How to Call for an Ambulance during an Emergency

When to Call for An Ambulance

Understand when to call for an ambulance, including signs and symptoms of emergency medical situations.

Daniel R. Bennett
Daniel R. Bennett

Califonia, United States

When to Call for An Ambulance

    When to Call for An Ambulance

    How to Make an Emergency Call

    What to Do While Waiting for Ambulance Help

    What to Expect from Ambulance and its Staff

You should request for an ambulance when you recognise signs and symptoms of an emergency medical situation. Here are some examples

Examples of medical emergencies that require an ambulance

Chest pain

Includes heart attack, tightness in the chest behind the ribs and off-beat / odd-beat of the heart pulse. The victim may clench his or her fist or chest area, have difficulty speaking or expressing the situation. He or she could even fall unconscious subsequently.

A trained first aider (BCLS, ACLS, SFA qualified person), nurse or doctor may act to perform CPR and apply AED pads in an attempt to stabilise the casualty.

Medical training certificates 
Yellow AED (left) and AED electrode pads (right)

Difficulty breathing

Perceived as shortness of breath, having wheezing sounds, or look like he or she is gasping for air, taking quick gulps. The casualty may turn bluish or pale, which signals that blood circulation has also become poor and oxygen deprived.

Patients who are assisted by mechanical ventilators or oxygen tanks may also face trouble breathing if the machine malfunctions, experience a mask leak or run out of oxygen in the tank.

The patient may be using a portable oxygen machine (left) or be wearing an oxygen mask, which is typically green in colour (right)

Severe bleeding

Excessive or uncontrollable bleeding causes heavy blood loss, which in itself can be life-threatening. A large outflow of blood requires immediate medical attention.

When too much blood is lost, blood pressure drops and the heart will fail to pump oxygen-filled blood to vital organs. This may cause long term damage and organs to shut down.

Significant loss of blood cause significant loss of blood pressure in the circulatory system.

Identifying when activating an ambulance is completely necessary

Many kinds of medical emergencies can happen. Some require immediate ambulance transportation and some don't.

General rule of thumb of when you need to call for an ambulance:

  1. Walk: If the patient can walk, you don't need an ambulance. Get a taxi instead.
  2. Bearable pain: In tolerable pain (i.e. pregnancy, back pain, etc.)? Go by other means of transport. Have someone piggy back the victim into a car. Let the paramedics evacuate other patients who really require critical care on-site and can't hold until the hospital door.