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Woman calls ambulance asking them to ‘turn the sirens down’ – most ridiculous 999 calls
SWASFT is preparing for a rise in calls this festive season. - Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto
A life-saving emergency service is urging people to think before dialing 999.
South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SWASFT) is asking people to only call 999 in a genuine emergency this Christmas.
Demand for the service is likely to peak from Saturday to Boxing Day when staff are expecting to deal with more than 3,100 incidents a day across the area.
SWASFT has released a montage of clips from 10 inappropriate calls it received from the public recently.
People called SWASFT because:
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1. A man had found an injured seagull in his house.
2. A woman’s dog had died.
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3. A man was having strange dreams.
4. A woman’s finger nail had come off.
5. A woman had punched a wall.
6. A man was sweating when using his computer.
7. A man wanted a lift home.
8. A man wanted some non-urgent medical advice.
9. A woman wanted to be transferred to the 101 police non-emergency number, which costs 15p a minute to call, because she had run out of phone credit.
10. A woman wanted to complain about the noise of ambulance sirens.
People are reminded only to call 999 when someone is seriously ill or injured, and their life may be at risk.
Head of SWASFT clinical hubs, David Fletcher, said: “The 999 service is only to be used for extremely urgent or life-threatening emergencies, and we urge people to use it wisely.
“If you call because someone is unconscious, not breathing, or has serious bleeding, you are making the right call.
“But calling for an ambulance when it is not absolutely necessary puts additional pressure on our limited resources, and may mean we cannot reach those who are most in need.
“During peak periods, like the festive season, every inappropriate call has the potential to put a life at risk and delay a response to a genuine emergency.”
