Increased booze-related incident calls to St John ambulance this New Year's Eve

St John Ambulance staff across the Western Bay kept busy, with increased numbers of alcohol-related incidents. Photo /File

It was a quieter New Year's Eve for most of Western Bay's emergency services personnel but St John ambulance staff were kept busy dealing with alcohol-related incidents.

Tauranga St John paramedic Adam Rayner said the nine ambulance crews rostered on duty across the Western Bay district this New Year's were all kept busy.

"Instead of the usual four ambulances, we had nine vehicles operating. Along with quite a few more medical calls, we also had a huge increase in the number of alcohol-related incidents. This includes people falling over while intoxicated.

"Inevitably some of these incidents will have required the patient to be taken to the hospital," Rayner said.

Local fire brigades reported having a quieter or "average" New Year's Eve period.

Maketū fire chief Shane Gourlay said apart from a few medical assists and alarm callouts the brigade experienced its quietest New Year's Eve for some time.

Greerton fire brigade attended two callouts, including a crash in the lower Kaimai Range about 1.10am yesterdayafter a car travelling across a bridge ended up in the river, some five metres from the road.

A Fire and Emergency New Zealand spokesman said the crash, happened at the intersection of State Highway 20 and Poripori Rd.

The sole male occupant of the car was assessed by ambulance staff but did not need hospital treatment, the spokesman said.

Greerton firefighters were also called to assist police after a report of a fire in Yatton Park, Parkvale about 11.30pm on New Year's Eve.

Tauranga fire brigade crews attended an "average" number of callouts during this New Year's Eve period compared with last, a brigade spokesman said.

Mount Maunganui station officer Nigel Liddicoat said the brigade attended a handful of minor incidents on New Year's Eve but nothing past 11pm.

Yesterday, the brigade was called to The Mall in Pilot Bay to help retrieve a cellphone which had fallen through a gap in the boardwalk.

Tauranga Hospital co-ordinator Julie Williams said the hospital's accident and emergency department had the quietest New Year's Eve in many years.

"The numbers of people coming into the department was steady, with 41 arrivals from midnight to 8am on January 1, which was down on the previous year's 50-plus people."

Predictably most of the attendances were alcohol-related, she said.

Williams said another difference was most attendees at the hospital were in the older age group and there were 18 admissions.

Data about how many arrests police made during the New Years Eve period was not yet available.