KEY POINTS:
A love triangle has left the eastern Bay of Plenty without an advanced paramedic after the area manager was stood down on bullying allegations - lodged by his estranged wife.
Patrick Wynne, the St John Whakatane area manager, has been stood down on full pay since he allegedly harassed his paramedic wife Linda in the ambulance station last October, after she accused him of having an affair with another St John staff member.
Married for just over a year, Linda Wynne took unpaid leave over the incident and has hired a top Auckland employment lawyer to act on her behalf in mediation meetings with St John Midlands.
She has since resigned and the couple has separated.
The situation has meant that for six months the eastern Bay of Plenty has been without an advanced paramedic - Patrick Wynne was the only one - and Whakatane has been reduced to only one ambulance that provides 24/7 cover.
St John Midland chief executive Eddie Jackson said he was unable to discuss why Wynne was stood down for privacy and legal reasons.
"However, we can say that St John takes the welfare of all of our staff, volunteers and the public seriously," Jackson said in a statement.
"We can assure the public that we have robust policies in place to ensure the welfare of our staff, volunteers and the public."
When asked whether it was safe that Whakatane was without an advanced paramedic, Jackson said Wynne's position had been filled by acting station managers who were "qualified and experienced ambulance officers".
However, advanced paramedics were clinically qualified to administer drugs and other lifesaving equipment which is critical in emergency situations.
"The whole concept of advanced paramedics is for extreme situations, like trauma and cardiac, they're the life support guys," said Neil Chapman, organiser for the ambulance workers in the National Distribution Union.
"One argument we've heard is that Whakatane is handy to a base hospital.
"You tell that to someone who's in an accident in the back of Opotiki which is an hour-and-a-half drive [away]."
Chapman said the union was concerned by the lack of advanced paramedic cover and that there was only enough staff rostered on to man one ambulance.
Pat Wynne confirmed to the Herald on Sunday he had stood himself down from the ambulance service, but refused to comment further, as did Linda Wynne, who did not want to affect her employment case.
Linda Wynne's lawyer Mark Ryan declined to discuss the case other than to confirm his client had raised employment related issues with her employer.
"We're working together to resolve them," Ryan said.
Pat Wynne is well known in the Whakatane region.
When storms lashed the beachside settlement of Matata, causing mudslides to wipe out most of the homes in 2004, Wynne was among those who risked his life to save Beverley Freeman, who was trapped among the wreckage of her home.
Wynne also was sent to the Melbourne Commonwealth Games last year to help attend to spectators' needs.
