Police have offered tips to ensure people stay safe this New Year's Eve. Photo / George Novak
Police have offered tips to ensure people stay safe this New Year's Eve. Photo / George Novak
Have a fully charged phone, plan how to get home and “look after your friends and stick together” - that’s the advice from emergency services to have a safe New Year.
Police, St John and Te Whatu Ora Hauora a Toi Bay of Plenty are offering tips to ensure people are safe when going out and enjoying festivals, parties and gigs this New Year’s Eve.
A police spokesperson said those who were drinking should eat something substantial before starting and have a glass of water between each alcoholic drink.
“Plan how you are getting home at the end of your night, and have the cash, Eftpos card, or app to pay for transport.
“We all have a responsibility to ensure our friends and loved ones are safe this summer, so keep an eye out and report any concerns you have.”
Police also had advice for those who sought to take advantage of vulnerable or intoxicated people.
“Do not do this. Do not allow your mates to do this either. Sexual assault is unacceptable. It is never the victim’s fault and should not be tolerated in any situation.”
Police took sexual assault “extremely seriously” and would respond to and investigate every incident reported to them.
A spokesperson said police would be out in force during the summer holidays to deter risky driver behaviour that could lead to death or serious injury on the roads. There would be a particular focus on patrolling highways.
“Expect to see a significant presence of police, anywhere and anytime.
“We want you to get to your destination safely which is why police focus on the four main causes of death and injury on our roads.”
This included making sure everyone was wearing the correct seatbelts or child restraints, not driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, or when fatigued, focusing on the road at all times and not being distracted by phones, and driving at safe speeds for the conditions.
Te Whatu Ora Hauora a Toi Bay of Plenty clinical director of emergency medicine Dr Derek Sage said the main things people would fall foul to was excessive alcohol and using recreational drugs.
“To a certain extent, it tends to fall a little bit on deaf ears because a chunk of this tends to affect the younger adults, older teenagers where they do not know how to pace themselves.”
He advised to drink sensibly - “Think about how long the celebration goes on throughout the evening. Don’t start drinking early in the afternoon and going out late and think that you’re going to make the distance because we see all of those people early and mid-evening in the ED when they come in intoxicated and unconscious.”
Hato Hone St John Tauranga central east district operations manager Mat Delaney said there was normally an increase in demand across the New Year period in the Bay of Plenty and Rotorua region, from the morning of New Year’s Eve through to the evening of New Year’s Day.
This included calls from people who were still recovering from celebrations.
Hato Hone St John general manager of ambulance operations Stu Cockburn said the most common calls were for unconscious people, falls, traumatic injuries, and motor vehicle accidents.
“A third of all these calls are linked to alcohol and could be easily avoided.
“If people do need to call an ambulance, please be kind and respectful of our ambulance officers. Our emergency call handlers and paramedics are caring professionals who do awesome mahi but if they’re being abused, they can’t do their job.
“Our people are here to help you and we have zero tolerance for verbal or physical violence towards our people.”
Surf Life Saving NZ’s Eastern Region lifesaving manager Chaz Gibbons-Campbell. Photo / Mead Norton
Surf Life Saving NZ’s Eastern Region lifesaving manager Chaz Gibbons-Campbell said a lot of people enjoyed going to the beach for the New Year’s countdown.
“I urge people, please don’t go into the water at night time, especially after you’ve had a few beverages,” he said.
“Lifeguards can respond after hours but we’re not really equipped to come and look for people at night time.”
Although it was “very tempting” to go for a dip, he asked people to stay on the sand.
Gibbons-Campbell said it was also important to note many beaches were liquor-free zones. He advised people to check the conditions before swimming, swim at a lifeguarded beach, and avoid mixing alcohol and swimming.
Thursday was a quieter day for lifeguards and rescue volunteers in the Bay of Plenty and Coromandel, with seven rescues and nine people assisted to safety, compared to 130 the day before.
Gibbons-Campbel said most of Thursday’s rescues happened before the lifeguard patrols started and were carried out by the newly-formed iLine Construction Western Bay of Plenty Search and Rescue Squad.
The squad consists of more than 60 volunteer members from Mount Maunganui, Omanu, Pāpāmoa and Pukehina surf clubs, who respond to water-related incidents outside of patrol times, he said.
“These are mums and dads who at the drop of a hat respond to people in need.”
Gibbons-Campbell said at Mount Maunganui it was a busy start to the day with a rescue just before 7am by the Mount Maunganui SAR squad, who retrieved one person from the surf and returned them to shore “safe and sound”.
This was followed shortly after by a medical event involving someone on Mauao feeling faint and needing assistance. Lifeguards and St John ambulance staff safely retrieved the patient, he said.
At Whangamatā, lifeguards responded to a report of a surfer in difficulty on the bar, but they were found safe and well onshore. They also searched for an hour-and-a-half in “challenging conditions” for a potential missing swimmer which turned out to be a false alarm stemming from incorrect information.
Iline Construction is the naming rights sponsor for the Western Bay of Plenty SAR Squad and supports its training and operational costs.
