If you call for us
While we hope you and your family will never need our services, we stand ready to help if you call for us. If you ever find yourself in that situation, here are a few things you can do to help things go more smoothly.
To report an emergency, call 9-1-1. Tell the dispatcher where you are and where help is needed, if a different place. Be sure to include the apartment number, if applicable. Make sure they know if you live on _____ Street or _____ Avenue so we don’t go to the wrong road.
Give the dispatcher a brief description of current problem. (“I’m having chest pain now” not “I had a heart attack last year”). Answer any questions the dispatcher has. It will help make sure the right people are sent to your aid. Do not hang up the telephone until the dispatcher tells you it is okay.
Remain calm and remain safe. You cannot help anyone if you are in trouble.
Gather the patient’s medications and any medical information about them that you can. If appropriate, contact the patient’s family so they can give the ambulance and hospital more information about the patient.
Make sure we can find you easily. If possible, have someone outside to guide the ambulance to the right place. Turn on any lights that you can. Try to keep the path between the door and the patient clear so we can move the patient as easily as possible.
We recommend large, light-colored, block numbers for identifying houses and apartments. In the middle of the night, it is much easier to find a big white “42” than it is to read a black, script sign.
Move pets to another room and close the door. Like people, pets worry about their “family.” They may get in the way of our caring for the patient, especially when a number of strangers come rushing in and surround the person they love.