St John warns over apartment access

Ambulance staff in Auckland say difficult access to apartment buildings is causing delays reaching people who need medical attention.

St John Ambulance duty manager Andrew Herbert said security doors prevented staff getting inside the buildings, and many lifts were too small to take a standard stretcher.

Advanced paramedic Simon Bird said limited access to buildings delayed getting to someone who might be seriously injured.

"The hardest part, we find, is getting inside," he said. "Often we have to wait for a building manager to let us in."

About half of the ambulance callouts every day were to apartments, and the number was increasing, said Mr Bird.

Although access was "quite a big concern", he could not recall any incidents where officers were unable to reach a seriously injured person.

Mr Bird attended a callout to a building site in Freemans Bay yesterday afternoon where staff had trouble reaching an injured man on the roof of a four-floor apartment block.

The only access was by ladder.

An on-site crane eventually lifted ambulance staff to the man, who had a 10cm laceration to his right thigh from an electric saw.

The man was lowered after the Fire Service secured him in a stretcher, which was then secured to the crane's man-cage. He was taken to Auckland City Hospital.
Senior Station Officer Chris Scott, of Auckland City Central Fire District, said it was common to help ambulance services in places where access was limited.

He agreed that such incidents were occurring more often, but said there were no issues with a lack of resources.

"We work closely with ambulance, and assist in getting people out of buildings all the time.

"We have special stretchers that stand up to get people out of tight situations."