Western Bay of Plenty area commander Inspector Clifford Paxton, on patrol during New Year celebrations last year. Photo/file
Western Bay of Plenty area commander Inspector Clifford Paxton, on patrol during New Year celebrations last year. Photo/file
Tauranga emergency services are teaming up with hospital staff and the council to form a combined unit in preparation for what is their busiest night of the year - New Year's Eve.
Tauranga City Council New Year's Eve operations manager Mark Smith said the hub had been set up inthe city and would be manned throughout by agencies including the police, fire service, St John ambulance and Bay of Plenty District Health Board.
''The aim is to have one place where all involved agencies can liaise and ensure a joined-up and collaborative response,'' he said.
Mr Smith said each agency would still have their own existing command, control and communication structure but the new hub would help ensure a co-ordinated approach.
"New Year's Eve is traditionally a busy period for the Emergency Department and DHB representatives will be in attendance to be in a position to provide real time updates to the ED.''
St John Central East District operations manager Jeremy Gooders said New Year's Eve was traditionally the busiest night of the year for them.
''We expect it to be busy so we will have additional staff on, similar to other years, despite there being no official event at the Mount. We are a little unsure what to expect and have planned for similar job numbers as the last few years."
Mr Gooders said alcohol was "absolutely" a factor in a majority of patients they saw at New Year's Eve.
The police Mount processing centre - known to many in previous years as Alcatraz - will be operating despite no official Mount event planned.
However, Western Bay of Plenty area commander Inspector Clifford Paxton said he hoped it would not be well used.
"We really encourage our community to be safe and look after themselves. A lot of police planning has been made to making this [New Year's Eve] as safe as possible. We want people ... to enjoy their night and enter 2017 safe and well.''
Mr Paxton warned people to stick together, not to walk off on their own and ensure they did not put themselves in a vulnerable position.
''Whilst our tactics will change slightly we are still there to support our community celebrating New Year's Eve to ensure they have a good time and to do so safely.''
Fireworks launched from Mount Drury during New Year's festivities last year. Photo/file
