Free ambulance service starts

Wellington Free Ambulance's chief executive Alan O'Beirne knows how important an ambulance service is to a community - the CPR training his wife received from the service saved his life.

Mr O'Beirne suffered a heart attack at his home in Kapiti in November and, before an ambulance arrived and Lifeflight was able to fly him to Wellington Hospital, it was his wife, Julie, who kept him alive.

Mrs O'Beirne had learned the CPR skills as part of Wellington Free's Operation Heartbeat - her husband's plan for Wellington to be the safest place in the country to suffer a heart attack by training 14,000 people in CPR.

Mr O'Beirne was in Masterton yesterday for the official welcoming and blessing of the new ambulance service for Wairarapa.

"It just makes sense that our patients have a consistent service between Wellington and Wairarapa," Mr O'Beirne said.

The ambulance service is now provided free to the patient by Wellington Free Ambulance, which has taken over the Wairarapa DHB ambulance service.

The six rebranded ambulances will be staffed by 19 full-time staff and 20 volunteers based in Masterton and Greytown.

They will support two community response units in Featherston and Martinborough.

Acting chief executive Andy Long said the changeover cemented their position in Wairarapa and would give them a stronger voice.

"The next step will be bedding ourselves in, looking at how we can improve things, looking at how we can increase our staff base."

Wairarapa DHB chief executive Tracey Adamson said it was a big day, especially as it was an end of the last DHB-run ambulance service in the country.

"We've had lots of questions about the new service which really shows that the community is passionate about the ambulance service we provide," Ms Adamson said.

Operation Heartbeat is being extended to Wairarapa schools and community groups - contact andrew.dunning@wfa.org.nz or see www.operationheartbeat.org.nz.