It costs a huge $261,000 to buy just one ambulance with all the equipment we need to save lives. We attend over 600,000 emergency incidents every year.
Here’s a peek into what you’ll find inside our life-saving vehicles.
- First Response Kit: Contains the essential equipment needed to treat a patient at the scene of a medical emergency.
- Medical Supplies: Includes items such as syringes, bandages, gloves, needles, and sutures for stitches.
- Defibrillators (AED): Cardiac defibrillators are used to give an electric shock to a person’s heart if they are in cardiac arrest (their heart has suddenly stopped beating).
- Radio & Communications Equipment: The devices ambulance officers need to communicate with each other, with the clinical control centre and the hospital.
- Suction Unit: Used to remove a blockage in a patient's airway.
- Oxygen Regulators & Masks: Used to give a patient extra oxygen if they are having difficulty breathing.
- Ferno Scoop Stretcher: A specially designed stretcher used to move a patient safely and comfortably, when their spine should not move.
- Child Restraint Strap: Known as a PediMate, this can be attached to a stretcher to help transport children more safely.
- Intraosseous Infusion drill: Used for bone marrow infusions if a seriously injured patient urgently needs life-saving fluids or medication but where these cannot be given intravenously (through a vein).
- Traction Splints: Used to keep the injured part of the body in position and still, helping to reduce pain and further injury. We have an adult splint as well as a special splint for babies and children up to 6 years old.
- Stair Chair: Used to transport patients who can be moved in a sitting position up or down a staircase or through narrow and small spaces.
- Kendrick Extrication Device (KED): Designed for patients who may have injured their neck or spine, helping to keep the injured area still while the patient is moved a short distance.
- Personal Protection Equipment Bag: Contains the kit ambulance officers need to help keep them safe while they care for patients, such as face masks, gloves, and disposable gowns.
- Collar Bag: Contains the neck braces used in the event of a head, neck, or spinal injury to keep the person’s neck still and prevent further injury.
- Safety Helmet & Torches: Protects ambulance officers or patients when working in dangerous or dark environments.
- Major Incident Folder: Includes tools such as vests, task cards and guidelines which help ambulance officers to deal with a major medical emergency, often involving many patients.
To fit out ambulances like this, we need a little extra help
While the costs to equip our ambulances are mostly covered by the government, the funding doesn’t quite cover everything we need. Your donations help us to equip our vehicles with lifesaving gear and to go towards operating costs. Find out more about our funding and where your money goes.