The festive season is well and truly underway and as many Kiwis are heading into their summer break, St John is reminding everyone to stay safe over the Christmas and New Year period.
The emergency ambulance service is gearing up for its busiest time of the year as people begin their holiday and celebrations.
St John’s Assistant Director of Operations - Field Operations, Tony Devanney, estimates St John will attend to well over 73,000 incidents around the country over December and January combined, and of that more than 1200 will be on Christmas Day this year and nearly 2500 on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day together.
“Our ambulance officers see many accident and emergency incidents that are preventable at this time of year. I encourage everyone to keep safe and to take care of each other,” says Mr Devanney.
St John has nine tips to stay safe this season:
- Keep safe around water, please wear life jackets when boating and make sure to supervise children at the beach or swimming pool.
- Be sun smart! Slip, slop, slap and wrap!
- A pre-existing medical condition can quickly become an emergency if medicine isn’t available. Remember to stock up on your routine medicines before going on holiday.
- St John frontline paramedics all too often attend incidents caused by too much alcohol. Drink responsibly this summer. Find our top tips for treating dehydration here.
- Make sure no little ones are playing nearby to the Barbeque. Find our top tips for treating burns here.
- Be safe on the roads, watch your speed, be courteous to other drivers and drive responsibly. If you see flashing lights in your rear view mirror, please safely move over to the left to let us pass.
- Remember to keep batteries from Christmas gifts away from children to avoid swallowing. The battery can become lodged in the oesophagus with dangerous results. See our Choking first aid advice here.
- Familiarise yourself with your location when on holiday. Know your exact address in case you need to call for help.
- Be prepared; travel with a St John first aid kit and download the FREE St John CPR app here.
ENDS
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Jess Miller
St John Communications Advisor – Central Region
M 027 559 2655
E jess.miller@stjohn.org.nz