Where Are You??
There's an interesting topic being discussed on Tom Reynold's blog regarding the ease, or quite often, lack of ease in finding addresses.
My personal opinion is, where possible, have someone outside looking out for the ambulance and even better, have someone at the road end.
I've just done a call where this was the case - a person was standing on the corner, at the entrance to the car park, and round the building to where the nearest entrance to the patient was. This was fantastic, and definately saved no end of time getting to the patient.
As I have commented on Tom's blog, there is nothing worse than being given a job to someone seriously ill or suspended, and not being able to find them because they're in a hard-to-find place, and there's nobody to show you where the patient is.
My personal opinion is, where possible, have someone outside looking out for the ambulance and even better, have someone at the road end.
I've just done a call where this was the case - a person was standing on the corner, at the entrance to the car park, and round the building to where the nearest entrance to the patient was. This was fantastic, and definately saved no end of time getting to the patient.
As I have commented on Tom's blog, there is nothing worse than being given a job to someone seriously ill or suspended, and not being able to find them because they're in a hard-to-find place, and there's nobody to show you where the patient is.
written on the PRF by Steve at 8:24 pm
9 Comments:
Hey great, another EMT weblog.
I saw your comment (and blogadress) on Tom's page.
I've also put a link to your site on my weblog, I hope that's okay.
I also prefer having someone standing outside or at the end/beginning of the street to guide us in.
And if they want/have to stay with their injured friend/relative they can ran to a neighbour and ask him/her to stand outsite and wait for us.
By the way, I hope you/the LAS has a busy week coming up, i'm leaving for London tomorrow to go on a ride along as an (foreign emt) observer ;-)
I always find for the rubbish calls you get umpteen people in the street doing the congo, and for the more serious, absolute jack.
BTW you should have the estate maps in your car!! (never rely on the sat nav!)
I refer the honourable anonymous person to the reply I posted on Tom's blog - they build these wonderful new estates with lovely houses - then completely fail to supply maps for them.
I've had this a couple of times, and the residents also tell me that they've asked for maps to give to friends & relatives but are told there aren't any.
And I don't rely on the Sat Nav - it's taken me to totally the wrong place too many times. I always double check it on the map now.
It's part of the standard instructions we give to ask someone to go out and meet the ambulance, but I guess it doesn't always get done... if someone's in the middle of doing CPR I can't exactly send them off to find a neighbour. Plus sometimes there's a long wait for the ambulance and we don't want old ladies waiting outside on the streets of Hackney at 4am in the middle of December!
I didnt mean to offend or make out you've not got a brain in your head! We all know our way around the old estates and i think that for every new building/flats that go up the borough council should issue maps/blocks. Someone, somewhere in the management should sort this as well as getting updated sat nav software.
Forgive me?
Mark, I don't know what I said, but you went into a bit of a rant there mate.
I know it's difficult to get people to go outside sometimes, and I also know that certainly the LAS tell people to go outside.
There's quite a few "hard to find" places on my patch - you're more than welcome to come out on the car at any time and experience it for yourself, then you may understand our frustration. :)
Anon: Wasn't offended, so there's nothing to forgive
"there is nothing worse than being given a job to someone seriously ill or suspended, and not being able to find them because they're in a hard-to-find place, and there's nobody to show you where the patient is."
What about being roasted alive on a spit? Surely that would be worse.
Just wanted to say I'm loving your blog. I'm also an EMT, but haven't been working because of my recent move to England from the United States. Reading your blog is takes me back to my days working on the ambulance! I miss it.
"There's an interesting topic being discussed on Tom Reynold's blog regarding the ease, or quite often, lack of ease in finding addresses."
Interesting? Yor avvin a larrrfff!!
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