LOCAL ST. JOHN AMBULANCE CREWS WORK EFFICIENTLY

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 15, Issue 91, 4 September 1950, Page 5

LOCAL ST. JOHN AMBULANCE CREWS WORK EFFICIENTLY

It was just after 8 o'clock one when the St. John Ambulance raced through the almost de-

serted Whakatane street. Round a ~ sharp corner and then it drew to a half outside the/ lighted factory. The crew jumped out and hurried through the open doorway. They found it quiet''inside. The machines were still but two men were lying on the floor, apparently in pain. With confident efficiency the men Went to Work. However, it was not a true accident. The whole thing had been arranged beforehand as a practice to keep the ambulance crew in training. Only officials knew what was happening and it was not until they arrived at the factory did the ambulance crew on duty realise it was not a genuine call. Arranged Accidents Two accidents were arranged in

awkward positions. One man was supposed to have fallen behind a pile of boxes and fractured a leg While there was arterial bleeding in the right upper arm. The other had fallen under a building and fractured an arm and pelvis. Without knowing the nature of the injuries, except what the patients were able to tell them, and

this was not-much the crew went to work. The first job was to treat the \ patients and make them comfortJN able before attempting to remove them. This they did, working at top /6peed. It was not so difficult to remove the patient who had fallen behind the boxes. But the man under the building was in an awkward position. He was moved on to a carrying sheet and swung out between the piles of the building. It was a slow job and they had to be careful that the injured man was not jolted. Inside the ambulance he was placed on the lower berth, because his was the most serious injury. With both patients comfortable inside and a man to watch them the ambulance moved away.. In a • real call the patients would be taken

direct to th hospital but this time - they were taken to the St. John Hall where the treatment was completed. All this time an examiner was watching the crew. They gained marks for good work and lost them too. But they knew their work. It took the ambulance three minutes from the time the call was received until it arrived at the scene of the accident, just under two > miles away. The total time for the treatment until the ambulance moved off again was 50 minutes. Fast Work for treating two seriously injured patients. Part of Training These practices are held continually by the Whakatane St. John. It keps the ambulance crews up to the mark. Although weekly training nights are held throughout the year the work in the hall sometimes becomes automatic. To vary it and put the unexpected before members these unknown alarms are held and crews are expected to treat the patients as they find them. They do it well. It says much for the efficiency of the Whakatane St. John that crews are rarely caught out. They are keen on their work and carry it out 24 hours a day, seven days a week throughout the year. They get no overtime, no lost pay, no Saturday pay or any of the other pays available in certain jobs in New Zealand today. They carry on as they have done for many years now. Theirs is a vital work done voluntarily. Perhaps that is Why it is done so efficiently. All members of the community ,y have every reason to be thankful that it is.