As the front line of NHS services in Scotland our key role is to respond to 999 calls as quickly as possible with the most appropriate skills and equipment.
On average, our crews respond to more than 500,000 emergency incidents every year across Scotland.
We operate around 450 emergency ambulance vehicles from more than 100 stations and can also respond with helicopters, if necessary.
Every time our call takers receive a 999 call, they question the caller in detail about the nature of the emergency to ensure we respond quickly in the most appropriate way. Using sophisticated world-class software, call takers categorise calls into three types.
Category A are classed as life threatening and as the most serious calls are always prioritised above any other type of call.
Calls which are serious, but not life threatening, are prioritised as Category B and may sometimes receive a slightly slower response as life threatening calls are prioritised ahead of them.
Calls which are neither serious or life threatening are graded as Category C and in many cases do not require the skills of an emergency ambulance crew. Many of these calls are referred to the most appropriate agency, such as NHS 24.
Our call takers often give life saving medical advice over the phone while the ambulance is on its way and our highly skilled crews are trained to deal with a wide range of medical emergencies.
