We are all accustomed to hearing, seeing or pulling over on the roadside for ambulances transporting the sick and injured to and from hospital.

We don’t tend to take much notice – but for anyone who has been helped by the dedicated teams who man these vehicles, they are seen as mobile life-savers.

“We get many lovely letters and cards from grateful members of the public,” says Andy Simpson, accident and emergency locality manager for Bradford Ambulance Service. “They really appreciate what we do, which makes the job very rewarding.”

Every day, the service receives around 200 calls from across the Bradford district – that’s 73,000 calls every year.

“Activity has increased in recent years as the population of Bradford has risen – we are a lot busier,” says Andy, who has worked for the service for 25 years and as locality manager for ten.

Up to 18 ambulances and nine rapid response vehicles are ready to answer these calls, which are classified in three categories according to severity: life-threatening, not life-threatening but in need of medical attention, and a less serious illness or injury that does not need an ambulance immediately, but could be dealt with by a visit from a local doctor or nurse.

“Because demand is so high, we have to channel the information to make sure the right team attends,” explains Andy. “Around 70 calls every day are classified as life-threatening.”

Calls peak during the busiest time between 2pm and 2am, and reduce during the hours of 2am to 6am.

A growing problem has been the rise in the number of inappropriate calls to the service, which is based in Northside Road in Lidget Green. “We get a lot of calls for which the person does not need an ambulance,” says Andy. “People may ring with a headache or earache or suffering from a condition for which they could self-medicate or make an appointment to see their GP.

“I don’t know why, but this problem has become more prevalent, particularly over the past ten years,” says Andy. “Generally, these patients fall into category C, so we don’t send an ambulance straight away. We have clinical advisers who ring the caller back and suggest other methods of treatment.”

Hoax calls are not as common, but still happen. “They tend to be from children and tend to coincide with school holidays when children are out and about,” says Andy. “Such calls can put immense pressure on the service.”

Whether or not the operator suspects a call is suspicious, an ambulance has to be sent. “We are taught not to doubt the integrity of the call,” he adds.

The problem of hoax calls is tackled as part of an on-going education programme run by the service, involving visits to primary schools across the district. “We believe if we catch them early, this should act as a deterrent.”

A more serious difficulty facing staff is the rise in physical and verbal assaults. “These can range from verbal or racist comments to full-blown physical violence, which has left staff off work and in need of medical treatment,” says Andy.

Between April 2008 and April 2009, 51 members of staff were assaulted. “In one incident, a member of staff had the ligaments in her shoulder torn.”

Such incidents are more prevalent in densely-populated urban areas and many are drink and drug-related. The perpetrators are a mix of patients, patients’ relatives and bystanders. “It tends to happen on jobs when you least expect it,” says Andy.

In recent years, staff have undergone increased training in dealing with such incidents. “We do a lot of training in conflict resolution. We look at breakaway techniques, and how to read a situation,” says Andy. All crews carry a mobile phone and hand-held radio with an in-built panic alarm.

“It can be very frightening for staff, who are sometimes working by themselves in rapid response vehicles. They feel very vulnerable.”

He adds: “We have a zero-tolerance stance to such incidents – we report each one and follow it through the justice system.”

Incidents involving weapons are attended by the police to make the situation safe before the ambulance crews enter.

The messages of appreciation make the job worthwhile. “Ninety nine per cent of the Bradford public are great; they are very appreciative and are what make it very satisfying and rewarding,” says Andy.

“It is common for us to have boxes of chocolates or flowers delivered here as a token of thanks, and sometimes people knock on the door to say thank-you for taking them, or a family member, to hospital. People really do appreciate us.”