Samui Rescue

[Jambo]

Does anyone have any information about these "songtail type" ambulances?

Are they associated to any hospital on Samui or maybe government funded?

Are they a private company who receives commission from hospitals?

Are any of the staff;doctors, nurses or even medically trained?

I hepled with a motorbike accident this afternoon. The chap had a dislocated knee, and had other scrapes over his body.

We put the guy into recovery position and stabilised his knee to help with the obvious pain.

Songtail ambulance arrives, staff ask no questions, no assessment of injuries etc. Stretcher produced and victim bundled into "ambulance" ASAP.

Then takes off before any other ambulance from a hospital arrives.

Im interested to know what the set up is here.

[BigC]

wow it is an interesting question.

1 u have private ambulences who work on commission they get money for taking people to expelsive hosp.

2 the real samui rescue is a free service. they are all volenteers. even the thais. problem is that not many of them speak much english. the servixe is free. it is up to the patient which hospital they want to go to. if the patient is too ill to speak they take them to govement hospital.

the private companies are illegal but having trouble kicking them off the island.

all the vecheles that samui rescue drive are donated. the service is not the best equipped but it does what it can. as it is not a business. it has gov. backing and the service is free. Basically they have to make do with what they have got.

think there job is mainly to rescue people from the body snatchers. those are the private companies.

anyway maybe i know too much. bye

[Jambo]

Thanks Big C,

But i still dont know if it was Samui rescue or the "body snatchers" who collected this guy...

How do i tell?

All i know is that the medical help was non existent, very little english spoken.

Unless i was seriously close to death, i would not want the services of what i saw today.

Give me a private hospital ambulance anyday...

[BigC]

Thanks Big C,

But i still dont know if it was Samui rescue or the "body snatchers" who collected this guy...

How do i tell?

All i know is that the medical help was non existent, very little english spoken.

Unless i was seriously close to death, i would not want the services of what i saw today.

Give me a private hospital ambulance anyday...

i really do not know. did it have a hospital advert on the side. if so which 1. problem is as soon as u get picked up by the other lot the meter goes on. u could be charged up to 1 million baht sometimes more. its difficult to tell. fon#t think the snatchers have mucj knoledge. there job is just to get u to the most expensive hospital asap. basically mean pick up the body in what ever shape and run it straight to hospital. i suppose the more damaged the body the more commission they get when the customer gets the bill.

p.s if this subject gets a bit hot. i do not minde the mods. deleting it

[Jambo]

No mate, no hospital names on the side of the car.

No id/name tags on the staff.

My girlfriend of 6 years worked mainly in Samui International, and then Thai International, so i know how to spot a Thai doctor/nurse.

It sounds like the other "service" that u have mentioned.

Are they also located at the top of the lake road, or is that Samui Rescue??

[BigC]

herd that they are hiring help from over seas. having problem getting the bat signal fixed. basically how it works is.... when there is a trauma. a big light flashes in the sky in the shape of a bat. Apperently this method has oven taken more conveinetent methods of communication like a telephone or a radio. for some reason they have chosen to fly a bat signal in the sky. fart more effective.

[Jambo]

Sorry Big C, did not understand your last post...

[smokie36]

Sorry Big C, did not understand your last post...

BigC aka The Riddler.

[Jambo]

Sorry Big C, did not understand your last post...

BigC aka The Riddler.

Im gonna bite my tongue

[smokie36]

herd that they are hiring help from over seas. having problem getting the bat signal fixed. basically how it works is.... when there is a trauma. a big light flashes in the sky in the shape of a bat. Apperently this method has oven taken more conveinetent methods of communication like a telephone or a radio. for some reason they have chosen to fly a bat signal in the sky. fart more effective.

Top post BigC sums it up perfectly shame some don't get it mind you my bottle of vodka is near finished.....

Thanks for enlightening a few of us anyways.

[Jambo]

Go on Smokie36, instead of your bottle of vodka, any advice about the OP?

[smokie36]

Go on Smokie36, instead of your bottle of vodka, any advice about the OP?

Nothing much to add regarding the ambulance side of things. As BigC already said dialling emergency services is a joke and the likelihood is the nearest Thai with a phone will pick up a commission for phoning the private operators.

Better than nothing though at least they take you to a hospital. If you're still conscious take a taxi probably the only time its a bargain!

If you end up at the private hospital of their choice the treatment is ok and the place is clean enough but expect to pay at least 75000 Baht a day.

Make sure you have insurance and keep a copy of the document in your wallet. This simple task might be the difference between lying in a cubicle bleeding to death and being treated immediately.

[BigC]

No mate, no hospital names on the side of the car.

No id/name tags on the staff.

My girlfriend of 6 years worked mainly in Samui International, and then Thai International, so i know how to spot a Thai doctor/nurse.

It sounds like the other "service" that u have mentioned.

Are they also located at the top of the lake road, or is that Samui Rescue??

samui rescue are crying out for volenteers. specially forang. exeperience would help though they do give out training. if anybody want a number to ring PM me. i think they give u free inssurence for helping out.

by the way if u do want to donante money to rescue u have to go into the office. there is one in bohput ring road between big C and bohput traffic lights. u have to go through the rescue people to give. they do not go out on the streets asking for money. they make there money off some locals making big donations.

they are also looking for a sponser or sponsers.

Edited April 26, 2010 by BigC

[fontokmakmak]

I haven't posted on here before but I felt compelled to comment on this particular topic.

I am one of 5 (as far as I am aware) farang volunteers working for Samui rescue, and BigC is correct, they are crying out for volunteers all the time, especially to cover nights, whether you are Thai or Farang. There are around 300 volunteers in total (again this is an estimate, based on what I've been told by the other volunteers). Unfortunately you don't get any kind of free insurance or anything else for that matter if you volunteer, you actually have to cover your own expenses. We buy our own shirts and medical supplies, and some of the vehicles used are personally owned vehicles of the volunteers.

The equipment and vehicles are all donated, and every single member of the rescue is a volunteer, they do not charge for the service and are not paid for performing it. They will help anybody whether farang or local, and take them to the hospital of their choice for free. The volunteers are all at least trained in emergency first response, the priority is to do what we can and then get the patient to hospital as soon as possible. We do have to make do with what we've got, but what we've got has saved many lives in the past and will continue to do so. Most ambulance personnel on the island (across all the different services) are first responders, unfortunately fully qualified paramedics are just not in abundant supply here. Incidents are reported by telephone and via a radio network, which is monitored constantly in the rescue stations (of which there are several on the island), inside the ambulances and on handheld radios owned by the volunteers.

If you are thinking of volunteering, be aware that it entails many hours of sitting around doing nothing, waiting for a call. If you don't speak Thai conversationally (as I personally don't) they will still very much appreciate your help, but you need to be prepared to spend a lot of time working around the language barrier. You wil also need a strong stomach! The rescue volunteers are among the most pleasant people you will ever meet, and they will always do their best to make you feel welcome. I would encourage anyone who feels that they can help to get involved.

To spot a samui rescue ambulance, look for the words 'Samui rescue' and a number in a blue circle on the vehicle, the staff will be wearing navy blue shirts (or sometimes white) with a yellow badge on each arm saying 'Samui rescue'. There is a large Chinese character on these badges, as well as a very large Chinese character splashed across the back of the shirt.

Samui association rescue are a different service, but their ambulances look very similar. I don't know enough about them to comment so I am not going to speculate about them in any way.

Please remember that this service is entirely free, and not bound to any particular hospital. You don't have to pay for anything that they do for you. If you try and pay them they will probably politely suggest that you make a donation directly to the service. They are very proud of the fact that they are volunteers and quite rightly so, many of them do this on top of full time jobs. They also deal with other emergencies such as body removal, road clearance, cat stuck up tree etc. any way they can be useful. Please take the time to thank them and let others know about the service if you happen to bump into them.

The emergency number is plastered all over the island, but you can PM me if you would like me to give it to you. The best person to contact regarding volunteering is Alan Brewis, unfortunately I have misplaced his number but if you ask around you're bound to get hold of it from someone on the island.

A final note: Please wear bike helmets, don't drive while drunk, and make sure that you have insurance information displayed prominently in your wallet. The combination of these 3 things can save your life, too many people have died for lack of them.

[crusty]

wow it is an interesting question.

1 u have private ambulences who work on commission they get money for taking people to expelsive hosp.

2 the real samui rescue is a free service. they are all volenteers. even the thais. problem is that not many of them speak much english. the servixe is free. it is up to the patient which hospital they want to go to. if the patient is too ill to speak they take them to govement hospital.

the private companies are illegal but having trouble kicking them off the island.

all the vecheles that samui rescue drive are donated. the service is not the best equipped but it does what it can. as it is not a business. it has gov. backing and the service is free. Basically they have to make do with what they have got.

think there job is mainly to rescue people from the body snatchers. those are the private companies.

anyway maybe i know too much. bye

Well yesterday evening at Lamai's Bikini Bar, our elderly bogus donations collector was at it again, this time with clipboard of Samui Rescue info and his usual "ID" round his neck, harassing beachgoers for donations. dam_n I didn't have my camera !

[samuijimmy]

Good post Fontokmakmak!

The one thing I have noticed is that when an ambulance of any kind is heading down then road very few people pull over to let it pass... This may be because, those in a vehicle cannot here the siren, which is not that load & the blue/ red lights not very large? Seems the same whether private or hospital ambulances.... just an observation, more than a criticism...

As for anyone volunteering, do people have to have a work permit to do this? as with other volunteering work......? If that is the case anyone on a retirement visa, is unable to volunteer...

[fontokmakmak]

I've been hearing about these bogus collectors, and I plan on telling the Thai volunteers about these (insert unprintable expletive here). Does anyone know their usual hangouts and times of operation? Because I would really like to meet them, not for any violent purpose(!), but to firmly let them know that this won't fly and that we're on to them. I work full time but if they operate in the evenings I might be able to track them down somewhere in Lamai. Just so everybody knows Samui rescue certainly do not send people out collecting in this manner.

Unfortunately the observation that people don't pull over is quite correct, we often do have to barge our way through traffic and lean on the horn to get to an incident. The particular ambulance I work with is dripping with lights and has a siren you can hear from a couple of miles away, so if someone is unaware that we're directly behind them then they shouldn't be allowed to drive any kind of vehicle on the roads! Some ambulances are less well decked out than others, but they are improved as the donations come in.

I don't know the rules requiring work permits or not, I will ask. I already had a work permit when I started but I don't remember them asking to see it.

[fontokmakmak]

Excellent article about the rescue service here: issuu.com/samuiphanganrealestate/docs/june-july-2009

Page 146-147, the article also has Alan Brewis's phone number.

[fontokmakmak]

Sorry, don't mean to hog the thread!

The elderly 'charity collector' has been arrested earlier this afternoon, and had his ID and collection tin taken away. This is not the first time he's been arrested so I don't know if it'll put him off, but the rescue service are now very aware of who he is and will pick him up themselves if they see him at it again.

If you do want to make a donation, you can go to any rescue station on the island and give them money there. They will write you out a certificate/receipt for the donation. Don't try to give money to the ambulance beacause the record books are only kept in the stations.

If anyone does see this 'charity collector' again, please let us know, I have confirmed with Alan that we certainly do not have people collecting money, the nearest you might see is somebody distributing leaflets.

[itishothere]

Sorry, don't mean to hog the thread!

The elderly 'charity collector' has been arrested earlier this afternoon, and had his ID and collection tin taken away.

Keep on hogging the thread with useful information about Samui Rescue. I appreciate it and I am sure many others do as well.

And I am also delighted with the news about the arrest. A bit of sunshine on a rainy Samui day.

[BigC]

wow it is an interesting question.

1 u have private ambulences who work on commission they get money for taking people to expelsive hosp.

2 the real samui rescue is a free service. they are all volenteers. even the thais. problem is that not many of them speak much english. the servixe is free. it is up to the patient which hospital they want to go to. if the patient is too ill to speak they take them to govement hospital.

the private companies are illegal but having trouble kicking them off the island.

all the vecheles that samui rescue drive are donated. the service is not the best equipped but it does what it can. as it is not a business. it has gov. backing and the service is free. Basically they have to make do with what they have got.

think there job is mainly to rescue people from the body snatchers. those are the private companies.

anyway maybe i know too much. bye

Well yesterday evening at Lamai's Bikini Bar, our elderly bogus donations collector was at it again, this time with clipboard of Samui Rescue info and his usual "ID" round his neck, harassing beachgoers for donations. dam_n I didn't have my camera !

yes be care full. sounds like an old scam. someone rings up rescue volenteers. asks a few questions. gets info on forang volenteers. gets a fake i.d card made up with that voelenteers name on it. then go beging. that way if u was to ring up rescue and ask them if mr Soandso works for u . they would say yes. problem is the real soandso is different person all together.

[BigC]

I've been hearing about these bogus collectors, and I plan on telling the Thai volunteers about these (insert unprintable expletive here). Does anyone know their usual hangouts and times of operation? Because I would really like to meet them, not for any violent purpose(!), but to firmly let them know that this won't fly and that we're on to them. I work full time but if they operate in the evenings I might be able to track them down somewhere in Lamai. Just so everybody knows Samui rescue certainly do not send people out collecting in this manner.

Unfortunately the observation that people don't pull over is quite correct, we often do have to barge our way through traffic and lean on the horn to get to an incident. The particular ambulance I work with is dripping with lights and has a siren you can hear from a couple of miles away, so if someone is unaware that we're directly behind them then they shouldn't be allowed to drive any kind of vehicle on the roads! Some ambulances are less well decked out than others, but they are improved as the donations come in.

I don't know the rules requiring work permits or not, I will ask. I already had a work permit when I started but I don't remember them asking to see it.

the service is backed by the govement. think the govement guarentee you. well done for helping out. the more people the better. even women with no experience can help. even if they do not want to get there hands dirty. if they speak good english but they are thai. they can translate to forangs on the radios, give them directions answer phones.

there is always something that can be done.

where abouts are u stationed ? maybe i am pushing it. sorry ?

[smokie36]

Sorry, don't mean to hog the thread!

The elderly 'charity collector' has been arrested earlier this afternoon, and had his ID and collection tin taken away. This is not the first time he's been arrested so I don't know if it'll put him off, but the rescue service are now very aware of who he is and will pick him up themselves if they see him at it again.

If you do want to make a donation, you can go to any rescue station on the island and give them money there. They will write you out a certificate/receipt for the donation. Don't try to give money to the ambulance beacause the record books are only kept in the stations.

If anyone does see this 'charity collector' again, please let us know, I have confirmed with Alan that we certainly do not have people collecting money, the nearest you might see is somebody distributing leaflets.

Pleased to hear he's no longer spoiling your good name on the island.

[Jambo]

Hi Fontokmakmak,

Thank you for your informative and interesting reply.

Im not trying to troll, but can i ask why you are volunteering for a group of staff who's highest medical qualification is EFR?

There are 4 International Hospitals who all have Ambulances and medically trained staff.

I saw Samui Rescue Volunteers "manhandle" a victim into their vehicle last week.

Surely waiting for professional medical staff would have been a better option...

Thats just my opinion though...

As a volunteer, can i ask what your medical qualifications are?

Also, when you are looking for volunteers, what medical qualifications do you look for?

Many thanks

Edited April 30, 2010 by Jambo

[BigC]

Hi Fontokmakmak,

Thank you for your informative and interesting reply.

Im not trying to troll, but can i ask why you are volunteering for a group of staff who's highest medical qualification is EFR?

There are 4 International Hospitals who all have Ambulances and medically trained staff.

I saw Samui Rescue Volunteers "manhandle" a victim into their vehicle last week.

Surely waiting for professional medical staff would have been a better option...

Thats just my opinion though...

As a volunteer, can i ask what your medical qualifications are?

Also, when you are looking for volunteers, what medical qualifications do you look for?

Many thanks

not sure what u sore. weather it be the gov. rescue or private but the govement volenteers can only do what they are trained for. they have to go to seminars where they learn. cpr, fire training, cutting people out of car training. if aa volenteer arrives and does not have they badges then he or she can only do stuff to make it easer for when the qualified staff come. like stop traffic. give out directions on the radio. take pictures. translate from english to thai. there is always something to be done. some of them are more qualified than others but only the qualified can preform the tasks that have been trained for.

for1 small example. unless u have a proper ambulance u cannot through someone into the back of a truck and take them to hospital.

remember it is dangerous. if people get commission on people they bring to hospital then the more hurt they are the more commission.

now do the maths and try to work out how to make the best of a bad situation.

[fontokmakmak]

Jambo,

What BigC has said is correct, our volunteers are qualified at many different levels, and we do what we are able to do. Personally I only hold a wilderness first response qualification, but have been taking first aid courses back in the UK pretty much continuously since I was a child, as well as an annual American red cross course in the States for the past six years. Unfortunately if you look closely at the ambulance staff from the private hospitals, you will discover that many of them have nothing above EFR either.

When someone has an accident on Samui, invariably Samui rescue will always show up because they constantly monitor the radio frequencies. Private ambulances will arrive if they catch wind of the incident or if someone calls them directly. The priority, no matter who the ambulance is sent by, is to get the patient to hospital so that they can be seen to by the doctors there. What many people interpret as 'manhandling' is unfortunately the gritty nature of how the job gets done. I prefer to think of it as 'not mucking about because seconds can save someone's life'. When we arrive at an incident, we have gloves on before we are even out of the ambulance. We will always put patients in the back on a proper spine board, having restrained or braced broken limbs appropriately. We clean the patients up both before they are in the ambulance and on the way to hospital as best we can, and then we hand over to the professionals. About a month ago one of the Thai volunteers from my station saved a man's life by performing CPR for 45 minutes on the way to Nathon. If you have ever tried it on a dummy when you're sitting perfectly still, you will have discovered that even 5 minutes is fairly exhausting.

As for the reason why I work for them: Every single one of the volunteers is a selfless individual who gives up their time to help complete strangers, whether Thai or farang, and they do it for zero monetary reward. People have died because they have been taken to a private hospital, who have then found out they have no insurance, and have sent them to Nathon because they refuse to treat someone who is not insured (not the policy of every hospital, but certainly of some). If you are ever in an accident, I would be willing to bet that you would appreciate being taken to the hospital of your choice, for free, and having someone to talk to in your own language, who can reassure you and let you know what's going on. Keeping a barely conscious person talking to you can be the difference between whether they make it or not.

When volunteers present themselves, they may have no medical experience at all, but there will always be something for them to do. And as long as they have a strong stomach, they learn pretty fast. The most experienced person on the scene will always take charge.

It is not a perfect system here, but as with everything else, it cannot be judged by another culture's standards. The important thing is that the service does save lives, and has been doing so for 20 years.

[Jambo]

Thanks for the reply Fontokmakmak.

I do appreciate what you are saying.

However, I really dont agree with you on a few points of your reply; but id rather not get into an arguement on a public forum.

All the best for the future.

Jambo