3 drink driver ambulance paramedics
The Health Minister Edwin Poots said another emergency vehicle driver was disqualified for another traffic offence during the same time.
He stated: “The NIAS has advised that three paramedics were disqualified from driving in the past five years because of alcohol related offences of whom two remain employed as paramedics.
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“One emergency vehicle driver was disqualified for another traffic offence.”
Meanwhile, the Minister also revealed that the waiting time for an ambulance to arrive at the scene following a Rapid Response Vehicle (RRV) in the Western Trust area was the shortest in Northern Ireland.
The average time between the arrival of a RRV to a call out and the arrival of a conveying A&E ambulance between February 2012 and February 2013 was 11 minutes and 22 seconds.
This compared with Belfast (14 minutes and 28 seconds); Northern (13 minutes and 26 seconds); South Eastern (16 minutes and 20 seconds); and Southern (12 minutes and 39 seconds).
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Mr Poots stressed the figures “should not be interpreted as ‘waiting times’ as RRV paramedics provide life sustaining care including defibrillation, airway protection and drug administration until the conveying A&E ambulance arrives.”
The Minister said there are currently 24 ambulances available at ambulance stations within the Trust.