St John says plan your Easter holiday carefully

People venturing out over the Easter break are urged by St John Ambulance WA to “do their bit” to help the ambulance service.

Ambulance Service Director Anthony Smith said the four-day holiday was a great time for families to head off for a break and enjoy time together in different surrounds but preparation is necessary for when things don’t go according to plan.

“In these times, this is where a bit of additional forward planning can help immensely,” he said.

“We often think about things like what clothes and food supplies we need if we’re going camping but emergency situations are not necessarily in the forefront of our minds.”

“We’d like to see everyone consider their travel plans and identify the things they might need in case of an emergency.”

“Experience has shown the ambulance service that holidays can be ruined and that doesn’t have to be the case if people can do a few simple things before they set off.”

Mr Smith said at a minimum people should carry a well-stocked first aid kit and have current first aid skills.

As always, St John would be looking out and caring for people across the state during Easter with a full contingent of crews including two RAC Rescue choppers available if the need arose.

“Our people and systems are very adept at responding to an emergency, in any corner of the state,” he said.

“While we use advanced technology to assist in locating callers, downloading the St John first responder smartphone app will provide their exact location, which is incredibly helpful when our patients are in remote places.”

The coming Easter break has also coincided with a donation of seven defibrillators by St John Pinjarra and these life-saving devices will go into publically accessible places. Six of these machines will go into Dwellingup and one in Coolup, with two are earmarked for Lane Poole Reserve (including one at the Ranger’s station and one at Nanga Campsite).

Easter is a busy time for the ambulance service with 2,100 emergency calls attended to by ambulance crews during the four day break in 2017.

Here’s some tips to ensure you have a safe Easter:

• Download the St John first responder app. The app will guide you to publically accessible defibrillators and provide your exact location to St John when you call 000.
• Carry a personal locator beacon (Epirb) or satellite phone if you are going to a remote location.
• Travel with your medications (including EpiPens).
• Know the area you are travelling to (take maps and note local landmarks).
• If travelling alone, tell someone where you are going and when you expect to return.