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St John Ambulance provides the statutory ambulance service in Western Australia. This service is provided through a combination of paid and volunteer staff. Paid ambulance officers and paramedics are used in the metropolitan areas and larger regional centres. Volunteer ambulance officers are used in regional areas and some outer metropolitan areas.
Contents
Vehicles
Ambulance - Mercedes Benz Sprinter (various specifications, including 4X4), Toyota Land Cruiser Troop Carrier (regional only), Ford F 150/250 (past use).
Paramedic/Command - Subaru Forester, Holden Colorado 7/Trailblazer, Toyota Land Cruiser 100/200, Ford Ranger (regional), Ford Falcon (still some regional use, older models).
First Aid - Mercedes Benz Sprinter (first aid post/event management), Suzuki APV (previously Carry/Holden Scurry), Holden Colorado, Nissan Pathfinder, Hyundai I40.
Support and Transfer - Mercedes Benz Sprinter (logistics and transfer), Toyota HiAce (wheelchair patients), MAN truck (multiple patient vehicle), Isuzu N Series (incident support vehicles and command post).
Helicopters - Aeromedical role is offered by RAC Rescue with 2 Bell 412's based out of Perth and Bunbury
Uniform
Previous uniforms were the traditional white shirts with black trousers, these were replaced during the 1990s with a light green shirt, teamed with dark green pants and jacket. In the late 2000s the uniforms were upgraded to the new style of all over, utility suit. These consist of a black undershirt with dark green shirt, jacket and pants with reflective stripes. In certain situations a white helmet is made available for crews to wear, command officers sometimes wear reflective vests with their rank on it.
Criticisms
In July 2009, the ABC's Four Corners broadcast a report identifying failures in St John's call-out system, specifically the failure of call centre operators to appropriately prioritise and respond ambulances. The program identified four deaths in which dispatch and prioritisation errors were involved. The WA Health Minister, Dr Kim Hames, has since promised to review "reports of significant wrongdoing, and see if it is correct" in order to prevent recurrence of such events.
On 24 March 2015, the ABC's 7.30 reported on poor management and culture within St John in Western Australia which led am ambulance officer to commit suicide.