AMBOS HOTEL
Health check: 430 staff with 90 vehicles to load resorts for Games
AN army of paramedics and ambulance staff from throughout Queensland will converge on the Gold Coast to serve locals and visitors during April’s Commonwealth Games.
More than 430 Queensland Ambulance Service staff will be redeployed to the Coast as part of a massive operation designed to ensure the city — and the State — remain in top health during the event. Two resorts in Surfers Paradise have been set aside to house the beefed-up ambulance service workforce.
HOPE for the best, plan for the worst.
An army of paramedics and ambulance staff from throughout Queensland will converge on the Gold Coast to serve locals and visitors during April’s Commonwealth Games.
More than 430 Queensland Ambulance Service staff will be redeployed to the Coast as part of a huge operation designed to ensure the city – and the State – remain in top health during the event.
The city’s resident population of 500,000 is forecast to swell to up to 1.2 million from April 4-15 during the Games.
QAS Assistant Commissioner Gold Coast John Hammond said GOLDOC had set aside “two accommodation houses” in Surfers Paradise to house the beefed-up ambulance service workforce, sourced from existing ranks.
“Leave restriction is what helped us build capacity into the system – and a workforce that wants to be involved and to contribute to the Games,” he said.
The extra staff will be accompanied by a fleet of more than 90 vehicles – from
accuse ambulance response vehicles to emergency response vehicles, supervisor sedans and high acuity response units – sourced from around the State.
Mr Hammond said the QAS Games plan had been designed to respond to everything and anything – from increases in heat conditions
through to “a multi casualty incident” emergency.
“When we talk about major incidents and events plans, the systems and processes we use are adaptable and scaleable,” he said.
QAS has also worked closely with police, council and GOLDOC on provisions for dedicated emergency Games
lanes as part of the event’s traffic management plans.
“Gold Coast Hospital is the dedicated hospital for the Games, however, we’ll still need to ensure the right patient goes to the right hospital so we don’t compromise our operations,” Mr Hammond said. “If a patient can go to a particular hospital, we won’t go past that hospital to go to Gold Coast Hospital.”
The QAS Games plan is being overseen by Assistant Commissioner Commonwealth Games Gerard Lawler and a team of more than 50 staff.
Mr Hammond said more than 600 existing QAS staff responded to a call for volunteers to work on the Coast during the Games.
“We didn’t have any trouble with volunteers,” he said.
“Leave restrictions are in place to make sure we have enough people and planning is being done to make sure we can accommodate the Games and still run business as usual on the Gold Coast and out to western Queensland,” he said.
Mr Hammond said the team’s “preparedness” would be tested in a series of extensive exercises at all event venues – including those in Townsville and Cairns – “right up until the Games”.
Paramedics will also be stationed at designated Games festival zones in Broadbeach and Surfers Paradise and at transport hubs and park’n’ride facilitates.
“The bicycle response team will certainly play an important role within the festival zones,” he said.