Hato Hone St John and Fire and Emergency New Zealand have taken action to ensure that the enhanced first response trial in Omarama is operating as intended.
Following last month’s community meeting, representatives of both organisations wrote to the Residents’ Association to outline steps taken in recognition of local concerns.
The letter, from Hato Hone St John District Operations Manager Pauline Buchanan and Fire and Emergency NZ Acting Specialist Response Manager Cam Grylls, acknowledged the strong community support for the Omarama Volunteer Fire Brigade.
“We have taken several actions effective immediately to deliver on our commitment that the enhanced first response trial will continue with support from both our organisations,” the letter said.
Hato Hone St John is the lead agency for all medical calls under the national Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between it and Fire and Emergency NZ. The enhanced first response trial in Omarama enables the local brigade’s first response unit to be dispatched to less severe medical calls than first responders in the rest of the country, who only attend life threatening or serious incidents.
Hato Hone St John has taken steps to make sure its dispatchers understand the different criteria applying to calls in the Omarama brigade’s area. The fire communications centre staff have also been briefed on what to expect when Hato Hone St John requests that the Omarama first response unit is dispatched.
Ambulance crews servicing the area have been instructed to advise St John if they attend a call and find that the Omarama First Response Unit is not in attendance, so that this can be investigated. Similarly, the Omarama First Response Unit will advise Fire and Emergency NZ if they become aware of incidents that they were not called to attend.
Fire and Emergency NZ and St John will start the review of the current MOU by 1 November 2022.
ENDS
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
Amy Milne, Hato Hone St John
External Communications Specialist
PH 0275027523
E amy.milne@stjohn.org.nz
Or
Fire and Emergency New Zealand Media Team
PH 0275918837
E media@fireandemergency.nz