As Nee Naw Control is a large building with the word “AMBULANCE” on it a lot and a lot of ambulances parked outside (mainly by virtue of the fact Waterloo Ambulance Station is situated around the back), occasionally we get the odd person attempting to wander in for some emergency treatment. They don’t get very far, of course, as there’s a security man on the door. Usually (assuming they’re not actually dying or anything) they get shoved in the direction of a large phone booth marked “emergency calls” and can sit outside and wait for an ambulance like anyone else. Most people who wander in have only minor injuries, but we did once have a psychiatric patient hammering on the door proclaiming that he was going to chop off his testicles. He then attempted to do so with limited success. Needless to say, we all stayed firmly in the control room on that occasion!
Anyway, last night, someone wandered up to the control room and told the security man “Help! I’m having a baby!” No, this wasn’t a novel way of trying to procure a maternataxi, she was, literally, having a baby right then and there. We barely had time to whip her into reception and procure an ambulance crew from round the back before the baby had emerged. A healthy baby girl was born, and a hundred heads popped out of the control room to have a peek. Poor woman, I bet she never realised her baby’s birth would be quite so public!
August 20th, 2006 at 5:00 pm
Aw, what a nice story:) Made me smile. In your description of control you missed out “Large, ugly, grey, ominous looking building” lol
Training HQ looks much nicer.
August 20th, 2006 at 5:24 pm
Yeah, but Training HQ is in the middle of nowhere and is really bleak. I wouldn’t much like to work there either.
August 20th, 2006 at 5:24 pm
Awww…
Got to admit though, if I was in dire need of medical assistance (such as the last minutes of labour) and saw a ruddy great big building with a word like “AMBULANCE” on it, I’d associate that with “people who will be able to help me” too.
August 20th, 2006 at 5:32 pm
True..
August 20th, 2006 at 9:54 pm
Did she have a name ready for the baby?
August 21st, 2006 at 2:51 am
I’d happily swap privacy for a fast labour. A hundred people staring *can’t* be as bad as a 48-hour labour.
August 21st, 2006 at 7:48 am
Wicked. Did you suggest some names for the baby…Nee Naw, Arty (RT), Dee Spatch? Great story but its bloody messy stuff childbirth aye!!
August 21st, 2006 at 1:19 pm
I had something similar happen to me - after a particularly eventful session giving blood on the way homemy wife stopped breating in the car next to me. Right outside an ambulance station.
Despite kcocking on the door and hooting my horn I had to call 999 to get an ambulance. The doors went up and a perplexed bunch of 6 ambulance men & women were staring at me giving the wife mouth to mouth.
Anyway, it saved them a drive out!
By the way, they were really helpful and my wife commented on the good looking ambulance who was the first person she clapped eyes on when she woke up…. I’m sure she was dillusional at the time
August 21st, 2006 at 7:16 pm
If only everyone could get sick right outside the ambulance station, we’d meet our stupid ORCON targets! Glad to hear your wife recovered.
August 22nd, 2006 at 7:08 pm
Surely the baby would have to be named “Nina” ?
August 22nd, 2006 at 10:33 pm
DID PONDER FOR ALL OF…ER… A FEW MINUTES, MAYBE LESS!!! ON AMUSING ANAGRAM FOR GIRLS NAME IN “AMBULANCE” - NEEDLESS TO SAY FAILED!!! NICE TO HEAR A TALE THAT DOES HAVE THE “AH BLESS” FACTOR THOUGH.DO AGREE BOUT APPEARANCE OF WATERLOO BUT DON’T S’POSE WOMAN IN QUESTION WAS THAT BOTHERED ABOUT HOW GREY AND UNPREPOSESSING IT LOOKS FROM OUTSIDE AT TIME HA HA!!
August 22nd, 2006 at 11:07 pm
You must admit that life is never boring in your little corner of the world! I would have to say that I probably would be one of those people wandering in to get help too
August 23rd, 2006 at 1:44 am
I used to work about a block from an ambulance station here in Brisbane that was also a control centre.
Because we were so close we didn’t have a first aid officer in our building. It was easier just to take someone up the road to the station. I even dropped a coleague off there on the way to work once as she’d found a tick on her arm and wanted to make sure the wound was ok.
On the topic of babies and ambulance stations, that’s the place to go to get baby seats fitted to your car here. In fact they actually hire out baby capsules now and fit them for you.
August 23rd, 2006 at 4:51 pm
That got me thinking - could this be the story behind the name of the ITV News reporter Nina Nannar?
August 26th, 2006 at 6:18 pm
carry on the good work.I am nearly ambulance blogging to. no fame for me please x
August 27th, 2006 at 3:49 pm
Britblog Roundup # 80
Here we are again, a Britblog Roundup for a Bank Holiday weekend. Enough good stuff to see you through until your return to the office on Tuesday. You can make nominations for next week’s by simply sending the URL to
August 29th, 2006 at 5:55 am
You always have great stories.
Have added you to my links.
Aloha!
August 29th, 2006 at 12:05 pm
That’s nothing - at the birth of our son two weeks ago, a (very lost) Channel 5 film crew turned up. Quite why they thought attempting to barge into an operating theatre was a good idea, I don’t know.
August 31st, 2006 at 12:41 am
hi (:
i picked you blog for me BlogDay post.
August 31st, 2006 at 9:53 am
Very useful to know. Will pop round the corner week after next in my lunchbreak if that’s okay - I’m sure my little girl will oblige with her timings. Saves me the taxi fare to hospital and frankly I’d trust paramedics more than *some* of the midwives I’ve seen of late!
Anyhow, it’s only fair. You introduced me and Steve, so you should help out with the consequences of that introduction! You can at least be taking photos for my blog..
September 4th, 2006 at 12:51 am
Hey!!
I’m of the view that you Nee Naw guys are performing an absolutely fantastic job!! Had a friend who sufferred a bout of food poisoning and you guys responded and she got to ER on time!!
Apart from the occasional crank calls to ‘help me get out of bed’ and calls out to the drunks on the street, which I’m sure u will agree are all part of the hazards of ur job. (smile)
Be good and keep on top!! Cheers!!!
September 5th, 2006 at 9:16 pm
We’re not nearly that nice, two baseball be-capped neds wandered up to the station the other day and were…invited to leave.
September 9th, 2006 at 5:34 pm
From the minute you get pregnant, you tend to get used to every man, woman, cat and canary gawping at your nether regions!
Alice
September 10th, 2006 at 7:14 am
Where HAVE you gone??
I miss you lol