People from next door

Paramedic: “Pity is out of place”

Savas (40) knows the ambulance like the back of his hand. He has worked for the Samaritans for 16 years(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Martin Jöchl, Krone Kreativ)

Isikli Savas is a paramedic with the Samaritans. He gets to know people on the worst day of their lives. He tells "Krone" how he deals with it.

"Krone": Mr. Savas, what is the most important quality as a paramedic?
Isikli Savas: You have to be able to put yourself in people's shoes. Experience definitely helps, including how you talk to someone.

So you're also a bit of a psychologist?
Definitely. You need a sure instinct. Some patients understand a joke, others don't. Finding that out is part of the medical work.

Speaking of medical work. Is the ambulance really only called out in emergencies?
Perhaps not necessarily only for medical emergencies, but also for psychological ones. Of course people call the ambulance because they feel lonely. Then we also stay, talk, hold the person's hand.

Does that make you sad?
It doesn't make you sad. But you think about whether you were able to help. Generally speaking, pity doesn't help anyone, but empathy is important. There are very often social indications. Years ago, we took an elderly gentleman home by ambulance. He sat down at his table, lit a candle and said: 'This is my Christmas'. We found it difficult to leave the apartment straight away. We stayed for another 20 minutes and talked.

Are there people who regularly call the emergency services?
Yes, we have our regular customers. We take every call-out with the same seriousness. It may be that there hasn't been an emergency five times, but the sixth time it's an emergency. And just because it's not an emergency for us doesn't mean it doesn't feel like one for the patient.

On average, the paramedic goes on eight missions every day(Bild: Martin A. Jöchl)

What missions do you remember?
In my first year, we were called to the home of the partner of an ex-model. The woman was in a bad mental state. To get her to come with me, I first had to punch an imaginary figure on the bed. Then she wanted to take her cocaine with her, emptied her shoes and white powder actually came out.

What is particularly bad?
All assignments with children. Or when your girlfriend dies in front of her boyfriend. What can you say? Less is often more.

Does that stress you out at home?
No. You have to block it out, otherwise you have no life. Mission over, curtain closed, next mission. It can also be that I find a body at eight o'clock that has been lying there for weeks, but I still have breakfast at 10 o'clock. For many, that sounds cold or inhumane, but otherwise you can't do the job.

Are people becoming more difficult?
Patience is decreasing. But you should never put yourself on the same level, never take anything personally.

How do you switch off in your free time?
I have a big family. I do a lot of sport and go to the gym. That's also necessary when you have to pull a man weighing 100 kilos out of the bath wet. And I love soccer. When I'm on the ball, I forget all my worries.