How do I get an ambulance to my house?
Call 911 and answer all questions the 911 dispatcher asks you, as well as follow all instructions they give you. Sometimes it may feel like there are too many questions being asked, but it helps the 911 dispatcher give us as much information as possible before we arrive so we can prepare properly.
Okay, I have called 911 and they are sending an ambulance, now what?
If you have anyone who can safely stand at the side of the road and direct the ambulance to where the patient is, do so. If you are by yourself, you should not leave the patient who is in need. If it is night time, turning on your outside lights also helps greatly.
Do I get charged for using an ambulance?
Yes, WFAC does charge for service. However, worrying about paying for the ambulance should NEVER deter you from calling 911 if you think you need an ambulance. If you have questions about how our billing process works please CLICK HERE
Why does the WFAC charge for service?
WFAC is a non-profit organization. All revenue that is recovered from patient transport and care is used to keep the organization going. We use our funds to train our providers, maintain our building and ambulances, pay for our career staff, purchase new equipment and apparatus, and pay normal everyday bills such as insurance and phone bills.
I think there is a problem with my bill, who do I contact?
If you believe you have been billed in error, you must contact our billing office. We do not handle billing at our station. You may call our billing office by calling 540-213-0528, or visit their website by CLICKING HERE
Is there anything I can do to make my house easier to find?
The best thing to help an ambulance find your location is to place large street numbers on either your mailbox or the front of your house. They should be at least 3-4 inches in height and made of a reflective material if possible. It is also recommended that the numbers contrast with the surrounding area. If you have numbers on your home, make sure they are not covered by hanging tree branches or shrubs.
Can I ride with the patient?
Typically, the WFAC does NOT allow passengers to ride along with the patient during transport to the hospital. This is mainly due to insurance reasons. There are some exceptions however, such as a parent or guardian riding with a small child. If we do allow you to ride to the hospital, you must ride in the front passenger seat, as it is the safest seat in the truck other than the patient stretcher. If you wish to go to the hospital with the patient, you need to make every effort necessary to find a way there. The ER does offer taxicab vouchers for the return trip home.
I called for an ambulance, why is there a fire truck or police car here?
WFAC works closely with the Waynesboro Fire Department and Waynesboro Police Department on some types of medical emergencies. Depending on certain criteria, the FD or PD may be dispatched with the WFAC to provide extra help as we staff our ambulances with two providers only at a time.
Why did the ambulance come to my house or go to the hospital without their lights and sirens on?
WFAC has a “priority dispatch system” which simply means that the 911 operator gathers information from the caller and based on a specific set of criteria determines if the ambulance will respond “emergent” (with lights and sirens) or “non-emergent” (without lights and sirens) This does not mean that you are any less important to us than any other patient, it is used as a safety measure, as using lights and sirens is a very dangerous procedure due to the unpredictable nature of traffic.
Also when we transport a patient to the hospital, the AIC or “Attendant in Charge” (the EMS provider in charge of that particular patient’s care) makes the decision to go with lights and sirens, or to not go with lights and sirens. This decision is made based on the AIC’s patient assessment, vital signs, patient complaint, medical history, and the AIC’s professional judgement as to if the condition the patient is in presents an immediate life threat. Again, this does not mean that you are not important to us, it is just to keep things safe on the way to the hospital.
There is an emergency vehicle behind me with their lights and siren on, what do I do?
As safely as possible move to the right and allow the emergency vehicle to pass. Do not stop in the middle of curves or the middle of hills on two lane roads, unless you have a spot where you can FULLY pull off the road, as generally we will have to slightly move into the oncoming lane to go around you. If you stop in a curve or on the middle of a hill where we cannot see oncoming traffic, we will not pass, and will wait for you to proceed to an area where we can pass you safely.
If you are in an intersection that is currently stopped, and there is a way for the ambulance to go around you, please stay still even if the light turns green. Do not move until the emergency vehicle passes and is at least 250ft away from you. Sometimes we may go into the left hand turning lane to get around traffic, however our direction of travel will be to the right, if you move before we clear the intersection, you may be struck by, or strike, the ambulance.
I am a student and want to do my clinical time with the Waynesboro First Aid Crew, how do I sign up?
First, ensure that you have an agreement to precept with the WFAC. You can ask your clinical coordinator or course instructor about this to find out for sure. Second, you may call us as 540-949-7118 and ask for the Shift Captain who can help you schedule your time.