Source: Radio New Zealand
“We don’t have reason to think our services will be compromised,” says Hato Hone St John. RNZ / Kim Baker Wilson
St John’s ambulance service has been guaranteed fuel supplies if there are shortages.
New Zealand is under phase one of the government’s national fuel plan because of supply constraints caused by the Middle East conflict.
St John Auckland district operations manager Doug Gallagher told Midday Report the service’s 630 ambulances run on diesel, except for one trial electric ambulance in Lyttelton.
Gallagher said St John had been assured that its supply will be prioritised if there are fuel shortages.
“We are working closely with Health New Zealand, the National Emergency Management Agency NEMA and other emergency services. We are working together about just how that prioritisation process would work but we feel very comfortable that there will be continuity of supply for us.
“We don’t have reason to think our services will be compromised,” he said.
Gallagher said people should still call St John like normal.
“Our service will continue regardless of the fuel situation,” he said.
Gallagher said ambulance fuel costs were about 30 percent higher than usual at a cost of about $100,000 per year, with the expense being absorbed by the service.
He said St John was in talks with Health NZ about long-term funding, but discussions were not specifically about fuel costs.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
