When on a train...

... and there are no seats available, and a little old man gets on the train, barely able to walk.

When on a train with no seats available, and a little old man gets on the train barely able to walk, with his little old wife, who walks so badly that he is having to help her.

When on a train with no seats available, and a little old man gets on the train barely able to walk, with his little old wife, who walks so badly that he is having to help her, and the journey is going to take at least 2 hours.

When on a train with no seats available, and a little old man gets on the train barely able to walk, with his little old wife, who walks so badly that he is having to help her, and the journey is going to take at least 2 hours, and you are perfectly young, fit, and able

When on a train with no seats available, and a little old man gets on the train barely able to walk, with his little old wife, who walks so badly that he is having to help her, and the journey is going to take at least 2 hours, and you are perfectly young, fit, and able, Great British public, have some respect and offer them a seat.

For Christ's sake, don't make them walk the length of 3 carriages before giving up and standing in the gap between carriages.

Grrrr it makes me mad.

Setback

I'm not going to reveal too much at the moment, but suffice it to say that there has been a bit of an issue at the ambulance service side of things that means that there is a good chance I won't be starting my training any time soon. Unfortunately no solid facts, or figures, so I'm not sure whether to try to get another job in the meantime (on top of the ambulance shifts I'm currently doing), or just to stick with what I've got.

In the meantime, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I'm getting worried over nothing.

Lights and Sirens

I accept that calls to the ambulance service can only be triaged according to the information given to call taking staff. I accept that certain calls need to be attended to quickly, and that, in order to maximise efficiency, calls occassionally get dispatched before they have undergone the triaging process.

I do not like, however, the fact that we are asked to run on lights and sirens to a call before it's level of urgency is set. Especially when said call is a headache. Technically, as I understand things, by running on lights and sirens to a call that you do not believe warrants it you are breaking the law. Personally, if I were the driver, I would be proceeding under normal road conditions to this until/unless it is upgraded with a category. If it were an untriaged difficulty breathing, or other potentially serious incident, then lights unless proven otherwise, but my safety, and adherence to the law are not to be risked just because there are not enough ambulances. That is not my fault!