Staff Reporter
The much-used expression ‘It is better to have the Ambulance at the top of the cliff rather than the bottom,’ should be modified to, ‘Ambulance on the road ensures quick response and can save lives.’
Many members of the our community think of St John Ambulance only when there is a personal need, forgetting that the organisation exists to serve 4.3 million New Zealanders and attend to their calls round-the-clock.
In fact, according to Chief Executive Peter Bradley, St John responds to 1200 calls for help every day, which means 1.2 calls every minute.
Last year St John Ambulances attended to 425,000 patients logging more than 19 million kilometres.
Growing need
“With so many people needing emergency ambulance help each year, the chances are next time it could be you or your family – your mother, your brother, your child. We need to raise $2.4 million to buy 12 new ambulances for use by frontline paramedics to provide lifesaving care to people who are seriously sick or injured,” Mr Bradley said.
These modern ‘emergency clinics on wheels’ are a far cry from the various early ambulance models that were used for transporting patients during the last century, from Ashford Litters (cart stretchers) to the highly recognisable and memorable grey and white 1940s Dodges.
Essential & Expensive
“Emergency health care has developed significantly in the past 120 years – it’s an essential and expensive business. It costs over $200,000 to get a modern ambulance on the road,” Mr Bradley said.
“This includes the cost of the vehicle along with a variety of hi-tech clinical and medical equipment, mobile data terminals, stretchers, a defibrillator, heart rate monitor, specialised extraction equipment, officer training and uniform.”
As part of St John’s new look, these ambulances come in high visibility yellow with more reflective signage than older white models. This is to maximise visibility of the vehicles and improve safety for ambulance officers and the public on the road.
Donations to St John can be made online at any branch of ASB Bank, online at www.stjohnappeal.org.nz or over telephone 0800-785646.
Photo : The ‘New Look’ St John Ambulance
