Lives are at risk because vital minutes are lost in life-threatening emergencies when ambulance crews cannot see your house number and property names easily.



In cases of sudden cardiac arrest, minutes can mean the difference between life and death. The likelihood of surviving decreases by 10% with every minute that passes without defibrillation. Thanks to the NHS’ Act FAST campaign, it’s well known that people who have experienced a stroke have a better chance of full recovery the quicker they receive treatment.

This year as many residents are spending more time at home, the ambulance service is asking people to consider using this time to see if their property can be easily seen in the event of an emergency.

To help the ambulance service find you, they are asking you to safely check if your house number is visible from the road in the dark, make sure there are no bushes or fences blocking the view and that it is noticeable when cars and vans park outside and, if your house has a name, display the number as well.

Ambulances are equipped with sat-nav systems to help crews locate properties but if the house number can’t be quickly identified, clinicians spend vital time looking for clues on the street including numbers on neighbouring properties and rubbish bins.

Senior Paramedic, Luca Alfatti, said: “It is a difficult situation to be in when in an ambulance ready to help somebody who might be minutes away from dying but their property number isn’t clearly visible. It means we are losing vital life-saving minutes which make it so important for people make an effort to ensure we can find their property quickly.

“As the days are short and the nights are long, house numbers should be lit up where possible so that they can be seen in the dark with nothing blocking their view from the road.

“You can’t usually plan for an emergency, but you can prepare. We hope you never need us but just in case, please help us find you.”

Other ways you can help emergency services find you include:

· Ensure children know how to say their address and how to contact the ambulance service as soon as they are able to.

· Smart phones can plot exact location co-ordinates in their map facilities, take some time to see how this works on your device.

· Download What 3 Words – a free app which can pinpoint a location to within three meters, anywhere in the world. The NWAS mapping system works with What 3 Words and 999 call handlers can type in the three given words to identify the exact location of the emergency within seconds.

· Take notice of motorway markers, junctions and road signs so that you can explain where you are – don’t just rely on the sat-nav.

· Look out for small blue driver location signs every 500 metres on motorways and some major A roads. Providing the details written on the sign nearest to the emergency will help crews get to you.

I agree with all the points made, however it seems lives are at risk because vital minutes are lost due to the fact that there are not enough ambulances and staff available anymore!

Around 10 years ago (before the more recent and deeper cuts) our neighbor was found on the kitchen floor by her husband. She was unconscious, not breathing and had to be given mouth to mouth. At least 2 calls were made initially to the Ambulance Service from both landline and mobile. However 20 minutes later nothing! So another call was made and after 30 minutes.. still nothing.

A final call was made and then 2 ambulances turned up at the same time, more than 35 minutes later. The neighbors house is on an ordinary street, on an ordinary road with a perfectly visible number on the front door, just like most of the other houses around here.

A few years later whilst on holiday, I waited out on a main road in the car for an ambulance to arrive at 2am, yes they had our exact location. I just went out to make sure there was no chance they'd drive past the little road we were staying on, basically 'Saving Time'!

The paramedics car turned up 25+ minutes later, followed around 5 minutes later by an ambulance.. My Dad died that night.

Originally Posted by Orb88

I agree with all the points made, however it seems lives are at risk because vital minutes are lost due to the fact that there are not enough ambulances and staff available anymore!

Around 10 years ago (before the more recent and deeper cuts) our neighbor was found on the kitchen floor by her husband. She was unconscious, not breathing and had to be given mouth to mouth. At least 2 calls were made initially to the Ambulance Service from both landline and mobile. However 20 minutes later nothing! So another call was made and after 30 minutes.. still nothing.

A final call was made and then 2 ambulances turned up at the same time, more than 35 minutes later. The neighbors house is on an ordinary street, on an ordinary road with a perfectly visible number on the front door, just like most of the other houses around here.

A few years later whilst on holiday, I waited out on a main road in the car for an ambulance to arrive at 2am, yes they had our exact location. I just went out to make sure there was no chance they'd drive past the little road we were staying on, basically 'Saving Time'!

The paramedics car turned up 25+ minutes later, followed around 5 minutes later by an ambulance.. My Dad died that night.

So sorry hear of your difficulties when you needed the emergency services so badly.

You only need to watch BBC's Ambulance series to see there is something so very wrong with the system 2, 3, 4+ hour waiting times.

The issue certainly isn't with the Ambulance service, they do a truly amazing job in very difficult circumstances. Each week the same pattern repeats itself, drunks, drugs by these I don't include the people with clear alcohol or drug issues. The elderly person who has simply slipped out of bed and can't get up, the ridiculous calls such as minor cuts or sprains, even more serious cases could be taken by car, is an ambulance really needed.

Last year my neighbour rang me to say she was waiting for an ambulance for her dad and had been told it could be over an hour, I went round and her dad was relatively OK, he said he hadn't had a wee all day! I said did he really need an ambulance, could I take him to A&E, he said he didn't want to bother anyone? Now here's a question, how do you cancel an ambulance? I had to dial 999 again.

It’s surprising how many houses don’t have a number on them, I have often had to look up and down a road for a house using other house numbers as a guide and often firstly going the wrong way.
I have often said “ it’s all very well until something happens and you need an ambulance “.