Ambulance service

• in non-urgent situations where you can call the medical helpline 116 117
• if you need to ask for information
• in disruption situations where no one is in danger: a power outage or a traffic jam

Please remember:
An unnecessary call may delay the arrival of help to a person who is in great need of help, and the consequences may be fatal.
A punishment may be handed out for an unnecessary calls or prank calls to the emergency number.

The work at the centre of ambulance service is administratively divided into three ambulance service areas. All of the ambulances are similar when it comes to the equipment.

Ambulance service area 1 – Kokkola:

• Field commander unit EKP01
• Ambulance service unit EKP121
• Ambulance service unit EKP131
• Ambulance service unit EKP122

Ambulance service area 2 – Kruunupyy and Perhonjokilaakso:

• Ambulance service unit EKP221
• Ambulance service unit EKP222
• Ambulance service unit EKP223

Ambulance service area 3 – Lestijokilaakso:

• Ambulance service unit EKP321
• Ambulance service unit EKP322

How can I give feedback on the ambulance service?

You can give feedback by following the instructions that can be found via the Feedback-link.

I called 112, but why did a fire truck arrive at the scene?

First response is a service that is used to shorten a possible delay in getting help when all ambulances are occupied. The service is carried out in cooperation with the rescue services. In a situation where all ambulances are occupied, a fire truck may be sent to a patient and its personnel starts giving lifesaving first aid while they wait for an ambulance.

I called 112 and two ambulances arrived/the nurses summoned another ambulance. Why?

Several ambulances may be sent on certain missions based on the risk assessment by an emergency response centre operator or a situational assessment by a field commander of the ambulance service. This happens e.g. if the mission can be carried out better in cooperation between two ambulances, and the patient then receives the help and care they needs more efficiently.

I called 112. Why did an ambulance arrive from a neighbouring municipality?

The ambulance service works regionally across municipality borders. This is why it is very possible that the nearest ambulance and the ambulance best suited for the patient may e.g. be an empty ambulance that is driving through the area.

Why did the ambulance not start transporting me even though I asked for transport?

The ambulance personnel’s job description includes in all cases an assessment of the patient’s situation, which is done through examining and interviewing the patient. Once a comprehensive picture of the patient’s condition has been obtained, they can be treated at the scene and transported directly to such a medical facility where they can be treated. This is why a patient is not immediately transported and instead the patient’s condition is first assessed.

Why did the ambulance not transport me?

The job description of the ambulance personnel involves in all cases assessment of the patient’s need of care and the urgency. In some cases (in fact, in about 40 % of all missions) the patient’s condition is such that an immediate visit to a reception or to the emergency unit is not needed and the health problem may be treated at a time that is more suitable for the patient. It is then the duty of the ambulance personnel to advise the patient and their close persons on how and when the treatment continues or who they should contact.

Why did the ambulance not transport me and instead the nurses called a taxi?

The job description of the ambulance personnel involves in all cases an assessment of the suitable form of transportation for the patient. In some cases, it is more suitable from the patient’s point of view to travel to the reception or the emergency unit e.g. by taxi or transported e.g. by a close person. In such cases, transport is agreed on through mutual understanding between the patient and their close persons

What should I do: an ambulance came, this didn’t lead to transportation, but now the situation has worsened?

You have always the right to call the emergency number 112 again even if an ambulance has been to you earlier. The patient’s health status may have changed unpredictably and in such a case, there is reason to call the emergency number 112 again.

I want an ambulance to transport me as I want to get to a doctor quicker.

The urgency of a patient’s need of care is assessed case by case by the ambulance personnel as well as by the personnel at a reception or in the emergency unit. Transport by ambulance does not in itself speed up access to treatment. Instead, the urgency is always assessed based on the patient’s state of health. The reason why ambulance patients are perceived to be able to get treatment faster is because they are in a poorer condition than persons who have come to the reception or the emergency unit in some other way.

Why didn’t the ambulance nurses agree to transport me to my own doctor/my own reception?

In urgent situations requiring ambulance transport, the patient is always transported to the most appropriate place of care based on the health status. It is, therefore, possible that you are not taken to your own doctor or to your own reception.

I was transported by an ambulance and I suspect my property was left in the ambulance — where can my property be found?

Any property that may have been left in an ambulance is usually noticed immediately by the ambulance personnel.  Ambulances are tidied and cleaned up after each mission. Consequently, it is extremely rare for property to be found in an ambulance or at the ambulance service station. It is usually immediately taken to the medical facility (e.g. reception, emergency unit or hospital) to which the patient was been transported.  Therefore, you should always first ask about your property at the medical facility.