CALL TO AMBULANCE 2 TRANSCRIPT
Comms Centre call taker: What is the exact address of your emergency?
Caller: [Address and confirmation by call taker deleted for privacy]
Call taker: What is your phone number?
Caller: [Phone number and confirmation by call taker deleted for privacy]
Call taker: … And what’s the problem? Tell me exactly what’s happened?
Caller: A 5 year old boy has swallowed something and he’s choking on it and I can’t get it out.
Call taker: Okay, are you with him now?
Caller: I beg your pardon?
Call taker: Are you with him now?
Caller: Yes.
Call taker: How old is he?
Caller: Five.
Call taker: Okay, and he’s conscious at the moment?
Caller: He is.
Call taker: And he is breathing?
Caller: He’s breathing but you can hear there’s something stuck there.
Call taker: Is he completely awake?
Caller: Yeah.
Call taker: And he is breathing normally?
Caller: Yeah.
Call taker: Is he?
Caller: He’s … no, he’s choking and trying to get it up but it’s …
Call taker: What did he choke on?
Caller: It’s a little piece of plastic off a plastic phone.
Call taker: Okay, just a second – alright. I’m just (inaudible) ambulance to help you now. (inaudible) tell you what to do next, okay?
Caller: Oh no …
Call taker: Don’t pat him on the back.
Caller: Uh oh – don’t pat him on the back.
Call taker: Don’t slap him on the back, okay.
Caller: Oh.
Call taker: Listen carefully and I’m going to tell you how to help your child, okay?
Caller: Yeah, he’s turning blue, he’s turning blue.
Call taker: Get him … I want you to calm down so I can tell you how to help him.
Caller: Oh, he can’t breathe, he’s not breathing.
Call taker: Get him as close to the phone and don’t hang up.
Caller: Okay.
Call taker: Do it now and tell me when it’s done.
Caller: He’s right by the phone.
Call taker: Where is he now? He’s right with you?
Caller: Yeah, he’s not breathing.
Call taker: I want you to look at him very carefully to see if he’s breathing. Is he not breathing at all?
Caller: No, no.
Call taker: Okay, lay the child face up on the floor and straddle his legs with your legs.
Caller: Face up on the floor.
Call taker: And straddle his legs with your legs.
Caller: He’s panicking – oh my God – oh my God – no …
Call taker: I need you to calm down so I can tell you how to help him.
Caller: Oh no.
Call taker: I need you to calm down so I can tell you how to help him.
Caller: Hang on, you help him – I’m going to run and get …
Call taker: You need to calm down so I can tell you what to do.
Caller2: Are you there?
Call taker: You need to calm down and I will tell you how to help him.
Caller2: Yeah.
Call taker: Okay, listen to me. Lay him face up on the floor and straddle his legs with your legs. Okay, I want you to place the heel of your hand on the child’s stomach, just above his bellybutton. Do you understand me so far?
Caller2: Yeah …
[screaming/crying]
Call taker: Then check his mouth.
[screaming/crying]
Caller2: I can’t hear sorry. Eh?
Call taker: Push forward into his stomach.
Caller2: I can’t see anything.
Call taker: Okay … is he breathing or crying now?
Caller2: No, he’s struggling.
Call taker: Okay, listen to me – you’ve got to do it again, okay. You need to repeat the Heimlich manoeuvre another five times…
Caller2: Pushed his legs forward …
Call taker: Check his mouth and carefully remove any objects you find, alright?
Caller2: Yeah.
Call taker: Okay, so above the bellybutton and press firmly five times, okay?
Caller2: Yeah.
Call taker: Is he breathing or crying now? … … Is he breathing or crying now, sir?
Caller2: Ah, he’s breathing better now.
Call taker: He’s breathing better now. Okay, have a look in his mouth and see if you can find any objects, okay. You’re doing really well.
Caller2: Yeah. … Right.
Call taker: We’ve got an ambo who’s just up the road who’s coming straight down, and we’ve got a paramedic vehicle on the way from town, okay?
Caller2: Okay.
Call taker: Is he breathing or crying now?
Caller2: He seems to have calmed down a bit now.
Call taker: He seems to have calmed down, okay. I don’t want you to slap him on the back or use the Heimlich manoeuvre now, OK?
Caller2: Okay.
Call taker: I want you to calm down and wait till the paramedic arrives.
Caller2: Okay.
Call taker: Alright – just talk to him and just check that he is completely awake.
Caller2: Yeah, he seems to have calmed down quite a bit.
Call taker: Yep. Is he completely awake now?
Caller2: Yeah, yeah.
Call taker: Okay.
Caller2: He did pass out just before though.
Call taker: You’ve done great, okay. Has whatever was in his throat, has that come out?
Caller2: No.
Call taker: No, okay. Alright, I want you to watch him very closely to make sure he’s breathing alright, okay?
Caller2: Yeah.
Call taker: If anything changes, or he starts wheezing or making funny noises you tell me straight away?
Caller2: He says it’s gone now, so...
Call taker: Okay.
Caller2: Yeah. So I think he’s swallowed it.
Call taker: Alright, I’ve already sent the paramedic to check him anyway, alright? But just tell me when they arrive and I’ll stay with you until they arrive, okay?
Caller2: Okay, that’s good.
Call taker: Alright.
Caller2: Right. Yeah. Oh he’s a lot calmer now.
Call taker: That’s great. You’ve done very well, okay.
Caller2: Yeah.
Call taker: When you hear the paramedics arrive, don’t leave him alone, okay?
Caller2: Okay.
Call taker: You just tell me when they’re with him.
Caller2: Okay.
Child: Okay.
Caller2: Yeah okay. Yeah he’s okay – he’s got colour back in his face now, so … yeah. You alright? We’ll get the man to check you out first though, eh.
Call taker: Yeah, the ambulance will be there very shortly, okay?
Child: I’m okay.
Caller2: Yeah, but we need to get you checked out eh bud. … … Yeah, here comes the man now. They’re here, so.
Call taker: You did really well then.
Caller2: Oh thank you.
Call taker: No worries.
Caller2: Yeah.
Paramedic: (inaudible)
Caller2: No, I think he’s swallowed it.
Call taker: Can I please speak to the ambulance officer on the scene?
Caller2: Yeah, sure.
Paramedic: Gidday, it’s Alistair here.
Call taker: Gidday Alistair. I got them to do the Heimlich manoeuvre and the object never came out. So I’d say it’s probably gone down into his (lungs).
Paramedic: I would say he’s swallowed it, yeah. I mean, he’s quite, um, quite conscious now.
Call taker: We’ve alerted the chopper – do you want the chopper out there?
Paramedic: No, you can cancel the chopper – we may not even transport at this point.
Call taker: Alright, good as gold. Thank you very much.
Paramedic: Alright. I’ll give you a ring back and let you know what we’re going to do.
Call taker: Good as gold.
Paramedic: Alrighty?
Call taker: Bye bye.
Paramedic: Thanks, bye.
[End]
