Emergency situation awareness

[Crusin6]

I would venture to say they looked at you blankly because they didn't understand you.

my thoughts exactly...and the OP should have just gone to the phone and dialed 911 immeadiately...as they are usually very close by to the elevators and the phones are easily noticed.

 

 

FWIW..it amazes me that so many pax actually believe the the crew..any crew..with any job at all...are actually there to help in an emergency...

 

The only crew that may..or may not..be of any help would be security, medical and officers...to think that a waiter knows or has any training or abilty to respond in an emergency situation is mindboggling to me...

 

while they "should":rolleyes: be able to help out..only an uninformed and/or naive pax would serioulsy count on them for anything other than serving food.

 

May sound harsh.....but it is realistic....

 

 

yes, I know there are wonderful waiters out there who would die for their pax.:rolleyes:

[Crusin6]

I initiated this post in order to gauge other peoples opinion of the handling of this. I accept and understand some of the views expressed though rather than being upset as one poster suggested I was just surprised by how the situation played out.

 

While I agree I could have dialed 911 my self - if I recall correctly there is a telephone on the stage area where the piano is - that is not what I did on this occasion. I acted with urgency not panic and alerted staff who were very close by.

 

It it is simply their reaction - or lack of it that surprised me and caused me to question my expectation and hence post here. As some have said, perhaps my expectation was too great - however the ship is a relatively closed community and my expectation was that all customer facing staff would be trained to react in a particular way - even if that is just telling someone else.

 

I do not want to over dramatize this event or any other, as one poster suggested the delay was probably not significant however the question remains, In a more serious situation what level of response should we expect? Clearly it seems that the safety and security of passengers is the responsibility of both staff, crew AND fellow passengers

yes, unfortunately you did overestimate how they would react..no fault of yours..other than expecting them to be able to help....

 

I have been flamed here for my lack of sympathy for the crew..their hours..their pay..etc. etc. and have repeatedly stated that they are not "friends" of the pax but rather people doing a job in order to make money..and really don't care any more about the pax than what their job requires of them....and it always amazed me how many pax fall for their sobs stories about "back home"

 

yes, it is a tough job and I can't and won't do it....and I tip above the minimum to the staff where warranted....but I expect nothing of them other than for them to do their job......and it doesn't surprise me at all that they were unable to respond to you......

[Goldryder]

One thing I like about Costa is that there are telephones places in all the public areas (two per deck in stairways/elevator areas, a minimum of 4 in the bar areas etc), that makes it so much easier to contact the on board medical or security in the case of an emergency such as a pax fall or illness, each phone has a directory of essential numbers on it and on my last cruise aboard Costa Victoria this year, I saw those phones being used a great deal due to pax injuries from falls. Very efficient and I am surprised that other lines, such as Princess, have not adopted the system as it would save time and possibly any deterioration in a pax that is hurt or ill.

 

The phones also come in useful if you get lost on the ship too...as many did...they can call reception and quote the number of the extention that they are calling from and thus get directions as to where they need to go to find what they are looking for.

[billco]

Instead of running off to find some help, I think I would have stayed with the passenger and tried to be of help. Check he wasn't in shock, try to stop the bleeding, call out for help, etc.

[captainron]

Cruise staff should be trained in the most basic English, Spanish, German, French and otherl languages calls for Help. No excuse. Reading of body language is also acceptable

 

...all restaurant and hotel staff in Chicago should all be First Aid trained and learn how to speak a basic seven languages, as if that will ever happen.

 

I do strongly recommend that all crew members should be trained in Basic First Aid, with section heads and supervisors trained in a minimm of Standard First Aid (incl basic CPR). Immediate response by "first responders" can make all the difference in a life or death situation until qualified medical assistance becomes available.

 

Ciao for now!!!

[travelfirst]

Instead of running off to find some help, I think I would have stayed with the passenger and tried to be of help. Check he wasn't in shock, try to stop the bleeding, call out for help, etc.

That's what should be done.

[DMRick]

You don't think they should know they should dial 911? That that shouldn't be part of their training?

 

I was in a store once, when someone came up to a salesgirl, and told her that someone was very ill in the trying on rooms, and they immediately called 911.

 

I sure do hope that everyone that is face to face with customers would know how to react in an emergency. He wasn't expecting them to do CPR, but to get help. I've never noticed a phone near the elevators and I would have done the same as the OP..and expected help, like he finally got.

 

FWIW..it amazes me that so many pax actually believe the the crew..any crew..with any job at all...are actually there to help in an emergency...

[DMRick]

He stated it was a few steps away, so I don't think he ran off. If the OP had no training, what he did was correct..he got help (or hoped to) so the person could truly be helped. Doesn't sound like he wasted any time. Trying to be of help doesn't do much, if instead you could actually get help there, from someone (such as calling 911) that knows what to do. Even if the passenger was in shock, what would the OP do? He needed medical help.

 

 

Instead of running off to find some help, I think I would have stayed with the passenger and tried to be of help. Check he wasn't in shock, try to stop the bleeding, call out for help, etc.

[DrivesLikeMario]

That's what should be done.

 

How do you know the OP didn't take care of the victim first, then run to get help? Just because he didn't spell that out, doesn't mean he didn't attend to the hurt man.

 

Give the OP some slack here. His expectations were accurate. He didn't expect them to have medical training, he expected them to CALL the appropriate medical help for assistance. That is NOT asking for too much!!

 

OP, thank you for helping this man in his moment of need. I can imagine it was frustrating to see the "deer in the headlights" look from the crew.

[Clutterlady]

There are phones on the wall by every bank of elevators. It would have been more productive and less stressful if the OP would have just called 911.

[gertz]

911 is 911 in any language with no hesitation.

[DMRick]

How do you know the OP didn't take care of the victim first, then run to get help? Just because he didn't spell that out, doesn't mean he didn't attend to the hurt man.

 

Give the OP some slack here. His expectations were accurate. He didn't expect them to have medical training, he expected them to CALL the appropriate medical help for assistance. That is NOT asking for too much!!

 

OP, thank you for helping this man in his moment of need. I can imagine it was frustrating to see the "deer in the headlights" look from the crew.

 

I totally agree.

 

There are phones on the wall by every bank of elevators. It would have been more productive and less stressful if the OP would have just called 911.

 

It's good to know that..I didn't. I would have done the same thing..I would have found close help and asked them to call and gone back..since I would have assumed the people who work with the customers all day long know where the phones are and who they should call (for medical help).

[itzmered]

I saw telephones by every stairway landing. Call 911 that is usually the quickest. You all are also saying that they didnt understand, BS most of them can understand english pretty well, there may be times when they feel it is convenient for them to act like they dont but they do.

[I Am Canadian, Eh]

911 is 911 in any language with no hesitation.

 

 

Unless the crewmember comes from a country where the emergency number is NOT 911. Then it probably would be like somebody coming up to you screaming 3 random numbers. Believe it or not, it's a North American thing!

 

 

(From Wikipedia)

Other places' emergency phone numbers:

• 000 (Australia)
  
• 100 (India, Israel)
  
• 108 (India)
  
• 111 (New Zealand)
  
• 112 (European Union and on GSM mobile networks worldwide)
  
• 119 (parts of East Asia)
  
• 999 (Poland, Ireland (medical emergencies), United Kingdom (where it works parallel to 112), Hong Kong, and several other non-EU countries)
  

[julia]

FWIW..it amazes me that so many pax actually believe the the crew..any crew..with any job at all...are actually there to help in an emergency...

 

:rolleyes:

 

 

The OP certainly wasn't asking the staff at the IC staff to do anything but summon the proper help. I would expect the cabin stewards, wait staff, bar staff, maintenance staff or ANY staff to have the ability to summon help in an emergency. Really, isn't passenger care and safety their priority? :confused:

[ONT-CA]

Perhaps installing and emergency phone in elevators would be a good idea. Then a fellow passenger can call the medical centre. I hope the gentleman was OK.

 

But wasn't there a public telephone right there at the elevator? I seem to think that I have always noted them there but I might be mistaken to say that they are at every elevator at every floor. If so, simply by lifting the receiver and dialling 911 would have been the best response.

[jonikal]

The OP's topic raises a disconcerting issue. Several have commented that since the crew is mostly non-English speaking, underpaid and only trained to serve food, that passengers shouldn't expect more than the barest minimum of conversation much less a level-headed response to an emergency. What, then, can or should we reasonably expect from crew members in the event of a genuine ship-wide emergency?

[billco]

Unless the crewmember comes from a country where the emergency number is NOT 911. Then it probably would be like somebody coming up to you screaming 3 random numbers. Believe it or not, it's a North American thing!

 

Might be a North American thing, but on Princess Cruise ships, 911 is the emergency number.

[The Dragon]

This thread is to critique the crew's response, not the OP's!

It's easy to have all the answers from the benefit of your computer screen when there is no immediate danger. Lots of you sound great to have around the day AFTER a crisis!

Well done to the OP for acting to help another person in need.

The Dragon

[ONT-CA]

This thread is to critique the crew's response, not the OP's!...

 

I believe every telephone on the ship states "In case of emergency dial 911" It does not say run to the nearest employee or counter or desk. The critical point is that there was an emergency and we should all know how to respond.

[Clutterlady]

This thread is to critique the crew's response, not the OP's!

It's easy to have all the answers from the benefit of your computer screen when there is no immediate danger. Lots of you sound great to have around the day AFTER a crisis!

Well done to the OP for acting to help another person in need.

The Dragon

 

Dragon, this is a board where we all share our views. No one is dissing the OP, just stating their are phones all over and the best bet was to call 911. Cudos to the OP for doing what he did, but just sharing other options.

[Host CJSKIDS]

The OP's topic raises a disconcerting issue. Several have commented that since the crew is mostly non-English speaking, underpaid and only trained to serve food, that passengers shouldn't expect more than the barest minimum of conversation much less a level-headed response to an emergency. What, then, can or should we reasonably expect from crew members in the event of a genuine ship-wide emergency?

 

From first hand experience in a real life genuine ship-wide emergency I can tell you that the crew members will know what to do and will handle the situation.

[Shogun]

Hi All

 

First the OP acted to take care of a fellow passenger, he could have done nothing,

 

If this event had happened in a street late at night etc what would you have done.

 

This past winter I came across a couple of bodies in the very early hours just lying in the streets, others just drove past.

 

As to English Princess does have english teachers and requires employees to reach a basic level as safety onboard ship is carried out in english

 

yours Shogun

[Crusin6]

The OP certainly wasn't asking the staff at the IC staff to do anything but summon the proper help. I would expect the cabin stewards, wait staff, bar staff, maintenance staff or ANY staff to have the ability to summon help in an emergency. Really, isn't passenger care and safety their priority? :confused:

yes, you should expect it...but I don't think you should count on it though

[pablo222]

Perhaps installing and emergency phone in elevators would be a good idea. Then a fellow passenger can call the medical centre. I hope the gentleman was OK.

 

There is a phone in the stairway landing, a few feet aft from the

mid-ship elevator. Alternatively, go directly to the Coffee Bar,

where there is a phone.

 

On the fourth hand, run up one flight of stairs to the pursers

desk -- where the 911 call would be answered, anyway.