit of assistance... Stupidest thing I've ever done tbh, could easily have displaced it worse, all advice from all parties afterwards was that I was a bloody fool and should have called an ambulance even though I was reasonably convinced it wasn't broken. (and quite a lot of being told off because if I had made it worse, it'd have been more work for someone to fix)

Obviously Drac wasn't there 😉 But it doesn't fit the 4 criteria mentioned.

Northwind +1 for my dislocated shoulder. It went back after some frantic and frankly dumb attempts. Drove to the hospital and got a severe telling off about how much worse I could have made it.....

typical 3 pip manager there... lots of talking, but not actually doing anything effective!

Because of the way chest pain protocols work and dealing with our punters I probably have to call every 3-4 months. Absolutely excellent 95% of the time.

Had it called for me twice... Once an RTA which left two of my family on spinal boards. Once when knocked unconscious MTBing at Swinley. After that I swore I'd not bother them again.

So when I broke my pelvis in 2 places in Friston 3 weeks ago. I rode out. It smarted a bit. But seemed the right thing to do at the time.

I had a full paramedics crew turn out to me at work when I complained of chest tightness, light headedness and tingling fingers on my left hand. They wouldn't take no for an answer and stuck me on the big diagnosis kit in the ambulance, whereupon i was told I was having a heart attack and got a free blue light ride to Manchester Royal. Lots of checks later and I was told there was absolutely nothing wrong with me - but my heart rate was very low and did I do any sports? Seems a combination of a lingering chest infection, taking too much ibuprofen and having a low heart rate can mimic a type of heart attack that fooled the machine in the ambulance. The lead paramedic said he thought it was respiratory but he had to go with the system diagnosis. An interesting lesson in how it all works, but boy did I feel like a time waster.

Poly you're looking far too much into it's not suggesting anything like you said. If you watch the clip it's about people calling 999 for silly things. Would love to give you a longer answer but must get ready for work.

Oops wrong thread

2 but I bet he could crawl. How far away was the hospital? If he got there, say in someone's car, would the outcome have been much different?

It's only a broken leg, I drove home from the skate park and then took my son to football practice the next morning where I finally passed out with the pain before finally heading to the hospital with my broken leg.

It's not a competition you know. we have a right to use the emergency services when we need to. why should you expect anyone to crawl to a hospital ffs?

Phoned it several times, once when a lad outside the wife's shop lost several fingers opening his door as a pick up came up the street and trapped his hand, in fact I phoned it twice because they took what seemed like an age to get there.
Unconcious guy trapped in his car in the footwell after a crash right outside my house.
And a comedy one where I battled three blokes pinching a genny outside somewhere I was working, they dragged me up the road whilst I was trying to pull it back out the van as they drove off doors flapping 😆
Presume all those are justified?

In January I'm starting work for NHS Directs 111 service ( the service people should call if not a genuine life/death situation)

It's gonna be interesting!

Some good points made by poly.

I can't speak for the ambulance service, but personally, I would never criticise someone who made an unnecessary call to us if it was well intended or in good faith. Such people should not be tarred with the same brush as the selfish idiots alluded to in that video.

(You won't find too many policemen who feel disappointed to discover that there hasn't been a crime, nobody is dead, and that they don't have to do lots of writing. Apart from when I missed last years village fireworks because an off-duty towny policeman called to report someone stuck on a mountain, which turned out to be a star. They'd run out of burgers too by the time we got back 🙁 )

We got turned out to a fire once and when we got there the woman went mad at us as we wouldn't fix her electric fire when we were the fire service 🙁

My Nans toilet broke and flooded her bathroom last year. A few weeks after she had the fire service around checking her smoke alarms etc. The fireman said if she had dialled 999 and asked for them they would've come out and sorted it!

I don't think I''ve ever called. I remember when I broke my ankle my mum bundled me into a car and drove me to hospital. She then drove round the car park and parked about as far away as she could from the door and made me hop inside (with crutches) rather than dropping me outside the door 😯 I was in so much pain I wasn't thinking straight and didn't question it, but on the way out after painkillers I gently suggested that she bring the car round...

Cycling through Stubbins near Ramsbottom many years ago I came across a bloke in cycling tights shuffling along the pavement on his bum, whining that he had fallen off and had a hole in his leg. He had dialled 999 and his cycling buddies were standing around looking profoundly embarrassed. Then the ambulance turned up; the faces of the crew were an absolute picture of controlled anger. I left, too embarrassed to watch any more of his antics.

oh and if you do need to call paramedics or fire out, ask thenm which station theyre from, and deliver a tin of biscuits a few days latter, makes it worthwhile for them, as there is not a lot of them unlike the police, where the biscuits may never get to the right staff.

Did that with the Spanish equivalent of the ambulance service after the excellent assistance they gave us when my wife was involved in a fairly serious car crash. Although it was a box of chocolate rather than biscuits, seemed to be appreciated!

My Nans toilet broke and flooded her bathroom last year. A few weeks after she had the fire service around checking her smoke alarms etc. The fireman said if she had dialled 999 and asked for them they would've come out and sorted it!

It's not up to the "fireman" to decide if he would have attended or not. The control ops would have call managed it, either calling the FS out or redirecting her call to a more suitable person who would deal with it.

Last time I looked we do not have 24hr plumbing/locksmith services on the side of the appliance.

Hmm, typical STW derailment methinks.

I'm with Poly rather than samuri. I've only had to call 999 myself once (police) but as I've been ambulanced to hospital twice other people have. First was after coming off a motorbike, my brother called when I appeared over the hill 300m away with a bloody face. As i had already walked a mile, i could probably have managed the further 5 to A&E if id had to but considering they kept me in an IC bed over night before operating it might not have been the best option... and second after a commutated fracture of my humerous at a climbing wall, the ambulance ride in was agony enough. I think I must have felt every bump in the road! I don't think I misused the 'service' on either account as they were genuine emergencies. Likewise I've also driven friends to A&E when we deemed it appropriate.

As a consequence I have a profound respect (and gratitude) for all the emergency services.

I think the point is really, is it a real emergency? Not being trained emergency responders inevitably sometimes ultimately (like muddydwarfs example above!) we will make 'mistakes'. And these are not the issue.

Stabbing herself with a staple though... Ye gods!

Oh, and all you people out there day in day out there 'just' doing your job: thanks!

Had to call 999 once: working in a fairly remote country pub, after hours, when it was attacked by 20 odd bikers who started using an axe to break down the front door. Called 999 asked for police and ambulance. We barricaded ourselves into the back kitchen. Armed ourselves as best we could and waited. Not fun! Entire staff resigned the next day.

On the broken leg point: when I was a lad I broke my leg right through (tib & fib) whilst sledging. My dad pulled me half a mile across the gold course on my sledge, we waited for my mum to finish shopping at the supermarket, then we went to the hospital and waited a couple of hours to be seen. No way we'd have called an ambulance for that one.

I've called 999 a few times. Last time was last week on the way to work. House with a chimney fire. Flames and sparks out of the chimney pot by about 2 metres. Banged on the door, the woman on her own didn't seem overly concerned, "Oh, it does that sometimes", and went back in the house and didn't come out again.

I called out the Fire Brigade, by the time they got there it was properly burning. The guys said it wasn't the first visit they'd made.

I must add at this point that in my case I wasn't the person to call the ambulance, it was the company nurse and the HR person. I was adamant that there was nothing wrong with me but I was over ruled. When the machine said I was having a heart attack I did start to doubt my own diagnosis though!

Just a note to remember the coastguards.
Thanks to them too.

I must add at this point that in my case I wasn't the person to call the ambulance

I didn't mention you for 'blame', more for even the 'experts' can get it wrong, what chance have we! I could sense your accute embarrassment, even from here... 😀

I've only called it once. When a huge bang turned out to be a gang of lads ram raiding a range rover through the golf shop across the road! The police were there in minutes, and after a car chase (helicopter and everyfink), nicked them all!!

My best mates a paramedic, so I know not only what a great job you do, but also that you're all barking mad! 😆

I did a brief comms course earlier in the week (the police communication civilians are going to lose up to £700 a month soon when their contracts are ripped up and cover will be needed when they strike). The trainers played a few actual recorded emergency calls, one man from Lancaster called 999 and said 'I'm having a shit, there's no bog roll'. Now that's an emergency.

Sorry to slightly hijack the thread, but it seems like a good question to ask ...
I went on speed awareness course last year and the guy quoted a phone number that can be used (instead of 999) to summon the emergency services which will record your location automatically rather than you needing to describe it yourself as you do with 999 apparently.
Anyone know what that number is, I can't remember. or did I dream that ?

I've lost count of the number of times I've called 999. Perhaps 7 or 8 in the last year alone. Certainly for the police you get a reasoned response. As soon as you mention a firearm an inspector is patched into the call, at least they were with me, I don't know if thats thesame for all forces.

On occasion I've had to deal with paramedics getting arsey with my first aid team because they didn't think they were required. My standard response is to explain the role of a first aider and my policy, which is to call 999 if we have serious concerns and let the experts deal with the diagnosis.

Worked as a manager in a busy retail outlet, so had to dial 999 on a regular basis. Without fail the ambulance crews were fantastic and have a near impossible job to do. My personal "favourite" was always the drunks passed out in the toilet puking up everywhere, who would then wake up in the ambulance and turn into total tossers. The crews naturally get really pissed off with this, especially since it is self inflicted. I'm all for a good night out, but the Canadian model of charging unless its a real emergency would soon empty their bank accounts -(actually on reflection it probably wouldnt - answers on a postcard please)

I've called 999 twice, both fairly recently.
First one was a bloke at work, in his 60s, who I spotted was having a stroke. I made the decision when the supervisor was umming and ahhing. I spotted something (can't remember what now) that was a tell tale sign of a stroke. He made a full recovery Ian few months, thankfully.
Second one was for Mrs PP. It was the middle of the night and I was in a daze, but I'd just worked out shed already passed out once on the landing when she did the same in the kitchen and hit her head hard on a wall on the way down.
Passing out and possible head injury = ambulance to me.

Sorry to slightly hijack the thread, but it seems like a good question to ask ...
I went on speed awareness course last year and the guy quoted a phone number that can be used (instead of 999) to summon the emergency services which will record your location automatically rather than you needing to describe it yourself as you do with 999 apparently.
Anyone know what that number is, I can't remember. or did I dream that ?

Are you thinking of 112 which works the same as 999 (due to it being the European emergency number).

Which I'm fairly certain just routes exactly the same way as 999 would, so allowing for the possibility of triangulation (the accuracy of which varies) if it's a mobile, and a physical location/address if a BT landline.

(There seems to be an email flying about just now with a story about how the police can pinpoint your exact location if you dial 112 not 999).

I called a while ago when I was the victim of a hit and run.

I wasn't so injured that I wasn't able to limp off afterwards, but I did ask for the police and state that I didn't require medical assistance. Correct or not?

Working this year on Christmas Eve and New Years Eve 6pm til 9am... guarantee we will have a house fire in the early hours as someone comes back from the pub pi&&ed and tries to make chips, happens every year. That and lighting all the table candles in the dining room for Christmas dinner then leaving them to burn while a decoration falls on them.

We will come out to flooding if it is affecting the electrics, to clarify the point above.

Have a happy and safe Christmas folks, and all you emergency folks have a q---t one. 🙂

I once called 999 for MR when we found a DoE group, one of whom had fallen (near devils kitchen) and had a head wound and concussion. Helped MR get then a bit further down and out of the low cloud to a point where the heli could pick them up. At the time I did initially consider helping them to walk off the hill, but in hindsight and confirmed by MR, 999 was the right call. Walked off the hill with MR and the rest of the group, who were quite shaken up especially the girl who'd slipped and knocked the injured part over.

I fell bouldering recently and ended up with similar head wound and consussion, as well as a broken wrist. I was adamant that with a few minutes to compose myself I could walk out back to the car. Although the fact I was slurring my speach (unknown to me) didn't instill confidence in those with me who seriously considered making a call. As it was I did walk back to the car for a trip to A&E. Luckily I had the right people with me to assist, and unusually I wasn't driving that day.

Another time I made a decision not to call an ambulance when maybe I should have, and was told I should have by the doctors/nurses when we got to hospital. This was for a 3am dash to hospital with missus 36 weeks pregnant. My reasoning was at that time of night with minimal traffic I could be at the hospital as quick (or quicker) than an ambulance could get to us, unless they happened to be in the area. Door to door 10 miles in 10 mins, god bless the 306 XSi. I miss that car.

I don't think any of those would have been classed as time wasting, at least not on the scale of the guy 'stabbed' with a staple, but was still reluctant to call unless absolutely necessary. I do tend to be quite 'indepenedent' like that. Still good to know the emergency services are there when you really do need them.

Had a ride in an ambulance in October when Gti Junior crashed his bike and knocked himself unconscious. The ambulance crew and the staff at Carlisle Hospital were fantastic, really excellent. The funny thing was that I'd had a premonition that he would crash.

I've had to call 999 a few times due to hockey injuries including one where it was a head to head contact and one guy came off 2nd best with a horrendous cracking noise from his neck. Thankfully it was just very very bad whiplash but our fella had to go be sick by the pitch as he thought he'd been involved in someones neck breaking

An old coach at uni decided not to call me an ambulance when i had my foot dislocated in a rugby match. Someone had to give me a lift to A&E and i then spent 5 days in hospital and six months on crutches. He'd even said i should 'walk it off' 😕

Had to call 999 a few times myself. The first time was when, while out on a road ride my mum crashed and knocked herself out and stopped breathing. I was so freaked out I could barely work the phone and ended up getting a passer by who had stopped to help to do it.

The 2nd time was when a friend of mine had a few too many drinks and just flipped. He attacked me then when I over powered him, he ran off, then returned and started to headbutt the pavement and parked cars. Called the Police for his own safety. They then got an ambulance over. Good thing they did, he collapsed just after the arrived and it turned out he'd given himself bleeding on the brain.

Final time was when my van broke down on a stretch of motorway that had been narrowed to 2 lanes with big concrete blocks, so no access to the hard shoulder. My van was stuck right in the middle of one of the two lanes and was definitely a major hazard. Very nearly got rear ended quite a few times. Quick call to the police to come and slow the traffic down while I waited on the recovery truck.

Drac - Moderator
Poly you're looking far too much into it's not suggesting anything like you said. If you watch the clip it's about people calling 999 for silly things. Would love to give you a longer answer but must get ready for work.

- you won't convert the selfish / crazy with a video (and certainly not on here)
- you will make the 'rest of us' a little more hesitant about calling.

I am not suggesting that ANY of those situations did not warrant 999 - but where it was called the caller 'felt bad' for wasting people's time.

about 5-6 months ago i had just come out of sainsbury's.i saw that my phone was calling 999 😯 (i have no idea how it did so,as i had locked the phone).i quick sharpish turned my phone off. am still baffled as to how my phone managed to dial 999 whilst in my pocket locked.

apologies to the emergency service for that 😳

with all due respect I think you've missed my point:
- you won't convert the selfish / crazy with a video (and certainly not on here)
- you will make the 'rest of us' a little more hesitant about calling.

No I didn't. I give people on here more credit than some of the individuals in that video and has proved evident by the disbelief of those examples. I mentioned that in my very first post.

Why would it make you hesitant about ringing for a genuine casualty?

I went on speed awareness course last year and the guy quoted a phone number that can be used (instead of 999) to summon the emergency services which will record your location automatically rather than you needing to describe it yourself as you do with 999 apparently.
Anyone know what that number is, I can't remember. or did I dream that ?

Where to begin.

Police there is 101 which has been rolled out of nationwide.

NHS they're busy rolling out 111 across the country.

If you ring 999 on a landline all ambulance services will have you location and most if not all will activate a vehicle to that location as soon as the answer the call.

Fire I'm not aware of alternative number for them.

Thanks for the praise people it's nice to know we're appreciate, a bit of cliche but it's what I'm paid to do.

Why would it make you hesitant about ringing for a genuine casualty?

Police there is 101 which has been rolled out of nationwide.

NHS they're busy rolling out 111 across the country.

Ah get you now, well yes there will be a few but I'm pretty sure it's very few. NHS Direct, 111, GPs and others should and do use similar key phrases to tell people to call 999. I've been to one today who was described by his wife as breathless so the receptionist told them to ring 999. He had a chest infection starting so I rang his GP with my examination findings, his medical history and she prescribed meds for him based on that. So while he wasn't a 999 case in the end the receptionist did right. We then saved him taking up a GP appointment by contacting his GP for him.

Your kind of right but it really won't be anywhere as bad as you think and sadly certain things get missed now due to how people describe over the phone. It's certainly not a dangerous message to send out. We are being abused more and more that has a bigger effect on those needing an ambulance ending up suffering than someone not wanting to call 999 as they watched a youtube video.

It does get to some of the problem audience, the cases in that video are the extreme but it gets peoples attention and that's what it's for. The campaign has ran for years in different formats it does work.

After all, if the number of calls go down guess what governments will do...

We have more than enough work to keep us going.

Neither number will work in Scotland.

Yeah they do like their own thing.

Heart felt gratitude to the boys with blues and two-tones of all varieties. You do a tough job with an ever increasing number of muppets trying to make that harder (anyone else see Too scared to speed?). Witness tonight the person on the motorway this evening who pulled in front of a police car with its blues on and sat there for 30 seconds before she moved back over. It had been visible through my tinted glass for over a minute as before she pulled out. Sorry slightly ot rant but my sisters partner has just gone back as a paramedic on the ambulances so feeling even more supportive than usual.

Drac, is that youtube video from an actual film? or is is just a PSA made to look like a film?

EDIT: it's a PSA...