8 Minutes To Disaster. Same here?

deadwood

I was surprised not to see a thread about this programme on Channel 4 18/09/08.
Great fly on the wall documentary about the NHS Ambulance service.
Their aim is to respond to critical incidents within 8 minutes of the call.
It also exposed the amount of "nuisance" (my words) calls they deal with.
It also gave a good look at the banter between crews en route to and returning from calls. I would expect some people found this aspect quite a shock. The crews seemed to behave as normally as if no cameras were present - not so guarded as similar police shows.

I was just wondering how it compares to service in Ireland.
What did ambulance personnel here think of the show?

timmywex

When is this show on? Never even heard about it!

CLADA

timmywex wrote: »

When is this show on? Never even heard about it!

deadwood wrote: »

I was surprised not to see a thread about this programme on Channel 4 18/09/08.

:rolleyes:

deadwood

It's on 4oD.

ScubaDave

If it happened over here it would be known as "An hour and a half to disaster!"

Not having a go at crews, just seriously understaffed and equipped!

Fyr.Fytr

Think it was similar-ish to the irish sitaution (basing this on talking to a few pro's over the weekend) they dont have government targets to meet, but the banter and "frequent flyers" are the same

u2gooner

In the UK they have different categories of calls that have different maximum response times. I can only speak for DFB but until we have a similar system, we respond to all calls on blues and twos as an emergency case, whether it be a cardiac arrest or abdo pain.

I personally thought the programme was quite good and reflected the scenes seen on DFB ambulances. I was surprised to see how free the crews were with their views on camera tho. It didnt look very professional to be commenting about the frequent flyers before they've even left the station. I wouldnt think management here would be too happy with it, bad PR.
On the other hand, it makes for good tv when the comments of those involved are uncensored.

Fyr.Fytr

They said it as it is, im sure dfb lads have gotten printouts and said similar things, its only natural.

Yes i do agree grading the calls is a must, means ambualnces arnt tied up enroute to people whove had a sore toe for three days while a more serious case is just after being phoned in.

We only have 12 dfb ambulances for the city and county, theres hse ones too not sure of the numbers but they can be tied up with pateint transports etc. so priority must be given rather then treating everything the same.

I dfb have the right idea sending motors to cardiac arrests and spinal injurys too, results in 5+ paramedics from the fire appliance on scene stabalising the pt while waiting on the ambo or 6 or 8 people to smoothly and safely log roll the pt onto the spinal board in a safe and controlled manner.

timmywex

I meant is it repeated/ series show like customs or was it a one off?

Fionnanc

Try this link for episode


http://www.channel4.com/video/the-ambulance-8-minutes-to-disaster/catchup.html

Tango Alpha 51

From a HSE point of view, the programme was accurate & true to life from an Irish point of view compared to some of the american shows that be on the television. Like the OP from the DFB, some of the crews comments aired on television whilst they made for good viewing didn't protray the crew in a positive/professional manner. Yes we might think it/say it about frequent flyers etc but shouldn't have/should never be spoken about in public. Other than that what the general public who watched the programme saw, should have given them a small insight into the jobs of the HSE/DFB ambulance crews

Paulzx

I generally steer clear of reality shows about emergency services as i normally hate them. I watched this one online after reading about it here.

I found it refreshing to see a reality show that was actually " real ". I dont think the crews came across as un proffessional. There was nothing wrong with their actual treatment of the patients. The banter conveyed the realiy of the job and the frustrations of crews with the b**l**** calls.

timmywex

Fionnanc wrote: »

Try this link for episode


http://www.channel4.com/video/the-ambulance-8-minutes-to-disaster/catchup.html

Thanks, me is off to watch that!

donvito99

Did anyone see Rosie from Road Wars in the second part?

Fyr.Fytr

Yep

delly

Just wondering if anybody checked out a documentary on a UK ambulance crew that was recently shown on More4. It focuses on a month with ambulance 212 as they attempt to comply with Government targets to reach 75% of life-threatening calls within eight minutes. I watched it during lunch time and found it to be no holds barred in showing what life on the front line is like and would recommend it for a watch.

Its available for the rest of the month online to watch to anybody who's interested.

http://www.channel4.com/video/brandless-catchup.jsp?vodBrand=the-ambulance-8-minutes-to

patrickrushe

Yeah. I really enjoyed it. It gives a real inside view on what the job is like. I wonder will RTE follow suit??




St John Ambulance, First Aid Courses and Ambulance Services, Cork, Ireland