Tuesday 16 June 2009

Humble Pie

I'm in the FRU, on standby, happily reading a book that I've been trying to read for ages, when a knock on the window almost makes me jump out of my skin.
"You're an ambulance, right?", asks the middle-aged gentleman. Clearly the bright yellow, the blue lights and reflective writing all over the car needs some explaining to some people.
"Yes sir. How can I help you?"
"I always see you guys parked up just reading or sleeping. What do you actually do?"
I'm slightly disgruntled, as these days I rarely get to just sit around reading my book, hence the fact that 2 months on and I'm still much nearer the beginning than the end, and I certainly never sleep in the car. Wish I could sometimes, but insomnia and some sense of moral responsibility prevent me from doing so. Not to mention it's too bloody uncomfortable.
"Well, we are sent to areas where the computer system thinks we're going to get our next call. It's almost never right, but we go anyway. Then we wait for the calls to come in."
"Oh. I see. Well that's OK then. BUT F*** OFF AND DON'T DO IT OUTSIDE MY HOUSE!"
Seeing as there was clearly no need for that sort of behaviour, and that there was going to be no reasoning with said gentleman, I close the window, put my book down, and without another word, drive off.
I stop about half a mile away, and pick up the book. As I open up at the bookmark, the computer rings and I'm sent on a call. 80 year old female, collapsed.
Address? next door, literally, to middle-aged gentleman. Ironically, he was the one who called the ambulance. As we were loading the dying patient into the ambulance, he came over, managed a sheepish "I'm sorry", and walked off...
I'd just about calmed down by the time the crew took me back to my car.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

What goes around comes around! That's Karma for you. I wish I could have seen the look on his face.
Priceless!!

The Happy Medic said...

More important in this story, the computer got it right for once!

Did you do a dance after he walked away?

AdCy said...

Wow, I don't think I would have been as nice as you! Congrats for that...

Ckemtp said...

It's kind of like when some Jacko races to cut you off in traffic and just after they slide in front of you, you get a call and flip on the reds.

Ahh, the little things in EMS make all the difference

slmiller72 said...

And he kisses his elderly mother with that mouth!!!!

My blood is officially boiling...

Eddie said...

Wow, quite a story.

Anonymous said...

This is so amazingly true because I was there.

But I had aimed Glycotherpic spray at that obnoxious Gent; it was a shame that it missed him and affected Mrs Wilkins.

Anonymous said...

Just been directed to your blog from medics999, Unbelievable reading about what people do. I don't know if police follow the same principle as in standby or maybe they lived on the street. But seeing the police car parked opposite my house just made me feel guilty for some strange reason.