Lost
The rather cumbersome Nee Naw service opening line — “What’s the problem? Tell me exactly what happened…” — often does lead to people telling you exactly what happened, including a rather large amount of irrelevant information.
“Well,” said the man. “I went round to my sister’s, because I’d left my mobile phone there, and I needed it urgently. Unfortunately, I got there and she wasn’t in, but I knew she leaves her back door open for the dog, so I climbed over her side fence. But the dog — it’s a German Shepherd — thought I was a burglar and went for me! So I ran away as fast as I could and jumped over the back wall of the garden…”
“Okay…” I said. “And why do you need the ambulance? Did you injure yourself jumping over the wall? Did the dog bite you?”
“Er, no,” said the man, sounding a bit embarrassed. “You see, I jumped over the wrong fence, and now I’m your car park…”
“My car park?” I said, confused.
“A big car park, full of ambulances, and I can’t get out…” explained the man.
I realised that he’d actually landed at the rear of one of the ambulance stations. Unfortunately, I had to explain him that as we were in a central control room, we weren’t able to let him out, and that he would have to wait for one of the ambulances to come back to the station to open the gates for him. It was 11pm on a busy Friday night, so I rather fear he had a long wait.
Next time he will be careful which fence he jumps over!
on April 10th, 2006 at 10:56 am
That is amusing. What would have happened if he had broken his ankle though?
on April 10th, 2006 at 11:05 am
If he’d broken his ankle, it would have been taken as a normal call, with the location as “rear car park, Somewhere Ambulance Station”. I bet that would have raised the crew’s eyebrows when they received it. Especially if they’d been on station at the time… they wouldn’t even have needed to get into the ambulance!
on April 10th, 2006 at 11:53 am
yolu got to laugh.
on April 10th, 2006 at 3:26 pm
pretty good response time though ! wel maybe but not if your in lincolnshire amb though probably one crew for a 40 odd mile radius!!!!
on April 10th, 2006 at 6:31 pm
Oh thats great! Absolutly hilarious!.
on April 10th, 2006 at 8:34 pm
ORCON would be pleased !
Good story Mark, made me smile!!
on April 10th, 2006 at 9:27 pm
I really enjoy reading your blog and seeing the calls you get. I wonder how long the unfortunate man had to wait before being let out. The story sounds a bit dodgy but I believe in the stupidity of people.
on April 11th, 2006 at 7:48 am
[…] Nee Naw […]
on April 12th, 2006 at 9:32 am
I had a similar experience dealing with a wee lad with a ?#wrist at a skateboarding incident.
“Ok, so what happened?”
“I was coming up [breathe] onto one of the hips and I [breathe] was trying for a kickflip and as I [breathe]came up on that side…no, this [breathe]side my mate was skating on the [breathe]otherside, he’d just come down the roll-in…….”
There’s only so much encouraging smiling and nodding you can do while your patient talks themselves into sobbing tachypnea!
on April 13th, 2006 at 9:55 pm
I actually had a call back home in Aus once to my own ambulance station to a person fallen off a ladder.. we thought they were kidding at first.. turns out the painter repainting the station had actually fallen off the ladder…looked quite funny rolling into an ambulance station with lights and sirens going… we got comments from the locals for weeks about us not wanting to our lunch getting cold!!
(PS: The painter lived to finish the job)
on April 18th, 2006 at 7:46 pm
Oh that is just hysterical… and I absolutely believe it- people can be EXTREMELY foolish ( and they prove this, daily!)