(Sighs deeply). Yes, there are idiot crews who do dumb things, and we've all arrived at jobs where we've had to talk down a situation escalated by one of our colleagues, be it due to personality clashes, tiredness, a difficult day or just sheer stupidity. Its part of the job. Its what we do. On the whole though, on a daily basis we talk down people whose own small world is infinitely more important than the person that someone, somewhere has already determined was poorly enough to need an emergency ambulance. Indeed, the entire first day of our 3 day breakaway training was based around talking down a situation before it became a crisis. The only time I have ever had to use my breakaway training was when someone had the hump because the ambulance was obstructing his drive. It was 3am, we were parked at the end of a cul de sac and I was getting the carry chair for a person who was suffering from chest pain and was (as it turned out) planning to arrest in the back of the vehicle en route to hospital. The 'gentleman' (for want of a more appropriate term) was leaving his friends house to go home and came out to find our ambulance parked in his way. As I walked up the path to the patients property with the carry chair and associated paraphernalia, said 'gentleman' stood on the narrow path effectively barring my way. "You're blocking me in", says the gentleman......."Yes" say's I, "I'm sorry about that but there's a very sick person in there and I've parked as close to them as I can so I can get out as fast as I can. If you let me past, I can pick him up and get out of your way as fast as possible." Gentleman doesn't move and says: "I wanna go home.". "I understand, and if you step aside I'll get out of your way as fast as I can." Man stays put. (note loss of gentle at this point). "I want you out of my way NOW", says man. I recognise this point. This is the point (we were taught in training school), where its a good idea to position yourself ready to duck and run if you need to. However, there is a man who looks like a milk bottle in the house who I really want to get out. Getting out of this man's way would have meant reversing the entire length of the cul de sac to let him out and then driving all the way back. I determine this isn't happening. "I'm sorry sir, I can't do that until I have my patient on the vehicle. They really are extremely poorly and I'm very worried what will happen if we delay any further". Somewhat predictably, the man remains in my path, and sadly also predictably says: "GET YOUR ******* AMBULANCE OUT OF MY WAY NOW OR I'LL MOVE IT FOR YOU". "Sir" I start, but am unable to complete as man roars loudly and steps through the space I had created between us saying "MOVE THE ****** AMBULANCE YOU IGNORANT (female dog). Now I don't know if you've ever been in a situation like this, but it really happens very, very quickly indeed and there was no time to turn and run. Dipping into training, from nowhere, I drop the chair in the bushes, shout "GET BACK" in a scary voice I didn't know I had, and as he reaches me, deliver what is known as a double palmed chest strike (sorry if that's the wrong name to you experts out there). Now after you deliver this (according to our training), you turn and run, as fast and as far as possible. Unfortunately I also have a crew mate and a milk bottle in the property and no easy way out. As luck would have it, and to my utter surprise, what they taught us in training school actually worked and he is knocked back about 2 feet. I recreat the distance between us, on hyper alert, waiting to see what happens next. He however is more surprised than I am (I'm 5'4", slilght built and female), looks at me for a moment then steps to one side. Gingerly I pick up my chair, walk past him, thanking him as I go, and enter the house, shutting the door fast behind me. I briefed my crew mate that we had trouble outside and asked control for police attendance (to be on the safe side) and by the time we had transferred the patient to the carry chair and down the stairs the police were there. Matey was nowhere to be seen. Had there been a delay, we would have had a dilemma. Sit tight and wait for the police to ensure our safety, or go out and run the gamut potentially endangering both ourselves and the patient. Given that the outcome of this case was that the patient was about to arrest (as it turned out), can you imagine how that would have looked on the complaint form? We are badly in a lose lose situation sometimes. Is it any wonder that sometimes we lose? Furthermore, the public all believe we are some superhuman species. Bad news guys. We are only human too. (sighs deeply once more)