Nee Naw - Real Life Dispatches from Ambulance Control by Suzi Brent
Nee Naw - Real Life Dispatches from Ambulance Control by Suzi Brent
Tuesday, 02, Mar 2010 03:32
Published by Penguin, out March 4th, paperback, 297 pages, £7.99.
What's it all about?
The book takes the form of short, blog-style stories detailing the 'day in the life' of a young woman working for the LAS as an Emergency Medical Dispatcher (EMD) - one of the call takers you get put through to if you call 999 for an ambulance.
Built on true stories, the writer outlines the most interesting of the calls she has taken, as well as explaining how the emergency ambulance system works and how best as a caller you can help the LAS to get to an emergency vehicle to you as quickly and efficiently as possible - a skill the author says few callers have when panic sets in.
Working in the capital the writer's stories vary from everything from the 7/7 bombings which targeted the London transport network (the author was the first EMD to take a call on the bombings) and the sad tales of the call-taker's 'regulars', to the hilarious anecdotes of embarrassing sexual incidents and a caller panicking because 'her heart may have stopped because she can't find her pulse'.
Who's it by?
Suzi Brent became an EMD in 2004, and has since recorded some of her more quirky and heart-wrenching stories on her popular blog. She claims to have decided upon her career after being "inspired by a Christmas episode of Casualty" and says in the book to have decided against being a paramedic due to her terrifying presence behind the wheel of a car.
Her first attempt at published writing sees Brent outline her first few years as an EMD, to her progression to the role of allocator - the person who decides which ambulances go where.
Nee Naw is her first book, but she says on her blog that her first novel is on its way.
As an example...
"I've got a chilli in my vagina." - Caller
"Um. Okay. What's the address we're coming to?" - Call taker
"No.I just wanted some advice." - Caller
(We're not actually allowed to give advice over the phone, but on this occasion my colleague thought this was less like advice and more like Stating the Bleeding Obvious.)
"Well, my advice is to take the chilli out of your vagina. And some more good advice is not to put chillies in your vagina. They are far better in curries." - Call taker
"Thank you!" - Caller
"(Firing up the psychiatric card just in case). Are you sure you don't need an ambulance?" - Call taker
What the others say
"Nee Naw started as a blog and that shows in the fairly haphazard, bitty format and in the prose, which is serviceable, but of the kind where jokes are signalled by exclamation marks. But, like the best blogs, Nee Naw offers an insider's guide to an enthralling world and, just like her job, the author's material couldn't be more dramatic or important" - Harry Ritchie, Daily Mail.
So is it any good?
As emotional rollercoaster's go Nee Naw would surely be the big dipper. In a first-person and frank narrative Brent provides a real insight into the colourful life of an EMD, one minute having you snorting out loud at the prospect of the aptly named 'Banana Man' calling because of an "itchy penis emergency", whilst in the next causing your eyes to well as the parents of a tiny baby call to tell Suzi their first-born has stopped breathing.
For me the real selling point of this book is its value in terms of educating the public on how to make a 999 call to the ambulance service - something I'll be honest I never really gave much thought to before this read. I feel rather ignorant of the fact that before reading this book I thought the person on the end of 999 would simply send an ambulance to where you were - but they do so much more. In fact, I'd go as far as to say Suzi's '10 Commandments' for making an ambulance call should be recited to schoolchildren, as what could be more important than knowing exactly how to get help when you need it?
I felt myself getting frustrated along with Suzi when callers refused to listen to her CPR advice and continued to scream 'Just send an ambulance' down the phone. I despaired with her when callers were too frantic to give a clear address, and I admired her professionalism when ridiculous calls came in, treating every call equally - even the 'I think I've got an ingrowning toenail, can you send an ambulance quickly' calls.
The blog-style suits the tone of the book well, as in-depth chapters would probably be too heavy for a book on such a sensitive topic. The short stories on the other hand make it easy to sporadically pick up - which I found make it an ideal holiday read.
It can be mildly frustrating at times, as many of the stories end when the caller hangs up - leaving you wondering whether it was a happy ending or not. But I defy anyone to read this book and not finish it with a greater appreciation of the wonderful job the British ambulance service do in this country - they are a true credit to the nation.
8/10
Sarah Garrod