What's the ambulance response time in your country / area?

Question

Hi!

I live in Bucharest, Romania (very close to the city center) and since we had some problems in the family we had to call the ambulance a few times in the past but it usually arrives in about 2-3 hours (althought I think that these were major emergencies). Is this normal? What is the response time where u live?

Also, do the ambulance operators usually have to give you first aid information on the phone until the ambulance arrives? (they didn't want to do so in my case saying - "I'm just a phone operator, how should I know?")

Thanks

Answer 1

It really depends on where you live. When I lived in a small town in Alaska, the response time was 20-40 minutes. It was a volunteer service, and it took some time for the paramedics to get to their station, get in the ambulance, and drive to the location of the call. If your area is kind of understaffed with not enough responders, and there are lots of calls, it can take some time for the ambulance to get there. 2-3 hours does seem kind of excessive, though.
Now that I live in a more suburban area, the response time is usually less than 5-10 minutes. The ambulance service is paid, and there are people standing by all the time, just waiting for an emergency.
Now for your second question. There are different kinds of ambulance operators. There are operators that know nothing about medicine, and all they do is dispatch ambulances. They aren't able to give medical direction over the phone.
The other kind of operator is called an Emergency Medical Dispatcher. They have special training to be able to give out medical instructions over the phone. Some communities just have the regular operators, and some have the Emergency Medical Dispatchers.
Hope this helps!

Answer 2

The time really depends on the area you are in and the nature of the call. Most of the time its 10 minutes where I am. If its a rural area its usually a little longer. Not all 911 services have EMT's in there dispatch center. Some of the call takers are trained to give out instructions through an emergency medical dispatch course.

Answer 3

We have a 10 minute response time, put in place by the city.... means we HAVE to be there in 10 or less. Bad things happen otherwise.

Answer 4

i live in tucson arizona and it usually takes an ambulance less than 10 minutes to arrive...and yes here they tell us how to do first aid...man i dnt mean to b a prick but romania sounds a lil messed up...that wuld really suck if yur relative had a heartattack....in that time yur relative wuld have died 7 times over...

Answer 5

in the Netherlands:

for urgent matters (A1) within 15 minutes
for lesser serious matters (A2) within 30 minutes

And yes, the operaters here are trained nurses with extra assesment-skills, so they can (and usually do) give info what you can do and don't yourself until the ambulance arrives.

Answer 6

In AZ, the pizza deliverer gets here faster than an ambulance... so u can have a few slices before your paramedic gets to ur house...lol

Answer 7

wow thats a real long time it arrives in mansfield ohio within 3 to 5 minutes.

Answer 8

i live in the UK and they say its ment to be 8 mins but its longer like 10-18 mins thats depending on where u live

Answer 9

I heard in bangalore for ambulance you have to
dial 102,but that no. out of order most of the times.
so we depend on private hospital's ambulances.

Answer 10

In Sweden it's around 45 minutes or longer, sometimes people die before they get there.