cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/40442020
911 is the emergency number here in Canada if you’re unfamiliar. 112, 999, etc if you’re elsewhere IIRC.
Do you remember the first time you had to use it?
What were you thinking, feeling?
First time I had to use it in earnest I was working front end at a post office and there was a random guy doing maintenance behind me in the back area of the office. Barely said a word to him, he barely said a word to me. I was fairly busy and he seemed kinda gruff.
Bit later all of a sudden he taps me on the shoulder pretty aggressively, I turned and was getting ready to give him some not-polite words about touching me like that and how he better not damn well do that again but I stopped when I saw the look on his face.
He just says, “call 911.”
I look blankly at him, getting some mental whiplash, and just dumbly go, “what?”
Him, “I’m having a fucking heart-attack, CALL 911!”
That got through so I called them, gave them the info. He went back into the office and laid down.
I was a bit in shock myself and just looked at the customers in line in front of me and said to the woman, “he’s having a heart attack, sorry.”
Honestly think I could’ve handled the situation better, at least gone back and been more empathetic but I was caught between him, customers, and making sure I was visible so I could wave the paramedics to where they needed to go.
The post office there was tucked into the back corner and most of the store didn’t even know about it until I told them later that day.
Never heard anything after, no clue if the guy survived, or not. Didn’t see him again either way.
You?
Aged like 21, working in a gas station convenience store register, man walks in, seems homeless and wasted, asked me to call 911 for him, says they’ll know him. Obviously not covered in the manual, but I figure that if someone asks you to call, you call.
I call, talking to the operator trying to explain… The dude just goes down like a sack of potatoes, whacks the top of his head on the counter, knocks over a couple of displays, and starts twitching on the floor. The operator got ALOT more compliant, EMTs picked the guy up (he was a frequent flier), he had a like 3in bump on his forehead that looked like a horn.
I cleaned up the store, trashed the food he damaged, bleached all the other stuff. Weird day.