Lack of ambos a big issue for clubs

A limited number of ambulance volunteers across the North West is stifling local sporting clubs, with groups urging their members to bridge service gaps by signing up to the medical service. Port Hedland Motor Cycle Club secretary Dannielle Aggiss said the association was constantly “holding their breath” to see if its events, which host participants from across the region, could go ahead safely. In July the club posted to Facebook and apologised to members that a race day could not go ahead until volunteers became available. Ms Aggiss said she understood the limitations of St John Ambulance’s services in the regions but the club found it difficult to offer services with limited volunteer availability. “We can race without ambulance officers but it is taking a big risk for the club if someone gets seriously hurt,” she said. “It’s a duty of care to provide the best service for the community because it is a motor sport. “The issue for us is you plan ahead and set things in stone ... and your club gets excited, and then we have to change our event around because we don’t have enough volunteers in town,so we go from having a race day to a ride day — it’s disappointing to the club members.” Ms Aggiss said the loss of events and participants was hard financially for local clubs, already struggling with limited funding and resources. She said the club wanted to push its members to volunteer to support events and functions within the club and the wider community. St John North West regional manager Allan McLean said Hedland had a “strong resource base” but it was working with employers in the area to make call-outs more efficient. “Availability of people is a massive roadblock,” he said. “We are currently working with employers in the area with a view to introducing corporate volunteering whereby volunteers could work from a workstation at the St John depot and attend calls as they come in. “Alternatively ,people could attend their own worksites in the St John uniform and be released if contacted to attend a call-out.” Mr McLean said the lack of volunteers at the July motocross event was the result of a function clash.