CRASHES AFTER 17-HOUR SHIFT

An ambulance crash in Tokyo in December has brought to light the extremely tough conditions emergency service workers have experienced while Japan faced another wave of COVID-19 over the winter months. The vehicle hit a centre divider and overturned on a national route in Akishima, western Tokyo, at around 1.50am on 29 December, with a review of the incident published in January revealing that the driver had become drowsy after working 17 hours straight. There were no patients on board at the time, as the ambulance had just transported a patient to hospital and was returning to its fire station, but the driver and two other paramedics all su ered minor injuries. Footage from on board the vehicle showed the driver and two other paramedics nodding o having clocked up 17 hours without a single break, amid a surge in emergency calls from COVID-19 patients. It was revealed that the three paramedics on board had started their shift at 9am on 28 December and had been dispatched seven times, with each case taking an average of two hours or more, before they were overcome with fatigue at 1.50am the next morning. The Tokyo Fire Department said emergency services were running at more than 95% of capacity on the day of the accident.

Large Increase In Ambulances Required

Dozens of additional ambulances will be needed to properly meet the demand for ambulance care in the Netherlands this year, according to new research by the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM). They calculated that a total of 692 ambulances are required during daytime hours on working days, representing an increase of 40 ambulances compared to 2022. An increase in demand of an additional 40 for Saturdays and 35 for Sundays is also expected. Over the course of a week, it is calculated that 10,104 8-hour shifts will be needed in 2023, a rise of 666 compared to 2022. The research also states that 20 extra ambulance stations are also required to cut down on longer journeys to patients.

Ambulance Staff Issued With Stab Vests

Emergency service workers in the city of Hamilton were ordered to wear stab-proof vests in January after reports of a huge planned fight between school-goers was spread online. An online flyer circulated on social media advertised the organised fight between various school gangs, with an announcement that weapons were allowed. As a result, all ambulance personnel working in the area were issued with lightweight tactical vests designed to provide stab, slash and light ballistic protection. Area Operations Manager Adrian Gavin told local media that the safety of his sta was paramount. “The use of vests does not change our standard approach, which is to deploy ambulance crews into environments with risk of violence when cleared by New Zealand police,” he said.

New Ambulance Catamarans For Norwegian Coast

Norway will receive two new purpose-built catamaran ambulance boats from boat manufacturing specialists Kewatec this year. The two vessels will be delivered and ready for operation in Smøla and Romsdalsfjorden by early 2024, following on from a delivery of the same Ambulance 2200 type to Bergen in 2021. Seen as a mini hospital on the water, the Ambulance 2200 has an aluminium hull and two Volvo Penta D13 diesel engines, with the two new boats adjusted to have waterjets instead of IPS propulsion. Measuring 22metres long and 7.5metres wide, the vessels have a service speed of around 30 knots, with seating for 12 people and two complete stretcher patient areas. They are also equipped with a spacious and ergonomic interior, two toilets, a shower and galley. While ambulance boats are not common, the large archipelago of Norway and permanent inhabitants on islands along the coast require high-standard mobile hospital and patient transport services that only this type of boat can provide.