SCDF Ambulances
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Qx181 spotted speeding along hg av e8
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Originally posted by bus555:
Qx181 spotted speeding along hg av e8
QX181H..
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27/1/2009 spottings:
1) A331 along Simei Street 3 at 1400 hrs (returning from CGH)
2) A232 along Simei Street 4 at 1455 hrs (proceeding back to PRFP)..
3) A332 along Simei Street 4 at 1655 hrs (returning from CGH)..
4) A311 along Simei Street 3 at 1716 hrs (returning from CGH)..
5) A232 along Simei Street 3 at 1802 hrs (proceeding to CGH).. -
Coming soon - Private Ambulance Operators in SCDF EAS fleet
Come June this year, up to two private operators are expected to be incorporated into the Emergency Ambulance Service or EAS fleet, headed by the Singapore Civil Defence Force.
This move aims to alleviate the stress faced by current emergency ambulances due to the increasing number of such emergency calls SCDF received in recent years.
SCDF says, it handled nearly 120,000 EAS calls last year - some 8,000 more than the total number received in 2007.
SCDF is expecting nearly ten more ambulances with this move.
Each will manned by three personnel - all trained to deal with emergencies.
It adds that it currently has 40 ambulances in its fleet.
Colonel Tan Eng Hoe, is SCDF's Chief Medical Officer.
He says the force called for tenders in December last year and six Private Ambulance Operators or PAOs have expressed their interest in joining the EAS fleet.
SCDF is currently in the midst of selecting the most suitable candidates says Colonel Tan.
"They are just helping us to supplement our fleet. The contract is for three plus two, five. That means, three years plus two years optional. It is important to tell the public that the level of service is still the same. They are trained just like our paramedics. They'll be based at our fire stations. They are to augment our fleet. They operate as part of the SCDF EAS."
SCDF will announce the selected operators next month.
It also adds despite the recent rise in the number of emergency calls, an increasing number of Singaporeans have stopped calling EAS for non-life threatening cases.
EAS received more than 2000 non-emergency calls last year.
This is about half the total number of such calls received in 2007.
Colonel Anwar Abdullah who's SCDF's Director of Operations attributes this drop to its public education initiatives.
"Public education in terms of telling the members of the public to call 1777 for non-emergency cases. And we have decals among other things which are displayed on vehicles to call the number in non-emergency situations."
This drop benefits the community as more resources could then be channelled towards genuine life-threatening cases, says Colonel Anwar.
--938Live
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More emergency vehicles
Private operators to add 10 emergency vehicles to support SCDF fleet of 40.
TEN more emergency ambulances, manned by paramedics from private companies, are expected to hit Singapore roads from June.
The added resources will help support the Singapore Civil Defence Force's (SCDF) fleet of 40 vehicles, as emergency calls continue to climb due to an ageing and growing population.
The SCDF's plan to open up some of its emergency ambulance services to the private sector is a move away from the current practice where these companies only handle non-emergency cases.
Using them for emergency ambulance cases also means that private operators can be counted on to help out in a mass casualty situation, the SCDF said.
When the topic was raised two years ago, Commissioner James Tan said costs and manpower were the reasons why the SCDF could not 'just keep buying' more ambulances.
Chief medical officer Tan Eng Hoe said yesterday that six operators responded to the tender which was called last month and by next month, details of who had made the cut would be announced. 'We will choose either one or two operators, depending on what they offer,' Dr Tan said.
The SCDF has also clarified that there will be no differences in the look, competency of the crew or the equipment available, regardless of which ambulance responds.
'Safeguards and stringent measures will be put in place to ensure that the ambulance service delivery standard will not be compromised,' the SCDF said yesterday at a briefing on its fire and ambulance statistics.
Just like their SCDF counterparts, the performance of private ambulance crew members will be assessed every four months. They will also have to take half-yearly proficiency tests.
The winning operator's first step will be to have its crew follow SCDF's paramedics for on-the-job training.
The private ambulances will also be placed at fire stations under the command of the SCDF. Details about how the operators will be paid will be announced at a later date, the SCDF said.
Hope Ambulance Services, one of the private operators in the running for the tender told The Straits Times that opening up emergency services is a welcome change. 'Whether we get the tender or not, we're happy that Singapore is taking this step towards making more emergency ambulance services available to the public,' said its operations director, Ms Theresa Yeap, 39.
The SCDF said using private ambulance operators would also help alleviate the stress its current fleet faces.
Last year, there were 111,127 emergency calls made to the SCDF, 9 per cent more than in 2007. Of these, more than 70 per cent of them were for medical emergency cases such as those involving chest pains or heart attacks.
Non-emergency calls saw what the SCDF called a 'healthy drop' of 42 per cent to 2,481 calls last year. The dip was attributed to greater public awareness.
The 1777 non-emergency hotline saw a corresponding rise of more than 250 calls to 5,732 calls last year.
'A further drop in such cases would benefit the community since more resources can then be channelled towards the emergency life-threatening cases,' the SCDF said.
-- ST (29/1/2009)
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Click to enlarge..
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A334 spotted today at 1222hrs along Simei Street 3, proceeding to CGH..
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I hope the private ambulances will Upgrade their fleet! Using a Toyota or Nissan Van converted into ambulance is not that good for responding to 995 calls!
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Originally posted by HKFS88:
I hope the private ambulances will Upgrade their fleet! Using a Toyota or Nissan Van converted into ambulance is not that good for responding to 995 calls!
must also depend if its viable in terms of cost for them to do so or not..
anyway, spotted A332 along Simei Street 3 today @ 1907hrs proceeding to CGH with a standby case..
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Rise in false alarm calls4,288 ambulance trips made last year were not for emergency cases - up 16 per cent from 2007That ambulance you see in a rush on the road might not actually have an emergency case to attend to.
It could be responding to a false-alarm call instead.
Last year, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said 4,288 trips - or about 12 a day - were triggered by such calls.
This number was up by 16 per cent from 2007's 3,687 figure.
In 2006, the number was 2,865.
False alarms include non-emergency cases and prank calls.
'The calls are largely from well-meaning adults who summon ambulances out of good intent and not as pranks when they see people in medical distress,' said Lieutenant-Colonel N. Subhas, director of public affairs department at the SCDF.
However, these cases often turn out to be minor. There are also instances where the people involved tell the paramedics that they do not want to go to the hospital or have already left the scene.
But for those who insist they be taken to a hospital, even if their condition is deemed minor, they have to pay $165.
The rising number of false-alarm calls was among the statistics released by the SCDF on Thursday.
There were 111,127 emergency calls made last year, up 9 per cent from 2007.
The higher demand for ambulances, due to an ageing and growing population, has led the SCDF to rope in one private operator whose 10 ambulances will join SCDF's fleet of 40 from June.
Given the demand, it is naturally imperative that ambulances are not diverted to handle prank calls.
Those caught making these calls face a fine of up to $5,000 or imprisonment of up to three months, or both.
Private ambulance operators said they also get one or two prank calls each a month.
'We try to make sure they give us a number and we will call them back while the ambulance is being activated,' said Ms Josephine Ham, 39, operations manager of Hope Ambulance Services, which runs a fleet of 10 vehicles.
Still, prank callers can get away scot-free as service providers like M1 and SingTel are unable to reveal a caller's identity for confidentiality reasons, unless it involves a serious crime case, she added.
At Civic Ambulance Services, which has 30 ambulances, operations director Pritpal Singh, 45, said: 'We have a team of operators at our 24-hour call centre to handle and screen every call.'
Over at the SCDF, although false alarms make up only 3 per cent of calls, Lt-Col Subhas said: 'Attending to prank calls is a waste of resources that could be dispatched to genuine cases instead.'
Ms Indranee Rajah, an MP for Tanjong Pagar GRC, warned prank callers that they are 'tying up a resource'.
'Unlike many other agencies, the SCDF has to deal with life and death situations. When you interfere with that role, it is no longer funny. Someone can die as a result,' she said.
She advises those unsure of their conditions to check with the operator before asking for an emergency ambulance.
'The operators can explain to them the difference between an emergency and civil ambulance and advise them on the options available,' she said.
--ST
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WHEN NOT TO CALL THE SCDF EAS
In the case of a non- emergency, when it does not result in death or serious complications if not treated immediately.
These could include:
- Toothache
- Slight abdomincal pain (for example, gastric)
- Slight fever, coughs and colds
- Aches and pains which have been present for a long time
- Minor bruises, slight cuts or broken skin
- Slight burns or scalds
- Mild vomiting, diarrhoea or constipation
- Medical check-up or hospital follow-up
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1/2/2009 spottings:
- A221 along Simei Street 4 at 1326hrs
- A332 along Simei Street 3 at 1507hrs
- A221 along Simei Street 4 at 1557hrs
- A221 along Simei Street 3 at 1637hrs
- A231 along Simei Street 3 at 1658hrs
- A334 along Simei Street 3 at 1735hrs
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6/2/2009 spottings:
- A332 along Simei Street 3 at 1647hrs
- A232 along Simei Street 3 at 1753hrs
- A332 along Simei Street 4 at 1816hrs
- A221 along Simei Street 3 at 1824hrs
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A232 spotted at 1759hrs today along Simei Street 1 & was proceeding to CGH..
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8/2/2009 spottings:
- A231 along Simei Street 3 at 1315hrs
- A331 along Simei Street 3 at 1324hrs
- A231 along Simei Street 3 at 1524hrs
- A232 along Simei Street 3 at 1537hrs
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A231 spotted earlier at 2213hrs along Tampines Ave 7..
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Originally posted by QX179R:More emergency vehicles
Private operators to add 10 emergency vehicles to support SCDF fleet of 40.
TEN more emergency ambulances, manned by paramedics from private companies, are expected to hit Singapore roads from June.
The added resources will help support the Singapore Civil Defence Force's (SCDF) fleet of 40 vehicles, as emergency calls continue to climb due to an ageing and growing population.
The SCDF's plan to open up some of its emergency ambulance services to the private sector is a move away from the current practice where these companies only handle non-emergency cases.
Using them for emergency ambulance cases also means that private operators can be counted on to help out in a mass casualty situation, the SCDF said.
When the topic was raised two years ago, Commissioner James Tan said costs and manpower were the reasons why the SCDF could not 'just keep buying' more ambulances.
Chief medical officer Tan Eng Hoe said yesterday that six operators responded to the tender which was called last month and by next month, details of who had made the cut would be announced. 'We will choose either one or two operators, depending on what they offer,' Dr Tan said.
The SCDF has also clarified that there will be no differences in the look, competency of the crew or the equipment available, regardless of which ambulance responds.
'Safeguards and stringent measures will be put in place to ensure that the ambulance service delivery standard will not be compromised,' the SCDF said yesterday at a briefing on its fire and ambulance statistics.
Just like their SCDF counterparts, the performance of private ambulance crew members will be assessed every four months. They will also have to take half-yearly proficiency tests.
The winning operator's first step will be to have its crew follow SCDF's paramedics for on-the-job training.
The private ambulances will also be placed at fire stations under the command of the SCDF. Details about how the operators will be paid will be announced at a later date, the SCDF said.
Hope Ambulance Services, one of the private operators in the running for the tender told The Straits Times that opening up emergency services is a welcome change. 'Whether we get the tender or not, we're happy that Singapore is taking this step towards making more emergency ambulance services available to the public,' said its operations director, Ms Theresa Yeap, 39.
The SCDF said using private ambulance operators would also help alleviate the stress its current fleet faces.
Last year, there were 111,127 emergency calls made to the SCDF, 9 per cent more than in 2007. Of these, more than 70 per cent of them were for medical emergency cases such as those involving chest pains or heart attacks.
Non-emergency calls saw what the SCDF called a 'healthy drop' of 42 per cent to 2,481 calls last year. The dip was attributed to greater public awareness.
The 1777 non-emergency hotline saw a corresponding rise of more than 250 calls to 5,732 calls last year.
'A further drop in such cases would benefit the community since more resources can then be channelled towards the emergency life-threatening cases,' the SCDF said.
-- ST (29/1/2009)
<!--<span class="timestamp">10 min</span>-->I am now wondering which private ambulance will get the deal to help 995 calls...my bet is either:
Hope Ambulance wz fleet of 10Ambulances
or
Civic Ambulance wz fleet of 30Ambulances
But like i said before, responding 995 calls wz Nissan or Toyota vans converted to Emergency Ambulances can be hard to work inside for amb crew esp for standby case: CPR, RTA case...But maybe SCDF will loan the old Ambulances to the private ambulance company who got the contract...
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14/2/2009 spottings:
- A334 along Simei Street 3 at 1549hrs
- A232 along Simei Street 3 at 1644hrs
- A323 along Simei Street 3 at 1645hrs
- A334 along Simei Street 4 at 1740hrs
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15/2/2009 spottings:
- A331 along Simei Street 3 at 1621hrs (returning from CGH)
- A334 along Simei Street 3 at 1902hrs (proceeding to CGH)
- A331 along Simei Street 3 at 1621hrs (returning from CGH)
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17/2/2009 spotting:
A113 spotted along Moulmein Rd at 1900hrs & was proceeding to TTSH..
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20/2/2009 spottings:
- A232 along Simei Street 3 at 1156hrs (proceeding to
CGH)
- A332 along Simei Street 3 at 1611hrs (proceeding to 995 call)
- A334 along Simei Street 3 at 1714hrs (returning from CGH)
- A232 along Simei Street 3 at 1156hrs (proceeding to
CGH)
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I saw an ambulance along Simei St 3, at around 1756 ->1810, seems to proceed to CGH for emergency department, as it hanged out the siren to the traffic.
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A232 spotted earlier today at 1725hrs along Simei St 3 & was proceeding to CGH..
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QX5289U spotted at Lor 2 Toa Payoh @ 1158hrs
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Originally posted by lifelikedrama:
QX5289U spotted at Lor 2 Toa Payoh @ 1158hrs
u sure its QX5289U..
should be QX5299U instead..