Do you know what happens when you dial “03” on your phone? Your call automatically goes to the central dispatch center of the republic. A specialist responsible for receiving and transmitting calls picks up the phone...

1. Almost all outgoing calls to numbers “03” and “103” are sent to the unified dispatch service of the Republican Emergency Medical Service. The station serves more than 75 percent of the republic’s residents: about a hundred service teams respond to calls more than a thousand times per day. They work here around the clock.

2. When you ask for help on the phone, the first person you hear will be the voice of the dispatcher. The doctor on duty will begin asking you specific questions. Unfortunately, false calls happen quite often.

3. It may seem that he is showing indifference, but with the help of clarifying questions, the patient’s condition is determined and which team to send for help (citizen calls are divided into ambulance and ambulance).

4. The senior doctor coordinates the work of the duty shift. Meet Irina Serova, senior emergency physician.

5. Before her eyes there are two monitors on which incoming calls are displayed, prioritized. In practice, experienced patients already know what to say in order for an ambulance to arrive: to “mistake” the age downwards, to hide the chronic nature of the disease, to aggravate the symptoms. The word that works best is “dying.”

6. Everything you say is entered into the computer, all calls are recorded. Technical innovations have made it possible to reduce the number of missed and unanswered calls to a minimum and to optimally distribute resources for servicing calls

7. The whole process takes about two to three minutes. The data is processed and, depending on your location, the call is sent to an ambulance substation, usually the one closest to the victim.

8. Using the Glonass system, the movement of ambulance crews is monitored in real time: location, time spent at the address, and even speed while moving.

9. Each parameter is recorded and analyzed, which helps in further work, for example, in controversial situations, if any arise.

10. About twenty minutes should pass from the moment of the call to the arrival of the ambulance. With the help of dispatch services, ambulances bring an acutely ill patient to the exact clinic where he can quickly receive help.

11. The building of the Republican Ambulance Station has its own ambulance substation, which mainly serves city calls. For doctors working on emergency calls, there are no holidays or days off.

12. All conditions for work have been created at the substation. The work schedule is every three days. There is a relaxation room here, where in your free time from calls you can relax a little.

13. Dining room. Here you can warm up food and eat during a break from traveling.

14. Medicines are stored in sufficient quantities in special cabinets at a certain temperature.

16. In addition to analgin, nitroglycerin and validol, ambulance teams have the most modern drugs that can help with heart attacks and strokes in a matter of minutes.

17. This is what an emergency medical bag looks like. It weighs about 5 kilograms and contains not only a sufficient amount of painkillers, but also narcotics.

18. The peak of calls to numbers “103” or “03” occurs at 10-11 am and from 17 pm to 23 pm. Ambulance calls are provided, equipped with everything necessary.

19. There is also a simulation center equipped with special mannequins that simulate the vital functions of the human body as realistically as possible. Thanks to the created conditions, future doctors and paramedics hone their first aid skills.

The work of doctors is not the easiest, try to help the ambulance staff to the best of your ability: do not terrorize with false and trivial calls, give way on the highway, behave appropriately when the ambulance arrives.

Emergency medicine is an excellent school that it is advisable for any future doctor to undergo. It teaches you to make decisions quickly, fight disgust, and provides invaluable experience in dealing with unusual situations.

The color scheme of ambulances - white with red - was first established by GOST of the USSR in 1962.

Since 1968, according to GOST, an orange flashing light has been installed on ambulances. Unlike the blue beacon (the modern “flashing light”), it did not provide advantages over other road users.

The fastest ambulance in Soviet history and among production cars was the Volga GAZ 24-03, whose maximum speed was 142 km/h, which is 2 km/h more than the ZIL-118M Yunost special bus with a V8 engine.

In the 1970s, RAF-22031 minibuses were the first to receive a blue flashing light on the roof. Due to confusion with GOST standards, similar UAZs (“tablets”) were produced for more than 10 years with an orange beacon.

The fashion of putting inscriptions on the fronts of emergency vehicles in a mirror image came from the West. The driver of the car ahead could read the inscription in the mirrors in normal form and give way.

According to reviews from veteran ambulance drivers, the most reliable medical vehicles were modifications of the Volga GAZ-22. Traveling a million kilometers in 8-10 years was commonplace for them.

An ambulance siren differs in tone from both a police siren and a fire siren. Cars such as ZIM, Pobeda and Volga GAZ-22 were not equipped with sirens.

A single telephone number for calling emergency medical services “03” was introduced throughout the USSR in 1965, simultaneously with emergency numbers for the police and fire department.

In different living conditions, people have to be saved in different ways. And if in Russia this function is performed mainly by ambulances, then in Europe and the USA everything is much more interesting. Only strange and unusual ambulances are born there. I present to your attention 11 of the most unusual medical ambulances, created to save people's lives in different conditions.

Renault Alaskan

At this year's commercial vehicle exhibition in Hannover, the Renault Pro+ division presented several modifications of the Alaskan pickup truck, including an ambulance. The medical version of the Renault Alaskan pickup truck is just a concept, so it is not known whether anyone will see it on the road, rushing to the rescue or not.

The following versions of the Renault Alaskan were also demonstrated at the exhibition: a fire truck, a pickup truck equipped with a lifting basket and a road safety patrol vehicle. All modifications, including the ambulance, are based on the one-ton Alaskan with a crew cab.

Ford F-Series

In the United States, pickup trucks have been rebuilt for medical needs for quite some time. An example of this is the Ford F-Series pickup truck.

By the way, in the USA, F-Series pickups are used by all firefighters, construction crews, road services, electricians and others.

Citywide Mobile Response

There is nothing special about this ambulance, but the same cannot be said about the interior of the car. This is probably the most luxurious emergency room in the world.

The interior, trimmed in leather and mahogany, boasts Wi-Fi, digital TV, an audio system, a bar, a massage therapist and a personal doctor. This pleasure is provided by Citywide Mobile Response. For these services they ask from $350 per hour.

Renault Twizy Cargo

An ambulance is an extremely useful invention. But very often the very concept of an ambulance provides for the presence of space for transporting a person. But this unit definitely won’t accommodate. But there are often cases when a patient does not need to be taken anywhere, but simply needs timely assistance. The electric sanitary Renault Twizy Cargo was built in order to deliver a doctor as quickly as possible to provide first aid.

The medical version is built on the basis of the Twizy Cargo, which does not have a rear seat, and instead is equipped with a special trunk with a volume of 180 liters to accommodate the necessary equipment for providing first aid.

Renault Master

There's basically nothing special about this Renault Master medical van. It is equipped with a conventional diesel engine producing 118 hp. The exception is that Sebastian Vettel himself recently raced on it.

Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel tried his hand at driving a Renault Master ambulance with a 118 horsepower diesel engine. At the same time, ambulance driver Alex Knapton, who has 1,354 calls to his name, tried the 670-horsepower Ferrari 488 GTB on the road for the first time in his life to see if he could be faster than the 4-time world champion. The victory went to Vettel, who drove one lap in the Master faster than Knapton in the Ferrari, seven seconds faster.

Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

And this is probably the fastest ambulance in the world. The Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Emergency Medical is powered by a 6.3-liter V8 that produces 571 horsepower and 650 Nm of torque. The German front-engine supercar accelerates to 100 km/h in just 3.8 seconds and has a top speed of 317 km/h.

The SLS AMG, modified as an ambulance, received the appropriate coloring and flashing lights in accordance with all the laws of the genre. What is on board the medical supercar is unknown.

Lotus Evora

The Dubai police fleet has long been known for the presence of exotic sports cars. They also made a truly “ambulance” ambulance. The emergency medical vehicle based on the Lotus Evora sports car is not intended for prompt transportation of patients to medical institutions. The modified supercar is used for urgent transportation of medical equipment, such as defibrillators or oxygen bags, to the scene of an accident.

The coupe, which has a top speed of more than 260 km/h, will allow doctors to reach victims as quickly as possible to provide first aid.

Nissan 370Z

Dubai doctors also have a Nissan 370Z in their fleet. Just like the Lotus Evora, it is equipped with medical equipment. And there is no talk about transporting patients here either.

The fast Nissan 370Z is equipped with a 3.7-liter petrol V6 with 325 hp. The engine can be paired with either a seven-speed automatic or a six-speed manual transmission.

Ford Mustang

In addition to the Lotus Evora and Nissan 370Z, Dubai doctors already have two Ford Mustangs.

The car, like the previous two, will go out on calls and also participate in social campaigns.

Mercedes-Benz Citaro

Here is another very interesting exhibit from the Dubai medical fleet. This ambulance, based on the Mercedes-Benz Citaro city bus, can accommodate 20 patients at once.

The medical mobile bus is equipped with all the essentials that doctors need. There are even X-rays and ECGs. This machine accepts those who have suffered as a result of mass disasters and disasters.

Trekol-39294

For places where a regular ambulance cannot reach the sick and injured, there is the Trekol-39294 amphibious all-terrain vehicle, converted into an ambulance.

The six-wheeled Russian monster on ultra-low pressure tires will get to almost anywhere. The all-terrain vehicle can be equipped with one of three engines: 2.3 and 2.7 liter petrol engines, as well as a 2.5 liter diesel engine.

Revelations of an emergency doctor: death, dangerous patients and saved lives

There are many questions about domestic medicine, as well as complaints, which every second person expresses at any convenient or inconvenient occasion. Often they are dissatisfied with the work of the ambulance, but few people think about what it looks like on the other side - through the eyes of doctors. We talked to one of them about why people don’t want to go into medicine, how many false calls are received per day, and what to do with dying patients.

About career

I have been working in emergency medicine for over 20 years. We have a local division of teams: linear, pediatric, cardiological, intensive care and neuropsychiatric. I started as an orderly on the line, then switched to cardiology, became a nurse, returned to line, became a doctor - and again switched to cardiology.

We also work as an intensive care team - in principle, it replaces everyone except neurologists. We visit both ordinary patients and various accidents and mass traffic accidents. Usually the crew consists of two or three people plus a driver.

I can say that a huge percentage of doctors who are now employed in various fields started out in the ambulance. If you take a third city or regional hospital, many local specialists have gone through this school.

Most often, people come here as students as a temporary job - it has its own exoticism, you can learn something, for example, how to make decisions quickly. And the schedule is more or less free, not tied to a place. It used to be exactly like this.

I stayed in this service a little longer than others. They call me to go to the hospital, but I don’t want to leave - I like this job.

About problems

Recently, the number of calls has been growing, the intensity is increasing, but the number of teams is decreasing. Previously, there were 10 teams per 100,000 population, but now there are about seven for the same number of patients.

At one time, it was believed that the norm for a cardiology team was eight calls per day. Now 10 calls is already considered an “easy” day, 12 is the average number. Basically there are 14-16 trips per shift. There is no charge for additional workload.

Because of this, not everyone wants to work in an ambulance, and there are fewer and fewer of us. Now there are only doctors whose average age exceeds 40 years. There are very few young doctors. The problem with medical personnel in the ambulance comes first.

About calls

There is an unspoken order that all calls are recorded and an ambulance responds to them. That is, we do not have the right to refuse, even if help is not actually required. Theoretically, this should be determined by a dispatcher who has a secondary specialized medical education - he is a paramedic with the highest category. Of course, I don’t like it - riding in vain, it’s kind of stupid, but what can I do?

Calls can be divided into those that require help, communication with the patient, those that are refused, and cases where the patient was not found. Well, for example, compassionate people call and say that a drunk man has fallen somewhere and is lying there. We arrive, but he is no longer there. Well, or he exists, but he sends us far, far away. We can’t leave him, because another grandmother, passing by, will call us again.

In such situations, the police arrive later, and sometimes they call us themselves to determine the severity of intoxication. Sometimes it comes to scandal. Recently there was a situation when a major called us, we arrived, made a conclusion and left. After a while, he calls again and says that he will not pick up the person, because he cannot walk to the car. Passers-by already helped there and brought the peasant to the police “bobby”. In general, we do not conflict with other services, because we work in conjunction with the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the police, and the traffic police.

Now there are many patients who cannot go to the hospital. Due to queues and initial appointments, it is sometimes possible to see a therapist only after a few days. I believe that this is the scourge of domestic medicine when people do not have the opportunity to immediately go to the clinic and have to wait. But the fact is that there are fewer doctors, and more paperwork. And we are called by patients who think that an ambulance’s arrival can replace an initial appointment with a therapist. This is wrong.

There are a lot of false calls - several dozen per day. A large percentage is a drug overdose, but while the team is on the way, many call and cancel the call. These are also people on the street who fell somewhere. Recently there were three calls in a row, we accompanied a woman who was walking home and falling at every corner. And people called us every time. In the end, we got to her entrance, but she refused help.

Grandmothers who suffer from loneliness often call. They also need help, but psychological help. As a rule, they are abandoned by relatives and children, who come once a week at best. But they need communication. It's worse when they call us at night. They say: “I’m afraid to stay with my pain at night.” Although she endured it all day. It seems like it’s scary to die at night. In such cases, we also come, of course. You say two or three kind words, measure the pressure - and it feels like the tonometer has cured her, she has become better.

About violent and strange patients

As a rule, the most violent patients are people who are intoxicated. Even drug addicts are calmer towards doctors. In drunk people, the stage of excitement is more pronounced. Sometimes you have to quarrel and conflict with them. But if you structure the conversation correctly, they quickly calm down. There were also fights with such comrades, but, to be honest, I don’t want to talk about it.

But I can’t remember any strange calls. Situations when, say, a person puts a light bulb in his mouth on a dare are quite common. Or when someone gets a burn all over their body in the bath - also, although this seems wild. The taps simply come off and the person gets scalded. There are three or four such cases a year.

There are, of course, hypochondriacs who call an ambulance for any reason. As a rule, all teams already know them. I remember some addresses by heart.

Of course, there are those who really have some serious illness, but they also call an ambulance for every trifle. This is what’s bad: you visit a person six or seven times in a month, and on the eighth, knowing in advance that he has nothing, you can really miss the real problem if it suddenly appears or worsens. This also happens. Of course, both doctors and patients are to blame here. The first - because they were careless, the second - because they do not want to be treated properly and panic at every reason.

About the situation on the roads

Recently, drivers have become more loyal to ambulances. By the way, imported cars are more often allowed through, not our UAZs. People’s logic is clear: if a UAZ is driving, then it is most likely a line brigade, the patient can wait. Although this is not true, because a general medical team can also transport a seriously ill patient.

Rudeness does happen, but it's rare. There were cases, of course, when I had to get out of the car and tell them to give way. Most often, such situations happen to taxi drivers who drive into yards, and then they have to turn around, they are stubborn and do not want to turn back a couple of doors to let help through. Literally in the fall this happened - we were unable to pass the taxi driver and walked to the desired house.

About death

You have to deal with death quite often. Several cases per week, sometimes per shift. There are also different types of deaths - both before the brigade arrives and during it. In the first case, these are either clinical patients or patients with sudden acute illnesses who came to the emergency room late. It also happens that doctors do not have time to get there. But most often people apply late. While others call doctors for every little thing.

There is also such a thing as “predicted death,” when you know that the patient will die soon - it’s easier. But there is also a sudden one, when it is not even possible to establish the cause, then it is difficult.

I don't remember the first time I encountered death. But I clearly remember an incident that made an indelible impression on me. This was probably 20 years ago. A family was driving along the highway - the husband and child were sitting fastened in the front, and the wife was in the back seat. During the accident, she flew through the windshield of her car, and then the same car ran over her. We only managed to take her to the Crystal Hotel when she died. She had multiple injuries: fractures of the chest, pelvis, and base of the skull. Of course, it’s better not to remember this.

In general, there is a law that patients must die in hospital. But older people, as a rule, want to die in their bed. I believe that this is a normal desire - if without suffering, then why not. Perhaps this is correct. At one time, my grandparents also refused to go to the hospital and stayed at home.

But this is a double-edged sword: we cannot forcibly hospitalize a patient against his will, but from a legal point of view, a person at such moments is not always able to adequately assess his condition. It is difficult to determine on the spot how sane the patient is. As a rule, in hospitals such decisions are made at consultations. And in the ambulance, every time you make a decision at your own peril and risk.

About the specifics of the work

Emergencies, when there are more than three victims, or cases with a fatal outcome do not occur so often, but emotionally they are, of course, more difficult than everyday work. But at such moments you understand why you are needed.

Of course, each doctor decides for himself whether to provide assistance on the spot or quickly take him to the hospital. In the first case, you need to understand that the person will be hospitalized later, quickly assess the risks, and weigh the pros and cons. It is only in films that they show that doctors can do something on the road, but the reality is that moving along our roads, the patient cannot be helped. If he is already intubated or has catheters, then you can change bottles or add solutions on the go - but that's all.

A kind of burnout also happens - as a rule, such moments occur before vacation, when you know that you will soon be resting, and it’s already hard to look at the patients. It may not be pretty, but that's the way it is. You understand that this is wrong, but you can’t do anything about yourself. You start to work like a machine, and abstract yourself from people.

About medical humor

Doctors joke about everything in the world - even about death and cancer. There is no other way. Sometimes, when we return to the station, we need to shout loudly and laugh right away. This happens in our resident room - it helps relieve tension.

Doctors make a lot of rude and obscene jokes, but this is the specificity of our work, we can’t live without them. It helps us hold on.