Paramedics

[Tom]

I was cycling today near Byley in Cheshire and came across a group of people stood over a cyclist lying in a ditch. An ambulance had been called, they were just watching over him as he struggled to breathe. Apparently the first cyclist to come across him had found him a bit confused and ill; he hadn't fallen but had just taken a turn for the worse. He looked as though he was having a serious medical problem, struggling to breathe, couldn't talk, couldn't move. A bit of a mess. He vomited while lying on his side, so goodness knows what was going on.

Anyhow, the ambulance came and the medics got straight to work. Calm, professional, pleasant. Loads of expensive looking beeping machines, bags, tubes, the works.

Then a helicopter landed in a field, and a couple more medics came over while the pilot checked his machine out. Four medics all working on one elderly gentleman, while I stood there wondering if I was being a voyeur or trying to help.

And then, a fifth man turned up in a car. Red uniform. So that was five paramedics, three vehicles (one a helicopter), all to help one elderly cyclist who no doubt had thought his day was going to go off without anything exciting happening. Five people, all communicating, dealing with the problem, deciding which vehicle to use, which hospital to take him, while the rest of us stood in slight amazement and respect.

I just wanted to put it out there - these people are awesome.

 

[Gumbo]

We're foster carers. We got a placement of two young lads. A couple of nights in, the 2 year old stopped breathing. That quickened the pulse.

We're very rural here, and yet 7 minutes after the call we had a Paramedic car and first responder with us, oxygen on and sats coming back nicely. They made the call to upgrade to ambulance which arrived in 10 more minutes and off he went with my other half.

Fast, very calm and professional, pleasant, polite, perfect really.

No doubt this thread will pollute with peoples horror stories. Just try and remember that it is almost never the fault of the people driving the cars and wagons and doing their absolute best to help.

Scary shit Tom, good to hear it was dealt with well.

 

[Lakih]

We had a neighbour upstairs. Obese, bad knees, drunk, living alone. He had tried for years to get a downstairs apartment in our complex but nothing opened up. He used to have a dog which forced him to get up and move, but the dog passed away (probably of old age, it was a scrawny old fucker). One day he came home from the supermarket with a fresh 6-pack and a few steps up the stairs he fell. My wife and I was home and heard the crash, we stepped outside and saw him laying on the concrete, slightly scraped knee but otherwise ok. The problem was that he could not get up by himself, and neither me nor my wife (we are both small fry's) could lift or safely help him.

A 911 call and some ten minutes later an ambulance and firetruck showed up. First responders sprung to action, asked some questions, took blood pressure, and then in what looked like an embarrassing easy push had the neighbour up on his feet and helped him up the stairs. They were on the scene for less then ten minutes. Super impressive with how they acted towards us, the neighbour and the whole far from life threatening situation.

The neighbour passed away a few months or so after the incident. It took two weeks before the other upstairs neighbour noticed the smell and notified the landlord who with authorities took care of it.

First responders are amazing people.

 

[Lamp]

/agree

 

[Job]

Paramedics are only on 22-32K
It blows my mind, that level of responsibility..they should be on 100K

 

[Job]

I mean ffs...I earn a lot more than that fixing boilers..
Read the job description on the NHS page, binmen earn more with overtime.

 

[Access Denied]

I remember years ago when I was a teenager, I was round a friends with some mates, went for a piss and blacked out on the way back from the bathroom. Mate found me some time later unconcious and rang an ambulance as they couldn't wake me up. I woke up pretty much as they got there and I remember them being very professional and efficient as they got me into the ambulance and I was driven to the hospital. Never did find out what caused the blackout.

 

[Moriath]

I remember years ago when I was a teenager, I was round a friends with some mates, went for a piss and blacked out on the way back from the bathroom. Mate found me some time later unconcious and rang an ambulance as they couldn't wake me up. I woke up pretty much as they got there and I remember them being very professional and efficient as they got me into the ambulance and I was driven to the hospital. Never did find out what caused the blackout.

I had blackputs doing my paper round. Got ten hpuses down couldnt for the life of me remember shoving that paper in their letter boxes.

Done it driving a few times too. Just go into zombie mode. Auto works and then cant remember shit. Scary

 

[Talivar]

Public sector is strange, the really vital jobs seem to pay peanuts and the not so important ones pay a fortune

 

[BloodOmen]

Aye, paramedics generally don't get as much praise as they deserve, nor do other emergency services either tbh.