USE OF HATZOLAH’S SERVICES
Appropriate use of Hatzolah's services is most important so that in a medical emergency there is no hesitation in
dispatching an ambulance.
Examples of real medical emergencies are chest pains, respiratory distress, gunshot wounds and motor vehicle
accidents with injuries. You should have our number saved in your cell phone or have one of our stickers on your
home phone. Our dispatcher will ask you a series of questions to verify the nature of the emergency and other
relevant details such as the address and some basic personal information regarding the patient.
Our expert teams will respond with maximum haste to you and transport the patient as rapidly as possible to
hospital where they can be treated. Definitive care can only be given in a hospital and so the sooner we get the
patient tohospital the better – that is our goal.
It is equally important that an ambulance is not called for patients that are not seriously injured or sick.
Unfortunately, we often receive calls that do not warrant an ambulance. Calls that do not qualify as medical
emergencies are awaste of our resources and the consequences couldbe dire.
WhileHatzolah responders attend to someonewho is not seriously ill, other lives could be placed in serious danger
because we cannot get to them sooner. Every call Hatzolah receives is treated as a potential, life-threatening
emergency. Please consider this before you call. We want our equipment, our team and our motivation to last. We
are passionate about saving lives, protecting the Jewish community against harm and providing a supreme level of
care whenever needed. And so we ask the community − please do not take advantage of Hatzolah's services or use
as a convenience. By the same token, please donot hesitate to call us in the event of a real emergency.
When indoubt – call.
Hatzolah generally does not provide a non-emergency transport service. Use of our personnel and ambulances to
transport patients to hospital for appointments or routine check-ups should be avoided. Other ambulance services
provide transport which is fully paid for by medical aid, and these should be your first option when requiring a
transport. There are however some exceptional cases where we may transport a patient, such as when he/she has
nomedical aid cover. Each case is assessed on its ownmerits and should you require a transport, feel free to call for
advice.
Shouldwe call HatzolahonShabbat andYomTov?
The sanctity of life overrides the sanctity of Shabbat. If you're calling Hatzolah for help on Shabbat or a festival, it
shouldonly be for a life-threateningmedical emergency. If indoubt – call!
Whena call ismade toHatzolahonShabbat orYomtov
Experienced dispatchers have been trained to decide, based on the information they are given by the caller, if the
call needs to be dispatched. We do not avoid dispatching a team on Shabbat or Yom Tov, but in order to minimise
Shabbat transgression, we will only dispatch a call where there exists a real and present danger to the life of the
patient.
WhenHatzolahresponds onShabbat orYomtov
The Hatzolah team will respond to the location, and the patient will be treated and transported to hospital, as on
any other day. When the teamarrives at the hospital, they aremet by a crewof non-Jewish personnel whowork for
Hatzolah. This team takes over and performs the tasks not permissible for Jews on Shabbat or Yom tov - opening
electric doors, cleaning the ambulance, driving the responders home.
Situations that arenot immediately life threatening
If a life is not in imminent danger, rather wait until after Shabbat before calling Hatzolah. If you are in doubt as to
whether or not to call, it is better to err on the side of caution, make the call and our dispatcher will assess the
seriousness of the case.
