The Kintyre Forum

Ok, I'm going to tell you this while it is still fresh in my mind. Here goes -

Me and my younger brother went a wee walk down to the Co-op, just down at the bottom of the road from out house.
On the way, we saw this older guy drop somthing. Just as we were about to go pick it up for him, he bent over to get it himself. As he done this, he lost his balance, fell forward and smashed his face of the Path.

We both ran over to him and I stuck my hand out to help him up. He then turned his face to me and I saw the gash in his head and all the blood running from it. I told him to stay on the ground and not to try to get up while I ran to the old Folks home ( Just about 100 steps away ). I was banging on the door for ages and nobody came. My Brother, went to try and stop a car to get help ( Many of them boy racers who just kept driving ). Finally, This car stopped and these three guys came to help.

One of them Phoned an Ambulance and the others helped keep him company.

( Now this is where I make my Point )

The Ambulace took about 15 - 20 minutes to come!
If you know where the old Folks home is, the you would know that the Ambulance station is like just next to it.

So Yeah, A lady came out from the Home and she said that he was an Alcholic and that was why he was shaking so much.

So Basically, My point is that the ambulance took so long to come.


Thanks for reading this by the way, I know it was a rather long peice of writing but yeah, Tell me your views on the Ambulance service or whatever.

NelsonL.

Hi NelsonL1995

I think the ambulance service do a great job.

As for the time it took for an abulance to arrive as far as I know that when you phone for one the call goes to a control room who prioritize the call according to the information they are given. As the person was concious and standing up it was not a life threatening situation and maybe put it down as a priority 2 instead of priority 1 and as such the ambulance station in Campbeltown could have been notifed just two minutes before they arrived.

Hope that makes sense

Another factor that might be significant in this is that the ambulances don't always come straight from the ambulance station. Sometimes they might already be out, on a shout, and other times they may be waiting-up somewhere else more convenient to getting to a wider range of locations in a shorter time.

The guy was basically sitting in a pool of blood to be honest.
He was like 70+ I think that is pritty high priority, to be honest with you.

Thanks for your posts though.

Well done Nelson1995 for stopping and helping - as for the timing of the ambulance that's another matter.

I agree, well done for the good samaritan bit Nelson. I also think the ambulance personnel do a good job but the man was apparently 70+ and sitting in a pool of blood, I dont think someone sitting in a control centre somewhere can judge that as a "priority 2". Is there only 1 ambulance in CN, doesnt bode well for us if we need assistance quickly if it takes that long to get help.

hey i think it was good that you stopped to help

Although the ambulance station is just up from the old folks home it is infact right at the bottom of my road in dalriada like yourself but you should know the ambulance guys are usually there all week during the day but they do go home at weekends and get called out from they're and sometimes already mentioned they can sometimes be already called out somewhere else but just cos of where they're based doesn't mean thats where they have to remain and you know yourself nelson there's noone usually they're at the weekends cos thats where all the kids play when they're not there

we came across a crash on friday night it took under 15 mins also for ambulance to come but they do usually have to collect the other paramedic first but to be honest i think they do a great job they've helped so many young drivers they saved my cousin yrs ago in a bad smash they had to stabalise him before he got to hospital but not just young drivers alot of people old and young and also babies they deal with alot of diffrent situations and sometimes they're job isn't always in safe surroundings they can only do they're best and i think they do a great job it probably feels like forever when your waiting though and you never know when you might need them

Well said rtodd31.
I can only speak for my local service but I do know it's a job I couldn't do. I am wondering though NelsonL1995 if you may be mistaken about the time you waited. I recall a traumatic time way back when I waited for an ambulance. Later at the hospital I kept asking hysterically why the ambulance took so long as I had to wait 15 minutes for it. Later, a policeman showed me evidence that it took under 7 minutes. When you're in agony or anxious then it may seem longer and it must have been a fearful time for you and your brother. To this day, it causes me pain when I hear or see a noisy ambulance and in fact have to stop my car sometimes because I'm shaking so much but I have a real respect for those paramedics.

But great respect to you for helping out the way you did. You're a real example of what the majority of youngsters are really like today. I hope you get a showing up in your school assembly or a Citizen's Award or something!

GovanGril,

You may be right about that. The ambulance may not have taken as long as it felt, but It did feel like ages. If it wasn't 15 - 20 mins it was defo' 10+.
Thank you for your comment at the end of your post. However, I'd rather that didn't happen Just doing my Civilian Duty