LONDON – New Year’s Eve is expected to be an exceptionally busy night for the London Ambulance Service (LAS). At peak times last year the LAS was taking more than 600 calls an hour when normally it would only take around 250.
“It will be an extremely busy night for us across the capital with our call takers answering hundreds more emergency calls than usual and our medics out in teams on the streets, working with colleagues from St John Ambulance, to help those at the central London celebrations,” said Deputy Director of Operations Kevin Brown.
Booze buses deployed across London
The LAS is running three alcohol recovery centers and five booze buses across London to look after people who have had too much to drink. A booze bus can carry up to three patients at a time, helping to free up frontline ambulances to respond to patients with life-threatening injuries.
St John Ambulance volunteers will run 11 treatment centers. Medics in the event area will work in teams of three with St. John Ambulance volunteers on foot, carrying full medical equipment with them, including a defibrillator, oxygen and a carry sheet to use as a stretcher. They will be able to weave in and out of the crowds where it is too busy to take an ambulance.
Katherine Eaton, events manager for London St. John Ambulance, encourages party goes to make their own way, if able, to a treatment center.
“Only dial for an ambulance as a last resort,” said Eaton.
Brown also stressed that point.
“Many of the people we’re called to on New Year’s Eve have injured themselves or become unwell because they’ve had too much to drink,” he said. “This puts additional strain on us and means our ambulances may not be available for those in life-threatening conditions.”
Live LAS updates on NYE
For live updates from London Ambulance Service on New Year’s Eve, follow LAS on Twitter or use #LondonNYE.
Follow us tonight for live updates from the central London event area and our control room #LondonNYE
— London Ambulance (@Ldn_Ambulance) December 31, 2014