When you call, our dispatchers will ask you a series of questions to determine what response would be most appropriate for your situation. A system of categories is used to do this and will place a call into life-threatening emergency and non-life-threatening emergency (or non-emergency).
Life-Threatening Emergencies
In a life-threatening emergency, an ambulance with two crew members are often expected to arrive, however, it is possible that you could be treated by a rapid response Paramedic in an RRV. An ambulance may or may not arrive after the RRV, depending on whether it is needed or not.
If you live in a rural area, the first person to arrive on scene may be a Community First Responder. They are a member of the public, trained to provide life-saving treatment to people in their local community while waiting on an ambulance or RRV.
Non-Life-Threatening Emergencies
In a non-life-threatening emergency, you may be treated by an ambulance crew or RRV. In some cases you may be required to be transported to the hospital. In these situations, please listen to our staff and follow their advice. They are very well trained and experienced, and choosing to be transported to the hospital may lead to you waiting in A&E for a long period of time unnecessarily, as arriving by ambulance does not get you through the queue any quicker.