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Corbett35284  
#1 Posted : 01 July 2022 15:53:42(UTC)
Rank: New forum user
Corbett35284

Has anyone reviewed their emergency plans in light of the current wait times for a Ambulance or specialised help?

More first aid equipment or staff first aid training?

Roundtuit  
#2 Posted : 01 July 2022 18:34:43(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
Roundtuit

First aid equipment and first aid training are "as described" the first intervention.

Even having a de-fib at site you are after soonest depatch to actual medical care.

The issue comes when you have someone with a major bleed or suspected heart attack and the despatcher is giving you an ETA of 4 hours plus.

At least nowadays the despatchers are being honest about how long the casualty is likely to be lying on the floor rather than the old days of EMAS who you rang every half hour for hours on end.

Basically there is nothing new to plan just deal with each incident dynamically based upon the available information on the day - ambulance / taxi / company vehicle / long wait

Roundtuit  
#3 Posted : 01 July 2022 18:34:43(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
Roundtuit

First aid equipment and first aid training are "as described" the first intervention.

Even having a de-fib at site you are after soonest depatch to actual medical care.

The issue comes when you have someone with a major bleed or suspected heart attack and the despatcher is giving you an ETA of 4 hours plus.

At least nowadays the despatchers are being honest about how long the casualty is likely to be lying on the floor rather than the old days of EMAS who you rang every half hour for hours on end.

Basically there is nothing new to plan just deal with each incident dynamically based upon the available information on the day - ambulance / taxi / company vehicle / long wait

Messey  
#4 Posted : 01 July 2022 21:59:33(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
Messey

On a personal rather than a professional note, I learned a lot after a recent incident.

My wife was recently suddenly taken ill while walking in the outskirts of London.  She had collapsed and stopped breathing for a while. It was my CPR and the fact we were with friends that kept her alive

Despite being served by the capital's ambulance service, they refused to make this incident - a possible cardiac arrest where breathing had failed - as a Category 1 (immediate) call. It wasnt until my 3rd 999 call that I was put through to an ambulance service in the midlands as London's control were so busy. They immediately made the call a cat 1 and were gobsmacked it hadnt been treatd as such from the outset. An ambulance arrive 3hrs and 20 minutes after the 999 call. It was now dark and cold.

My friends has a blanket they used for their dog and I called friends who lived locally to bring sleeping bags and whatever they could as my wife was shivering 

My wife is home now and is back to 100% nagging mode - so all is well :)

My lesson learned is I now carry a number of foil emergency blankets in the car and carry four in my back pack when out walking. I would strongly suggest that assessing how you would keep people warm or dry when waiting hours for medical help is an essential part of emergency planning now

thanks 3 users thanked Messey for this useful post.
peter gotch on 02/07/2022(UTC), stevedm on 03/07/2022(UTC), Kate on 03/07/2022(UTC)
stevedm  
#5 Posted : 03 July 2022 09:43:18(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
stevedm

Ambulance response times and emergency rescue response, form part of all our confiend space RA and based on that the additional equipment and training is provided to the site...it is also a feature in in the 'far from help' scenarios of working in remote areas...

Messey - really glad all is well :)  CPR should be a skill everyone sould have...we need to teach it in schools..

thanks 1 user thanked stevedm for this useful post.
Messey on 03/07/2022(UTC)
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