QLD: Ambulance hits back at late response claims

AAP General News (Australia)
04-07-1999
QLD: Ambulance hits back at late response claims

BRISBANE, April 7 AAP - The Queensland Ambulance Service hit back at opposition claims
today that an ambulance took 45 minutes to respond to an accident just a little over a
kilometre away from the station.

The incident occurred after a Lowood resident stopped to help an 11-year-old boy in a
bicycle accident about 1.25km from the local ambulance station last Thursday.

Opposition emergency services spokesman Ted Malone said there had been a 45-minute delay
which was a matter of extreme concern.

"Either Telstra is at fault here, or the state government has some serious explaining to
do," Mr Malone said in a statement.

"Forty-five minute delays in ambulance response times so close to an ambulance station is
simply not good enough."

But a QAS spokesman said the matter had already been investigated.

It was found that the call was not a code one, or life-threatening emergency, and that the
ambulance had taken only 18 minutes, plus two minutes for Telstra to direct the 000 call to
the appropriate station, the spokesman said.

By law, an ambulance cannot break speed limits or drive through traffic with its siren
blaring unless the call is rated code one.

The Lowood call last Thursday morning was rated a code two, or less urgent.

"There has been an investigation and it was found that the allegations were untrue," the
spokesman said.

"A well-meaning local resident just saw a kid fall off his bike and called the ambulance."

A spokesman for Emergency Services Minister Merri Rose said the matter already had been
investigated and found that QAS was not at fault.

AAP rad/sd/ms

KEYWORD: AMBULANCE

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