Notts: Ambulance staff star in TV documentary

EMAS ambulance paramedic and stretcher - taken by Blast Films

The show, 999: What’s Your Emergency? goes out at 9pm and is expected to attract three million viewers.

Viewers are able to follow incidents from the moment 999 calls are received, as ambulances are dispatched and crews arrive on scene.

But programme makers also explored why the calls are made in the first place and what happens after the medics leave.

The six part series follows ambulance staff who know every call they race to could involve a person’s life being at risk.

Each week there is a specific theme - young people, alcohol, mental health, life and death, older people, and birth and childhood.

Tonight’s episode, ‘Young People’, follows Notts paramedics Glenn Radford and Isabel Langon who are called to help a student who has taken an overdose of anti-depressants and has drunk hair bleach.

Said Glenn: “I genuinely hope the series shows people the very varied, strange, emotional and exciting job that my colleagues and I do.”

“I hope they now see the fantastic people who continually do an excellent job in what is often very challenging circumstances.”

“It’s very challenging trying to be everything for everyone - social worker, psychologist, cardiologist, GP.”

“The public expect so much now but I love helping people and trying to make a difference and every now and again that I get to be part of a team of professionals who save a person’s life.”

Dave Winter, Notts south locality manager for EMAS, said: “Initially we had a small group of volunteers for the series which steadily grew over time. As filming progressed the staff really got into it the spirit of things and enjoyed showcasing their skills. We hope the documentary will offer real insight into our service to the public.”

The first series of 999: What’s Your Emergency? which went out last year followed the police, fire and ambulance staff in Blackpool.

This second series will directly focus on three of England’s ambulance services, East Midlands, London and East of England.

Twitter users can use the hashtag #999whatsyouremergency to engage with issues highlighted in the programme as they watch.