“Hello, 911?”
Wales' emergency services have revealed some of the most ridiculous calls they have received this year. They included a woman who lost her voice, someone who ate too many kebabs and someone who got his hand stuck in a mailbox.
The service found that of the 414,149 calls made to 999, the US equivalent of 911, 68,416 were not emergencies at all, for an average of 188 fake calls per day. Equivalent to.
“Inappropriate calls can put further strain on already stretched services and delay help for others,” said Andy Swinburne, executive director of emergency medicine. stated in a statement.
The agency released records of some of the irrational calls that clearly did not require an emergency response.
“I know it’s not 100% eligible.” [an emergency]However, my wife accidentally rubbed chili pepper in her eyes and her eyes are stinging. She tried washing, but nothing happened to her,” one caller told dispatchers.
Another caller said, “I ate a kebab yesterday evening. I may have eaten a little more than usual, but my stomach hurt a lot this morning.''
One person called for help because his ring got stuck on his finger.
“Could you please come and see me?'' they asked when they were told the ambulance wasn't coming.
A woman who lost her voice also considered calling 999. she doesn't know what to do. She tried things like lemon, but nothing helped. ”
Unfortunately, one man stuck his hand inside the mailbox. According to service records:
“Operator: Is the patient awake?”
Caller: Yes, it's me, my hand is stuck in the door.
Operator: Is the door currently locked?
Caller: Yes, it's locked. Mom! No, my hand is stuck in the mailbox.
Operator: How old are you?
Caller: Please open the door, my hand is stuck!”
The strange calls included someone who misplaced their dentures.
“I have dentures on the bottom, and when I went to brush my teeth, I said, 'Where are my dentures?'” the caller echoed to the dispatcher. “
It may sound crazy, but I don't know what else to do. Did you swallow your dentures? ”
The service urged residents to only call 999 if a person is “in immediate danger”.
“We are here to help people in their time of need, but at a time when NHS services are stretched beyond capacity, we need people to take some ownership and responsibility for their health and wellbeing. “We need to do that,” said Lee Brooks, executive director of operations. .
