| 97 COMMUNITY St John - WW Construction Taihape’s new ambulance station includes two bays/garages – one for a frontline emergency ambulance and one for a first response vehicle. The Hato Hone St John Taihape Area Committee has been tirelessly fundraising for the new station over a number of years. development, a spacious kitchen and dining area, two bedrooms, an office/write-up space, lockers, plus nine parking spaces. “We also wanted a station that would be sustainable for the future and get us through natural disasters such as floods, earthquakes, severe snowstorms and cyclones,” says Nigel Watson, Hato Hone St John Area Operations Manager for Whanganui/Ruapehu. “The station has emergency water on site and a large generator that can power the station for four days continuously.” Nigel says it will be a huge relief to be able to park the ambulance and first response unit inside at the new station. It means windscreens won’t freeze over in winter and medical consumables inside the vehicles can be kept at an even ambient temperature. “New security features will also keep our people safe at work and, if you are working a 12-hour shift, this new station will be so much more comfortable, with the new kitchen, bedrooms to rest in at night and quiet write-up rooms. With three heat pumps, it will also be a lot warmer. The current station has one heat pump and a small fireplace. When the fire goes out, the whole station gets cold. We will also have new communication technology, designed to get the ambulance out the door as safely and as quickly as possible.” Once the new station is complete, Nigel says it will provide a big boost to volunteer recruitment and training. “We would like to have more volunteers and having a brand new station will be a big drawcard.” Demand on Hato Hone St John Taihape’s services has been rising in recent years. Nigel says around a quarter of every 12-hour shift is assigned to 111 callouts. The Taihape station also supports Ohakune, with winter especially busy attending to injuries associated with skiing. He says the Hato Hone St John Taihape Area Committee has been tirelessly fundraising for the new station over a number of years and the community had been generous in their support. “This project has been well supported locally, with the local council providing some funding, plus generous donations from the community. One example among many is a local shearing business that is meeting the cost of putting in wool carpet tiles and supporting the wool industry too. It is such a lovely gesture. Hato Hone St John have also had significant grant support from the Dudding Trust towards this project.” “We’re now pretty excited to see the progress being made by W & W Construction; they have been really great to deal with and very accommodating.” For all your Structural Needs WATERJET CUTTING • MACHINE SHOP • STAINLESS STEEL • CERTIFIED WELDING (STRUCTURAL & PIPE) • SHEET-METAL WORK PH: 06 344 4108 | 437 Heads Rd E: mike@eliteengineering.co.nz
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