Extra duties for St John Brigade

Press, 2 May 1988, Page 8

Extra duties for St John Brigade

St John Ambulance Brigade volunteers will be under increased pressure to cover sports events in Christchurch this winter.

The general manager, Mr Bernie Chatterton, said the brigade would cover the matches but only because many of the volunteers were prepared to work extra duties. “To take the- strain off the 400 adult volunteers we would need about 200 more people,” he said. Volunteers were expected to attend a training meeting and work one sports duty each week but many were being asked to cover two or three duties, Mr Chatterton said. “It is a lot to ask of

people and naturally our numbers fluctuate because of it,” he said. The number of sports venues and matches were increasing each year and matches were now played during several days of the week, instead of just Saturdays, he said. The pressure was always greatest at the beginning of the sports season, when grounds were hard and players were not at peak fitness, Mr Chatterton said.

The brigade usually recruited its volunteers through the first-aid courses it ran regularly for the public. Working as a volunteer was an effective way of maintaining skills, Mr Chatterton said.