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This morning I was walking to my car on the next block and I saw an elderly woman sitting on the sidewalk. Other people were walking right past her, so I though at first she may have just dropped her purse. I soon saw her trying to pull herself up on the chain link fence next to her.
I asked if she was OK, if she need help, or needed me to call anyone. She could barely speak, breathe, or walk. She managed to tell me she was trying to take the bus to her doctor. I told her I really thought she should be checked out by EMS. I called my wife (she is a health care professional) and she came running, at which point I called 911.
Granted I was on a cell phone, so my location wasn't known, but I had to give the the 911 operator the exact address no fewer than 3 times, the cross streets on either side at least once, repeated the street name and spelled it, and told the operator what block I was on at least once.
Thankfully the woman caught her breath and my wife helped her bandage her cuts, but if this were a cardiac emergency, I doubt she would have lived. She refused treatment so we cancelled the call, but in all, I would be surprised if I spent less than 5 minutes on the call to 911 and I never heard the EMS siren despite the Firehouse being 6 blocks away, so 5 minutes in, they hadn't even rolled.
1) How people can just walk by an elderly woman sitting on the sidewalk and not even ask if she is OK appals me. People now are in such a rush to get to work that heaven help them if they slow down or try to help someone. WHAT THE F*CK IS THE MATTER WITH PEOPLE????
2) How EMS can't seem to write or type a number down is beyond me
3) How they couldn't find an address on a map despite me giving the exact location no fewer than 3 times is beyond me. I am suspecting there is a problem with the GIS system. Either it was down when I called, or the address I was giving was not on the map. THis has happened before.
</RANT>
JM
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