Scott W

Yes twice - once for an ambulance to come out and see to a chap that was bleeding severely from the head after a car accident (I was not the cause of it - we just came across them getting out of the cars)

Secondly, was for a far more serious case unfortunately , and the lady concerned was recently sent to jail (i.e. last week) because of it.

Nexuas

Drunk driver, female, fatal?

Dapster

Driving along the M5 a few years ago on autopilot. Middle of the after noon on a dry sunny weekday and no traffic. Looking ahead my brain was suggesting that something was not normal, but it took me about 10 seconds to figure out what was wrong - 2 fat, fluffy sheep standing in the carraigeway minding their own business!

Wow! That woke me up, I can tell you. Called 999 once I realised I wasn't in some drug induced hallucination and this really was Worcestershire on a Tuesday!

Swerving a Rover 414 with Jelly suspension and narrow tyres around 2 stunned sheep at around 85 mph while holding your butt cheeks together while trying not to spill your Ginsters is some challenge.

Scott W

Yes mate, and the death of a 3 year old, oh and don't forget the taking of drugs bit either! I was one of the first on the scene and I just completely froze when I saw the toddler in front of me not moving.

D.K.1

That is absolutely awful

Scott W

It certainly is/was. The so-called mum only got put away for 2½ years as well!

Steve Whitehorn

iTrader: (13)

Yes many times. RTAs etc etc

Once a shop was being burgled very near a big police station. So I called, they asked me my name, address, inside leg measurement, my grandmars age and so on. By the time I had finished I recon they were long gone. I hung up in the end to save my phone bill. Exasperating


Another time. Somebody convulsing on the ground in a very bad way. I am first aid trained so I went to help them, make sure they are breathing and all that stuff. Called the Ambulance, again 20 questions. I was asked 'where was the casualty'
My response was 'On the sea front opposite the Metropole hotel'
Their response 'Do you have the road name'
My response 'No I don't know off hand but you don't need it as the hotel is one of the biggest landmarks in Brighton(everyone knows it - the equivelent would be the houses of parliment in London)
Their response 'Sorry sir but we need the road name'
My response 'Have you got a map!'
Their response 'No'

And this boll8cks goes on and on

Meanwhile this bloke is really in a bad way on the ground and every second more that it takes a paramedic with the right kit to get to him might make a big difference to his life.

I know that legaly they probably have to collect a certain amount of info from a caller. But often time is off the essence and my dealings with them have been very poor.

Perhaps 999 is staffed by robots with no initiative

Steve

LG John

I've had to call it a few times for fire, crime, etc. The most noticeable occasion was when I went out the car park outside my old flat and the entrance/exit was being blocked by a running car with the drivers side door open. At first we waited a few moments as we concluded that it must be a pizza/chinese delivery but when we went over to the car a neighbour had decided to just croak it there and then as he tried to get out his car to get help. He was slumped in the drivers seat so low that we couldn't see him till we approached the car.

gsm1

Called 999 many years back when we saw someone breaking into a house. A young kid had knocked on every door on the road, including ours, and then claiming he was looking for the Johnson family..." they used to live here many years ago.." blah blah. He went to one of the houses further down and no one opened the door. The next thing he does is jump over the side gate leading to the garden. Now, wouldn't you say that it was pretty suspicious?
The lady at the end of the line told us we shouldn't be calling the emergency services line for reporting such things and to find the number of our local station. Called the local station and they responded, "Have you actually seen him break-in or steal anything?". Yeah, okay we hadn't actually seen him 'break-in' as such or come out yet with anything. "Well, no offence has been committed and there's nothing we can do", was the final response.

Abdabz

Once only when my mate was turfin some kn0b out of his party for bragging about wife beating when it got really really nasty - people through front windows without them being open etc...
I was plastered so dont remember much of the conversation suffice to say that in police wisdom they coincidentally arrived just as the problem had dispursed - almost like they were waiting round the corner for just that very moment... hmmmm...
P

PG

AFAIK ambulance controls are not local and as such need to compile as much info as pos on location. They also opperate a stacking system (ie more serious cases first) so need to categorise the situation.
As much as it pains me the fire control rooms are going the same way there will be no local knowledge on the end of the phone.

Daz34

Yes & there is also the problem of understanding regional accents from excited panic stricken callers. Who cares as long as it saves a few quid though eh.

Scoob99

iTrader: (1)

Quite a few times, Once when I found my Mum after she had had a heart attack, and others when I have come across RTA's, I must say the paramedics that dealt with my mum were superb, what I didn't know that she died twice and with their skill bought her back thank god........Yes they are heros

WRX Wannabe

Yep Police for 2 RTA's

Fire service for grass on fire,and also car on fire on the motorway

Nexuas

I feel so sorry for you No one should ever have to see that.

Apparition

Used to do it too frequently for my health...My ex was a diabetic and sometimes had a hypo in the middle of the night, if my ministrations didn't bring him out of it, then the only thing was to get him to hospital asap.
Never forget once when my little (then) boy was awake one night when the ambulance drew up, after Dad had been carted off, he bagan crying, me thinking it was seeing his dad going off in an ambulance, I told him it would be ok, daddy would be alright......he then told me that he was crying because the blue lights weren't flashing !!! Kids eh ? !