Damn scary - new ambulance probe

[boman]

That sucks. Despite all your hard work, and the assurances, they are still getting it wrong. For people to have to wait for such a long period is incomprehensible. If it continues like this, it will cost more lives. That is inexcusable, in my opinion.

[CookMySock]

"An investigation is well under way to ascertain why this has occurred."

"Mr Fletcher had given the dispatcher their Rural Address Property Identification (Rapid) number, which gives the property's distance from Stratford, but the information was not understood by the ambulance driver."

What is there not to get? The driver didn't "understand" the Rapid number - pardon me? How is that possible? It doesn't sound like a systems failure to me, it sounds like a driver fuck up.

Steve

[BoristheBiter]

http://www.police.govt.nz/tenone/200...ture_rapid.htm

Completely inexcusable that an emergency response worker in a rural area did not know what a rapid number is.

Oh that, its that what they call it.

Not all numbers work to this. My gps works to these numbers and half of them in TeKuiti don't work, our street up here is numbered backwards, and there are many roads that have other roads joined together.

It is not right that it takes this long to get to someone and something should be done but how do you know that this ambo is not just new to the area, new to the job.

[Naki Rat]

What is there not to get? The driver didn't "understand" the Rapid number - pardon me? How is that possible? It doesn't sound like a systems failure to me, it sounds like a driver fuck up.

Steve

You've got that spot on. The driver was recently from Hawera (south Taranaki) and had no knowledge of the area, never having been there even in daylight. And he didn't have a clue what a rapid number is He was literally driving blind.

[Naki Rat]

Oh that, its that what they call it.

Not all numbers work to this. My gps works to these numbers and half of them in TeKuiti don't work, our street up here is numbered backwards, and there are many roads that have other roads joined together.

It is not right that it takes this long to get to someone and something should be done but how do you know that this ambo is not just new to the area, new to the job.

Rapid numbers don't apply to urban areas. They are a simple and effective way to locate rural addresses. For example a road/rapid number of 725 means it is 7.25km from the start of the relevant road and being an odd number means it is on the left side of the road (travelling away from the 'zero' end). Unfortunately the driver in this case was clueless regarding the rapid system.

[CookMySock]

You've got that spot on. The driver was recently from Hawera (south Taranaki) and had no knowledge of the area, never having been there even in daylight. And he didn't have a clue what a rapid number is He was literally driving blind.

Maybe he should buy a motorbike and go do some touring? Perhaps that would be a viable solution to their problem?

Are drivers regularly sent on near-impossible training exercises? If I was training them, I flick them some real fucking curly ones viz "13xblackstump^4+4xblackstump-postoffice" that will make their head spin.

Geez it's not like they are run ragged all day while waiting for a call is it? They should get on their bike and go figure out where shit is, instead of having another round of bikkies and tea.

Steve

[avgas]

I love the ambu's.
They are a god sent.
Just felt like saying that - to show that for every fuckup there are probably a million of us who feel the Ambus are doing a good job

[CookMySock]

for every fuckup there are probably a million of us who feel the Ambus are doing a good job

I agree, but there's a difference between an "oops" and a really dangerous and preventable "oops" that causes ordinary people real consequences.

It's normal to tread hard on people who cause the latter, and if they don't like it they should either re-think their level of commitment to their job, or else get a different one, and thats just the way the world goes around.

Steve

[Ixion]

http://www.police.govt.nz/tenone/200...ture_rapid.htm

Completely inexcusable that an emergency response worker in a rural area did not know what a rapid number is.

Oh. I thought those "blue numbers" were something to do with milk tankers. They're really good though, if I have to find somewhere out of town I always ask "what's your blue number". Street numbers and vague descriptions dependant on big trees and herds of Fresian llamas always end in tears.

[BoristheBiter]

Rapid numbers don't apply to urban areas. They are a simple and effective way to locate rural addresses. For example a road/rapid number of 725 means it is 7.25km from the start of the relevant road and being an odd number means it is on the left side of the road (travelling away from the 'zero' end). Unfortunately the driver in this case was clueless regarding the rapid system.

Well i will keep that in mind when i move into an urban area.

[Nasty]

I agree, but there's a difference between an "oops" and a really dangerous and preventable "oops" that causes ordinary people real consequences.

It's normal to tread hard on people who cause the latter, and if they don't like it they should either re-think their level of commitment to their job, or else get a different one, and thats just the way the world goes around.

Steve

I think it goes a bit deeper than a lot of the thoughts here. To me there is a systemic fault that is happening and without proper analysis (which I don't feel happened with Grubs case fully) they won't find the problem.

The level of analysis done through Root Cause Analysis is good. Its used in aviation and been adapted for health.

It is easy to deal with the issues that can be "seen" from the problems around, but finding the systemic fault is harder and often, I think, brings some home truths that people don't want to hear, those people who head these organisations or front them. It is far easier to deal with the surface than delve down into the guts of what is going wrong.

[scott411]

Oh. I thought those "blue numbers" were something to do with milk tankers. They're really good though, if I have to find somewhere out of town I always ask "what's your blue number". Street numbers and vague descriptions dependant on big trees and herds of Fresian llamas always end in tears.

the blue numbers you talk about are Dairy Company numbers are only on dairy farms, the rapid numbers are on white back grounds with red numbers, they are on most farm gates now,

i deal with getting alot of ambluences to remote area's with the trail rides and mxers i run, and have asked to get some kind of rapid number listed with st johns to arrange quicker location identity with the call centre's, in remote area's we always send someone to the closest major intersection to bring them in,

[bmwilly]

Oh. I thought those "blue numbers" were something to do with milk tankers. They're really good though, if I have to find somewhere out of town I always ask "what's your blue number". Street numbers and vague descriptions dependant on big trees and herds of Fresian llamas always end in tears.

Except in the Greater Auckland Area the numbers are Red on White background.

[Ronin]

You've got that spot on. The driver was recently from Hawera (south Taranaki) and had no knowledge of the area, never having been there even in daylight. And he didn't have a clue what a rapid number is He was literally driving blind.

Then it is a system failure as the driver should never have been put in this position. Yes the driver messed up but there should be a requirement for any person responding to rural calls to have a knowledge of the rapid system.

[BoristheBiter]

I think it goes a bit deeper than a lot of the thoughts here. To me there is a systemic fault that is happening and without proper analysis (which I don't feel happened with Grubs case fully) they won't find the problem.

The level of analysis done through Root Cause Analysis is good. Its used in aviation and been adapted for health.

It is easy to deal with the issues that can be "seen" from the problems around, but finding the systemic fault is harder and often, I think, brings some home truths that people don't want to hear, those people who head these organisations or front them. It is far easier to deal with the surface than delve down into the guts of what is going wrong.

And yet everyone just continues to blame the ambo driver.

IMHO it comes from a business model when, although there is a similarity, it is not a business.
It will never make money and running it on systems where this is the end result is just asking for trouble.

The top brass just say “make it happen" but the resources needed to implement changes or new systems are not there.
FFS the air ambos are all run on donations so tells you a lot.