Ambulances

[toybits]

Ever had a Thai ambulance with flashing lights and siren behind you?

I am surprised by what I have seen and have really bad thoughts about those ignorant motorists and their seriously inconsiderate driving habits.

[beano2274]

This is Thailand, just do the same as them. Flashing lights mean nothing here, how many vehicles do you see with lights on top, it can be anything, also the ambulance driver just puts the lights on for any little thing including a broken finger, or a missed lunch break.

[toybits]

I know what you mean!

But if you have been on a Thai ambulance like I have when I broke my leg in a motorcycle accident - would you have a different opinion? I was fortunate there was not much traffic between place of accident and the hospital.

This is Thailand, just do the same as them. Flashing lights mean nothing here, how many vehicles do you see with lights on top, it can be anything, also the ambulance driver just puts the lights on for any little thing including a broken finger, or a missed lunch break.

[Richard4849]

I often see ambulances on the road from hospitals dozens of miles away from where they are located. This tells me that they are not exactly in an emergency situation -- if they were, the person would be on their way to the nearest hospital.

[toybits]

There are plenty of volunteer (private) ambulances owned by foundations like Po Teng Tueng. Most of the time, these private ambulances get to the scene of the accident long before the policemen get there. This happened to me. They have VHF radios and listen in on what would have been a 911 call (1669 in Thailand). The ambulances are dispersed in different places so the one nearest the scene of the accident gets there quickest and are able to attend to those more seriously hurt. The one's coming later can attend to less serious cases.

Hospital ambulances come later. If the patient is conscious, the EMS personnel can ask to what hospital he/she prefers to be taken to. They send a call to that hospital so it can dispatch the hospital's ambulance. The patient is transfered to the hospital ambulance at some point. This happened to me and am very greatful to those volunteer EMS personnel. I really should donate some EMS equipment to them.

I often see ambulances on the road from hospitals dozens of miles away from where they are located. This tells me that they are not exactly in an emergency situation -- if they were, the person would be on their way to the nearest hospital.

[Crossy]

Whilst echoing much of the above, I've noticed that (at least on the expressway) an emergency vehicle with blues-and-twos active is given some right of way.

As a Brit I always move to the left as is required back home, it's a difficult habit to break.

[Thongkorn]

Do unto others as others would do unto you,

I personally give way because i would like to think If i was in pain i could get to Hospital fairly quickly,Nobody can see inside most of these ambulances or make an Educated Guess about the state of the person inside , they may look OK but may have internal injuries.

[mario299]

I often see ambulances on the road from hospitals dozens of miles away from where they are located. This tells me that they are not exactly in an emergency situation -- if they were, the person would be on their way to the nearest hospital.

You have to be kidding...you OFTEN "see ambulances on the road from hospitals dozens of miles away from where they are located"?

With lights flashing?? I'm sorry, but you make me feel like you are just trying to stir up trouble...i.e. "Those darn Thais, can't even do an ambulance right". Give them a break, ambulances are doing a good job, have YOU ever needed one?

Apologies in advance if I am wrong, but REALLY !!

mario299

[CWMcMurray]

I try to move aside when I can, but sometimes traffic is so bad that I can not even get out of the way...

[Cobalt60]

I was shocked to see one day, an ambulance with its lights and siren going, having to stop at a toll booth, didnt see if the driver had to pay, but it wouldnt surprise me, what compounded my surprise was the fact that there was some sort of promo going on at the toll booths,with girls handing out leaflets, they didnt even look up or look like thinking tof standing aside .

Still, maybe the victim inside got a ballon and a discount brouchuer, as well as having to hand over 40 baht for the toll. Who knows ?

As the years go by I get less surprised.

[Mosha]

I often see ambulances on the road from hospitals dozens of miles away from where they are located. This tells me that they are not exactly in an emergency situation -- if they were, the person would be on their way to the nearest hospital.

Or maybe heading to a main hospital from one in the sticks? We had a funeral in the village where one such ambulance was stuck 30 minutes in a roadworks hold up. She may have died anyway, we'll never know. I've witnessed a Pui Yai driving down a dead straight piece of road straddling the middle of the road. The ambulance up her arse and she's doing about 40 kph. My wife is used to my British driving manners now, she may not understand but she is used to them

[Richard4849]

I often see ambulances on the road from hospitals dozens of miles away from where they are located. This tells me that they are not exactly in an emergency situation -- if they were, the person would be on their way to the nearest hospital.

You have to be kidding...you OFTEN "see ambulances on the road from hospitals dozens of miles away from where they are located"?

With lights flashing?? I'm sorry, but you make me feel like you are just trying to stir up trouble...i.e. "Those darn Thais, can't even do an ambulance right". Give them a break, ambulances are doing a good job, have YOU ever needed one?

Apologies in advance if I am wrong, but REALLY !!

mario299

You're wrong, so apologies accepted!

I was not criticizing Thais. I was observing that ambulances are often transporting non-emergency patients to their favorite private hospitals far away -- whereas if they were actually in an emergency situation, the person would be sent to the nearest hospital period.

[mojaco]

ํYes, often in our northern area of Chiang Rai there are ambulances transporting people from a small country "hospital" to a larger one, and their lights are flashing. Of course considering the (nearly total) lack of emergency equipment inside one of those "ambulances" it would be good to get to a proper hospital as quickly as possible I would imagine, no matter what the problem. So sometimes they ARE getting to the nearest (lifesaving equipped) hospital miles from a closer ill-equipped facility. But I have never heard them use a siren in our area.

As an example of how poorly equipped, even in Bangkok the ambulance that came to carry a foreigner that had a stroke on the fourth floor did not even have a cloth type stretcher to use to carry him down, they only had the metal wheeled type of gurney. There wasn't a lift in the building so four men on the arms and legs carried him down like a sack. Surely a cloth stretcher with its poles couldn't cost much or take up much room in an ambulance. Good thing he didn't have a back problem also.

In the Boy Scouts many many moons ago I seem to recall some training on rolling up the edges of a blanket to use as a type of stretcher in an emergency. But in a hot country, hard to even find a blanket I suppose.

Edited June 14, 2011 by mojaco

[toybits]

Thanks for all the replies. It is good to know that the expat community SEEMS to know what to do when an ambulance approaches from behind us while in traffic. But what do you see about the local motorists? Should we make a poll on that as well?

[Mrjlh]

Funny that you bring this subject up...just yesterday in Bangkok I'm on a local baht bus and in traffic. Traffic was slow but as we inched ahead I could see we were approaching a railroad crossing with lights flashing but crossing arms are not down. Big intersection with two lanes in all directions and on both sides of the railroad tracks that had not one track but three. Of course the usual this is my lane get out of my way attitude and there's no train "really coming" so I'll park on the tracks. Then there is the "Ambulance" with his lights flashing and siren going, stuck on the tracks in the middle, when the arms start to drop. No body wanted to move to let all the cars stuck on the tracks out. Big R/R arms starting to come down but they're stuck half way down because cars are under them. Panic sets in. Every one honking horns. Siren blasting. People in cars and on the bus including me yelling at people in cars to move. Finally a dozen or so of soldiers appear from nowhere beating windows of drivers and pushing cars out of they way. The Ambulance just cleared the tracks when a train roared thru the intersection. I don't think the train even slowed down. Talk about close calls. Then, after all this, people still refused to move to let the Ambulance continue until the red light changed. That's the attitude here. And all this time I had my camera and never thought to take pictures!

[Spoonman]

I often see ambulances on the road from hospitals dozens of miles away from where they are located. This tells me that they are not exactly in an emergency situation -- if they were, the person would be on their way to the nearest hospital.

You have to be kidding...you OFTEN "see ambulances on the road from hospitals dozens of miles away from where they are located"?

With lights flashing?? I'm sorry, but you make me feel like you are just trying to stir up trouble...i.e. "Those darn Thais, can't even do an ambulance right". Give them a break, ambulances are doing a good job, have YOU ever needed one?

Apologies in advance if I am wrong, but REALLY !!

mario299

You're wrong, so apologies accepted!

I was not criticizing Thais. I was observing that ambulances are often transporting non-emergency patients to their favorite private hospitals far away -- whereas if they were actually in an emergency situation, the person would be sent to the nearest hospital period.

What are you on about, If I was in an ambulance in a not life threatening way I would most certainly insist on going to the hospital of my choice, if I was nearly dead though, take me anywhere.

[seriouseats]

I live close to hospitals and wouldnt think of living more than 10mins from one.

I dont believe more than 5% of thais would ever let an ambulance pass even if they were not in a hurry themselves.

I personally always move away hoping it was one of the few clean foreign expats in the ambulance, if they had a sign on top that said thai or farang in emergency i would never ever move and would do like thais, i would block the ambulance as much as i can just as they do. I live close to 3 major hospitals and people always swerve to block them from going forward.

[ScubaBuddha]

The poll doesn't have the option for what I do: Get out of the way of the ambulance, then swerve in quickly behind it in order to block and slow down the drafting Fortuner or taxi.

[chalks]

I see ambulances stuck all the time on the highway exit near my home, flashing their lights with the police controlling the highway exit oblivious or uncaring. I dread the time I ever need an ambulance and find myself stuck in the same situation...

The last time I followed an ambulance on the highway, it came up behind me in traffic so I let it pass; followed it for a while then decided it was going too slow and passed it and never saw it again. For the time I was following it, it didn't seem like anyone else had any respect for it, but what do you expect when most drivers don't have any formal driving education? At least it was going faster than most of the traffic.

A while ago there was a news story about a car following ("drafting") a police convoy - there was a huge manhunt to find out who the potential terrorist/whatever was only to find it was some ordinary woman who thought following the convoy would be a quicker way to get home

[seriouseats]

i do the opposite when there is a convoy for buses i just drive at 20kph between 2 lanes to slow them down and make them stop at the redlight.