ACCIDENT CALLS.

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20550, 19 May 1932, Page 12

ACCIDENT CALLS.

LATE ARRIVAL OF AMBULANCES. DISCUSSION ON CAUSES OF DELAYS. A statement was made by a member of the St. John Ambulance Association, at the meeting of the General Committee last evening, that the Association's free ambulance service had been the subject of several complaints recently to the effect that the ambulances had not responded to calls promptly. He said that often a call was sent to another ambulance service, and the St. John people suffered from any inconveniences which followed. "Several complaints have been received lately," said Mr G. Peek, "that delay has ensued between the calling of an ambulance and the time o£ its arrival." There was one case, he continued, where a man had lain in a liftwell severely hurt for half-an-hour before the ambulance arrived. Something ought to be done. Of course the trouble was that another ambulance service was receiving the and the St. John Brigade had not been called in until the last moment. Immediate Notification Necessary. The chairman (Dr. J. Restell Thomas) said that a similar case to that mentioned by Mr Peek had conic under his notice recently. The trouble in this instance had been, however, that the call liad not been put through immediately after the occurrence of the accident. This, of course, was imperatively necessary. "in the case I mentioned, the trouble was simply that the call was at first put through to another ambulance service," said Mr Peek. Need for Action. . Mr E. H. Marriner contended that something should be done immediately. It was a very serious matter. Often a , case of life and death was involved, . and the St. John Ambulance would al- ' ways get the blame. Could not a note bo put in the newspapers after each accident stating whether the St. John Ambulance had been called, and pointing out that it had arrived promptly? Dr. Thomas said that really it did not seem much could be done. So long as the brigade went on doing it's work properly it could not be censured. The public would in time grow to full realisation of its efficiency;