The 911 telephone rings...and that's the signal for King Edward VII Memorial Hospital emergency medical technician Mr. Donald Astwood to swing into action.

A medical problem has arisen in the departure lounge at the Civil Air Terminal. A woman has collapsed. No more information is given, but an ambulance is needed.

Fortunately, on this occasion, an ambulance already at the east end responds to the call.

The woman is quickly brought to the hospital for tests, but is not in serious condition.

Soon after, a second call comes in from a mother, concerned about her son's bleeding nose.

It's a typical day on the 911 switchboard, where those receiving the calls never know what to expect next.

"Often we get calls from people needing direction or advice about what to do in a situation,'' Mr. Astwood tells The Royal Gazette during a visit to see how the 911 operation works.

The next call concerns a 32-year-old Massachusetts man who has lost control of his auxiliary cycle on Horseshoe Road. After hitting a curb, he has fallen from his bike.

Emergency medical technicians Mr. Irven Simmons and Mr. Charles Mahon rush for the ambulance.

After leaving the hospital, they keep the siren quiet out of respect for the residential area. But on reaching South Shore road, it's switched on.

Speeding along, driver Mahon keeps a close eye on the road ahead. Not only does he look at the traffic directly in front but on vehicles much further along.

"Point of view is important,'' Mr. Simmons explains, sitting further back with his eyes also glued to the road.

"You have to pay attention to the whole view. We look from 100 to 150 yards beyond the traffic that is directly in front of us. We start from the furthest point and work our way down from there.'' While heading to an accident, EMTs try to evaluate all movement by other motor vehicles.

By keeping an eye on traffic further away, they can make quick decisions on the amount of road they can use, the speed they can travel at and the intentions of other road users.

"Speed is immaterial,'' Mr. Simmons says. "You have to drive within your own capacity, where you feel comfortable, safe and are able to stop.'' It takes just seven minutes to arrive at the scene.

Both Mr. Simmons and Mr. Mahon jump out of the ambulance and make their way towards the obvious victim, sitting on the grass.

Mr. Simmons assesses the condition of the man, who seems to be okay despite a little road rash and discomfort in his neck and shoulder. He then completes a "run form'' which describes the patient's injuries.

Concerned about possible concussion, Mr. Simmons straps head protection on the man before placing him on a stretcher and then into the ambulance.

The man's wife, who remains calm, enters the ambulance behind him. Because the accident is not life-threatening, the driver returns to the hospital at normal speed.

"Driving back at a slower pace enables the EMT in the back to stabilise the patient,'' Mr. Mahon explains.

Asked to reflect on the traffic en route to the accident, Mr. Mahon replies: "It was not too busy.

"Even though some traffic did not pull over, most (vehicles) did. Nothing was blocking me and that's important.

"Driving on the South Shore can be dangerous because of the amount of tourists and horse riders.'' Arriving at the hospital, Mr. Simmons and Mr. Mahon wheel the man into the emergency department.

Doctors feel he may have a fractured collar bone. X-rays are taken. Talking to EMT Mr. Donald Astwood, it's clear that the work of a technician is not as simple and straightforward as it might seem.

Mr. Astwood said that most people really did not know what an emergency medical technician's job entailed.

"People think we just sit around and wait for the phone to ring, but we do other things,'' he stressed.

When Mr. Astwood and the other EMTs are not rushing to pick someone up on an emergency, they have responsibilities in the emergency section of the hospital, working with the patients.

Some of their duties include working in triage where they sort out patients to determine who goes where and they are involved in the cardiac unit, helping to closely monitor patients.

"Every day and every shift is different,'' Mr. Astwood says. "We work an eight-hour shift and sometimes we have to work double shifts. That's when it can be stressful.

"On an average day, we receive up to 10 calls.'' Serious trauma incidents, such as stabbings, usually occur from midnight to 8 a.m. Domestic violence normally occurs after working hours from 4 p.m.

to 8 a.m.

Asked if he felt the 911 system was being abused, Astwood said: "I think it is.

"With modern technology, people today have car phones and before calling an accident in they don't stop to see the extent of the injury or the number of people hurt.

"There are times we are called to an accident scene and we find out that the person does not need an ambulance.

"During the time that we spend there, someone in a more serious situation could be needing our help. One minute wasted could mean life or death.

"When answering calls we also take a lot of verbal abuse from people who don't want to stay on the phone and are panicking.'' As ambulance drivers, EMTs need to know the type of call they are responding to and where the call originates in order that they can determine the best route to take.

Every day, said Mr. Astwood, was different. Some days everything went to plan, and on others traffic obstruction caused by motorists refusing to pull over resulted in complications.

But despite the inevitable headaches, Mr. Astwood and his fellow EMTs takes pride in their work.

"You have to have patience and be dedicated. It is something that you have to want to do.

"I love what I do and I enjoy helping people. Most of all I enjoy seeing the process of recovery.

"I'm here for the patients and I'm proud to be a member of the staff. We have a great team.'' SAFETY FIRST -- Emergency medical technician Mr. Donald Astwood stands beside an ambulance after carrying out a routine check of emergency equipment.

CHECKING UP -- In between emergency calls, Mr. Astwood ensures that equipment inside the ambulance is functioning correctly.