AMBULANCE COMMUNICATIONS CENTRES TODAY
New Zealand’s three Ambulance Communications Centres dispatch the country’s fleet of more than 600 ambulances, 250 rural doctors and nurses (under the PRIME programme), more than 40 emergency helicopters, Coastguard and other modes of response. They also coordinate patient transfer services for district health boards.
The Ambulance services in New Zealand are:
- St John: dispatched to 280,000 emergency incidents a year
- Wellington Free Ambulance: 36,000 emergency dispatches a year
- Taranaki District Health Board Ambulance Service: 9,000 emergency dispatches a year
- Wairarapa District Health Board Ambulance Service: 3,000 emergency dispatches a year
Ambulance Communications Centres at a glance
St John Ambulance Communications Centre, Auckland:
- Owned by St John
- Covers the upper half of the North Island, from the Franklin district in the South to the Far North (population 1.9 million)
- Ambulance & Response Services: St John Northern Region, St John Midland Region, Air Providers, PRIME
- Receives 550,000 calls per annum
- Dispatches 170,000 emergency responses and 50,000 planned patient transfers per annum
Central Ambulance Communications Centre, Wellington:
- Owned by St John and Wellington Free Ambulance in a 50/50 joint venture arrangement
- Covers the lower half of the North Island (population 0.9 million)
- Ambulance & Response Services: St John Central Region, Wellington Free Ambulance, Taranaki District Health Board and Wairarapa District Health Board Ambulance Services, Air Providers, PRIME
- Receives 270,000 calls per annum
- Dispatches 80,000 emergency responses and 20,000 planned patient transfers per annum
St John Ambulance Communications Centre, Christchurch:
- Owned by St John
- Covers the whole South Island (population 1.1 million)
- Ambulance Service: St John Northern Region (SI), St John Southern Region, Air Providers, PRIME
- Receives 280,000 calls per annum
- Dispatches 80,000 emergency responses and 20,000 planned patient transfers per annum
