Rescue Vehicles

[Toon Army]

I have seen numerous 'Rescue' vehicles, parked in a variety of location throughout late evening and presumably throughout the night. Can anyone throw any light on their scope of duties, costs etc and do they replace the local ambulance services between certain hours of the night for all emergencies or only road traffic accidents. And who are their masters? Anyone had personal experiences with these services, good or bad?

Cheers

[ShakaIsuzu]

Can anyone throw any light on their scope of duties, costs etc

They're free. They rush to a scene of carnage, chuck all the victims who can't walk away under their own power into the back of their truck and haul them off to a hospital of their choice, not necessarily the closest one or the best one.

Ambulances that actually look like ambulances are mostly owned by private hospitals and not really used as public service ambulances... You can book one to come pick you up for any kind of treatment.

I think opinions on the Rescue vehicles are mixed, but then again the alternative of just leaving bodies all over the place wouldn't be very good either.

Edited November 18, 2007 by ShakaIsuzu

[p1p]

The "Rescue Vehicles", colloquially known as "Blood Wagons" are run by the Thai/Chinese Ruamjai Foundation or the Sawang Boriboon Foundation. Two organisations that are not known for their friendly attitude to each other. They have been recorded coming to blows with each other at the scene of an accident.

If you are able, it is almost always better to call your own ambulance with a paramedic trained crew. The blood wagons are believed to cause as much damage as they save.

[Toon Army]

ShakaIsuzu, p1p, many thanks for your input and informative insight. Although still left wondering if they are a plus or a minus when it comes to community care!

[Donnyboy]

ShakaIsuzu, p1p, many thanks for your input and informative insight. Although still left wondering if they are a plus or a minus when it comes to community care!

a quick google and click here

some more info on the blood wagons

[p1p]

ShakaIsuzu, p1p, many thanks for your input and informative insight. Although still left wondering if they are a plus or a minus when it comes to community care!

a quick google and click here

some more info on the blood wagons

This is an interesting article and fairly accurate. However there are several points it fails to address.

There is a vast difference in the care provided, and equipment needed by first responder or EMS carers, and doctors in hospital. In most countries in the West, EMS responders are trained outside the normal hospital health care training system, although they may spend some time in a busy emergency room. Their job is to save life, stabilize or stop injury from becoming worse and transport patients to the best local hospital emergency department. It is not their responsibility to treat patients beyond these requirements.

The problem with having training conducted by hospital doctors is that the doctors have no experience with treating injuries in the field and their ideas of necessary equipment differ greatly from the true requirement of a first responder. Hence we find things like a nebulizer in the back of a Chiang Mai pickup that has not even been equipped with such basic equipment as a back board or cervical collar, let alone differing bore IV kits, saline etc. (Few fully equipped ambulances in the west would carry nebulizers, they will all have saline.) Nebulizers are of use in long term hospital care and are simply not necessary for the relatively short time a patient will be in the truck.

A couple of years ago we spent six months trying to persuade the powers that be in the Chiang Mai health department and the foundations, to allow us to train their first responders up to a minimum of EMS 1 standard in paramedic care. (My partner in this has spent twenty years as a paramedic and trainer at university in California.)

We were turned down in the end with a particularly telling statement from one of the senior men involved. He said his overall bosses "Prefer to see people dying in the Thai way rather than accepting help from Farang teachers!"

[uptheos]

Having an illness or suffering a bad accident is something that most people living here should be aware of. It only takes one idiot or one thrombus to render you unconscious and in need of emergency treatment. We would alllike our choice of ambulance and hospital/doctor, but there might be times when making this request is not possible (unconscious).

I would really like to know what safeguards other people use in the event of an emergency happening and they are alone?

I have a mobile....hmm maybe no-one can read English on the menu and it might go missing (accidentally).

I have a card in my wallet with blood group, allergies, NOK, phone numbers, preferred hospital etc, written in both Thai and English. But there again wallets could also gomissing (accidentally).

What do others do?

Medic alert style chains?

Tatoo's across the chest?

I am really interested to know how others deal with this problem - Thanks

[waveydavey]

The "Rescue Vehicles", colloquially known as "Blood Wagons" are run by the Thai/Chinese Ruamjai Foundation or the Sawang Boriboon Foundation. Two organisations that are not known for their friendly attitude to each other. They have been recorded coming to blows with each other at the scene of an accident.

If you are able, it is almost always better to call your own ambulance with a paramedic trained crew. The blood wagons are believed to cause as much damage as they save.

Does anyone have a phone number (preferably English speaking) for a recommended ambulance service?