When Do You Need An Ambulance?

Call an Ambulance when Someone Is:

• Having trouble breathing or breathing strangely.
• Unconscious, having seizures or appears inappropriately drowsy.
• Having chest pain or discomfort; the chest pain may or may not spread to the arms, neck and jaw.
• Experiencing pain in the neck or back after a recent injury.
• Having trouble speaking, slurred speech, blurry vision or appears confused.
• Experiencing tingling, numbness or inability to move the arms or legs.
• Experiencing persistent pain in the abdomen or is vomiting or passing blood.
• Suffering from an injury to the ankle, knee or hip that would be made worse by being moved.

When You Call 911 the Dispatcher Will Ask You:

• The exact location of the emergency.
• Symptoms of the person who needs help.
• Your name and the number from which you are calling.
• To stay on the phone until the dispatcher hangs up first.

Before the Ambulance Arrives:

• Make sure everyone stays safe.
• Turn the porch light on, unlock the front door and put pets in a closed room.
• If possible, have someone meet the ambulance in front of the building—especially if the location is hard to find.
• Do not move an injured person unless absolutely necessary.

The Ambulance Crew Will Want to Know:

• What happened, when it happened, has it happened before.
• Patient’s age, medical history, medicines taken, allergies.