Not everyone we ambulance staff go to are "crud," all are people who need our help. Its more than a volunteer job, we do it because we care and can/do make a difference to peoples lives. I assume you have taken the stance that who Tom was describing was "crud" because of the mention of alcohol. Unfortunately you have read too much into his description, at no point does he mention that the person was extremely intoxicated or an alcoholic or anything else for that matter, he could quite easily be describing a person just like yourself who had been out for a few drinks with his mates before being attacked or hit by a car or fallen over, or anything. What Tom is describing is helping a person in the street with a serious head injury who is in dire need of hospital treatment, a person who without professional help both in the pre-hospital environment and in hospital could very easily be left to die where he lay> I don't want to speak for Tom, however I imagine the mention of alcohol was to highlight the difficulties we face when treating head injuries, as the symptoms of a head injury can sometimes be mistaken for drunkenness. At the end of the day we do this job because we like it, are good at it and want to help society. We don't judge people on how they live their lives, we see and we treat. You may well be quick to judge, you certainly seem to have done. (I am quite happy to be corrected if this is not the case) As for pay, yes it could be better, but I have a roof over my head, I enjoy my life outside work, I am in good health (however no matter what job you do it can be detrimental to your health) and I enjoy my work. I enjoy helping people, I am not deluded enough to think that this is a one man crusade to heal the world, however I do my part to help those who are in need of it most. You speak of delusion, I am afraid it is not I nor Tom who is deluded, it is the people that don't understand what the hard working boys and girls in the emergency services do, and the difference that we all make to peoples lives on a daily basis. Of course you are entitled to your opinion and I respect that, however going back to the original topic, how would you like to be treated if after a nice evening out with your mates you were unfortunately injured and had to have people like myself and Tom treating you? would you like us to treat you with respect and be non-judgemental? or would you rather us think of you as "crud" and a drain on society and just pile you off to A&E without much of a thought. I can tell you now that no matter who you are in this country, and indeed the world over, if you have the misfortune to need us treating you, then you will be treated in exactly the same way as anyone else, drunk, sober, high as a kite or just unwell you are a human being and you deserve to receive good and proper treatment.