Ambulance driver
Ambulance driverAn ambulance driver is skilled to drive emergency vehicles to a scene as fast and safely as possible. They may also assist emergency medical technicians (EMT) riding in their ambulance to transport patients to and from stretchers and aboard their vehicle. They would also be expected to know how to use CPR and administer first aid if necessary. So there is more to being an ambulance driver than just being behind the wheel.
Justus M. Shipena is a qualified Basic Life Support (BLS) and Emergency Medical Assistant (EMA) rescue agent who has also recently been registered as an ambulance driver. “As an ambulance driver I operate ambulances to transport seriously ill or injured people from their homes or accident sites to hospitals safely.”
A lot of people are not aware of this specific occupation and career choice. Shipena explains there are some challenges he faced with traffic on the road while transporting patients. “Most of the times people don’t like giving way for ambulances when we respond with lights and sirens. The other challenge is that when you’re responding you can get hit anytime by someone who is driving recklessly or under the influence of alcohol,” he explains.
Despite these challenges Shipena explains that there are some joyful moments when he manages to reach critical patients in time for treatment.
Shipena encourages fellow ambulance drivers to make sure their keep themselves and your crew safe when driving the ambulance. When responding to an emergency, you should make sure you keep a distance from other cars and always stop at all stop signs and traffic lights. Drive safe, and make sure you keep your speed limit, which is 80 km/h. Most importantly, make sure that the most important equipment like your monitoring equipment, stretcher and oxygen tanks and masks are in the ambulance.