Role of Ambulance and Paramedic Services

The role of the ambulance service and paramedics in road accidents is of major importance. No matter where you are in the country, you can reach the ambulance service by dialling 999 and if you truly believe that you’re at the scene of an emergency you should call them for help as soon as possible.

For many people who are involved in dangerous traffic accidents or who witness them, there’s the uncertainty as to whether the scene really requires a paramedic to attend. A general rule is that if someone is injured and you’re unsure of what to do, call the emergency services. Their representative will be able to assess the call and decide on the best course of action.

Knowing the Emergency Services Team

Most accident and emergency ambulance crews are made up of an ambulance technician and a paramedic. They work together to provide the best and most appropriate care to anyone who has been involved in an emergency situation, such as a traffic accident. The ambulance itself forms part of the team as they are created to provide a safe and clinical working environment whilst allowing for maximum mobility.

Most ambulances are fully kitted out with a huge range of emergency care equipment. They contain essential pre-hospital emergency machines such as heart defibrillators, intravenous drips, splints, oxygen, drugs and more. All ambulance and paramedic individuals are trained in a variety of first aid skills and will be able to deal with profuse bleeding, crush injuries, cardiac arrests and more.

The Ambulance Service on the Scene of an Accident

When an ambulance attends the scene of an accident, they have to use their experience, skills and quick thinking to assess the situation as early as possible. They will scan the scene and look for the casualties who seem to be the most severely injured and deal with them first. In doing so though, they will also be responsible for calming other injured individuals who may be more vocal at the scene, but as trained specialists they will know exactly who to deal with first.

One of the roles of an ambulance crew is to be able to stabilise and treat patients before they are transported to hospital safely and without delay. It’s essential for ambulance crews to be able to take care of the situation immediately whilst remaining in control and being calm. They will often carry out diagnostic tests at the scene and if possible carry out some basic first aid. From there they will decide whether to take the casualty to the hospital or whether they can simply deal with them there.

All paramedics and ambulance technicians are highly skilled in advanced driving so that they’re able to move people away from the traffic accident site as safely as possible.

Helping the Ambulance Service at a Traffic Accident

If you’re involved in a road traffic accident as a witness or non-injured person, try and help the ambulance service carry out their role by staying out of their way when they’re doing their job. If they need your assistance they will ask for it and often it’s best to stay calm, stay away and stay alert. Look for others who may be panicking and try and calm them down when the emergency services are dealing with other injured people. Doing this small task can make a huge difference and make their job easier.