IMS Ambulance Services

[360Joules]

Another one spotted out and about...... IMS Ambulance Services a Division of Industrial medic Services....

http://www.imssa.com.au/index.html

[disOrderly]

I saw one at work today and noticed it had amber lights where there would be red and blues (I can't see when they would need to use those lights anyway) and it has NON-EMERGENCY AMBULANCE written in big white writing on the back window.

At least they aren't posing.

[medic]

have they started patient transport already. Where are you seeing them I have not seen them yet

[disOrderly]

They pulled into our Ambo bay at the RAH the other week.

[360Joules]

 

[bajdas]

Saw an impressive looking IMS Patient Transport, Mercedes vehicle out the fronmt of Flinders Private Hospital yesterday morning.

White vehicle with large dark blue areas of alternate colour. White & yellow flashers. No ambulance wording on vehicle. Advertising of 24/7 service with website address on side of vehicle.

Did not see inside of vehicle.

[disOrderly]

Haha, I reckon I saw that unit driving towards the FPH on Main South Rd as I was driving back to Flinders Sturt Campus uni from the Maccas just past FMC.

[VollyAmbo]

In last weekends Advertiser employment section.... Looks like they are getting some work in patient transport and also doing quite a few events around the state. Drove past their HQ on Payneham Road the other day and in addtion to several holden commodoore marked vehicles they also have 3 marked up merc ambulances also.

QUALIFIED AND PROFESSIONAL INDIVIDUALS WITH A MINIMUM CERT IV BASIC
EMERGENCY CARE / EMERGENCY MEDICAbout the Job
IMS AMBULANCE SERVICES

IMS is a licensed provider of Non-Emergency Ambulance and Patient
Transport Services in SA.

Applications from qualified and professional individuals with a minimum Cert IV Basic Emergency Care /Cert IV Health Care (Ambulance) or Cert IV Emergency Medical Technician qualification to join our growing team and undertake low acuity patient transport.

Base salary $42,000 plus shift allowances and penalties. Regular overtime
anticipated.

Ambulance Officers (SAAS ATS/PTS & Volunteers) are encouraged to apply.

Candidates will be required to obtain a National Police Clearance.

Send you cover letter, CV and copy of qualifications to:-

IMS Ambulance Services Pty Ltd,
PO Box 244 PROSPECT SA 5082.

Email: admin@imssa.com.au

 
 
 
 
 

[Para101]

the lights (amber and white) are for if they go onto an "industrial" site just like when you see a bob cat on a building site, they too have to display them selves very very very very brightly!

[disOrderly]

Well that makes sense!

[rescue5271]

IMS are also now doing LIFE SUPPORT and other training courses here in the SE at the local country hospitals and their IMS ambulance has done a couple of patient transfers. It  has been suggest that IMS  should look at having  a transfer ambulance here in the SE that way local crews can just deal with emergency calls...

[disOrderly]

That is probably a good idea because transfers do make up a lot of the vollies work. Sometimes these volunteer crews get stuck in the city. For example, all the volunteer stations apart from Strath were stuck in the city one day and they had to cover from Mt Barker to Goolwa.

[Para101]

sounds like the SE is going to be a flooded market, i dont understand the life support comment, ALS  is apart of BEC IV or CERT IV in Health theres not much new there, and at the end of the day if a pt crashes in the back of there truck they still have to call SAAS because its no longer a transfer its now an emergency

[misterteddy]

Para 101....you're obviously not one  ....ALS is not a part of either of the Cert IV courses, with the small exception of LMA placement.

ALS think manual defibrillation, IV drug therapy, advanced arrhythmia recognition etc etc....NOT part of the AO suite of skills.

ALS is a part of the Diploma qualification

[Para101]

play nice misterteddy, there are alot of cert IV out there who have learnt alot more than just lma's, as for the dip u have to ask why have they scrapped it if its so great!!

[Para101]

oh yea i almost forgot para101 referes to the fact im still learing the way of the SAAS 

[disOrderly]

There are a lot of reasons to get rid of the diploma. The biggest one I can think of is professional recognition and wages. When you have degrees you can have things like ACAP too.

Obviously the diploma would have had it's advantages too.

[kellyp]

Re  IMS Ambulance and or any other Private Service...

With respect to the IMS vehicles having Amber Lights is because the are doing only Low Acuity.
Any ambulance vehicle (PTV or other) should be equipped with either RED or RED & BLUE emerg lights. While they are not an Emergency Ambulance as such they do transport patients on stretchers who are transported because they are ill. Having said that the very thought of an ill person becoming an emergency patient would suggest that the PTV ambulances be fitted with RED or RED & BLUE lights for the very purpose of (1) Identification to SAAS (2) The need to transport to save life in the city (if safe to do so and after contacting SAAS)if less than 10 minutes  away from an hospital emergency department (3) If in the country and the need to transport becomes evident to save life. No one in their right mind should suggest anything else. The Red & Blues are for the safety of personnel and patients alike (if a vehicle is stopped and attending to a patient)one needs the security that twits on the road will give plenty of clearance and the SAAS can see them. They are not Emergency Ambulances but Restricted Ambulances (which means they do not do emerg callouts)and SAAS should not be doing PTV work which includes the vollies. Consider a situation where one has a close relative having a cardy and the SAAS is on a PTV job. Excuse me, do you not think that the patient is a little more important than the bickering regarding who should have Red & Blues. If anyone with clout is reading this they should take particular note that an Restricted Ambulance is an Ambulance not a toy with stripes.

Regards

Kellyp

I saw one at work today and noticed it had amber lights where there would be red and blues (I can't see when they would need to use those lights anyway) and it has NON-EMERGENCY AMBULANCE written in big white writing on the back window.

At least they aren't posing.

[misterteddy]

Re  IMS Ambulance and or any other Private Service...

With respect to the IMS vehicles having Amber Lights is because the are doing only Low Acuity.
Any ambulance vehicle (PTV or other) should be equipped with either RED or RED & BLUE emerg lights. While they are not an Emergency Ambulance as such they do transport patients on stretchers who are transported because they are ill. Having said that the very thought of an ill person becoming an emergency patient would suggest that the PTV ambulances be fitted with RED or RED & BLUE lights for the very purpose of (1) Identification to SAAS (2) The need to transport to save life in the city (if safe to do so and after contacting SAAS)if less than 10 minutes  away from an hospital emergency department (3) If in the country and the need to transport becomes evident to save life. No one in their right mind should suggest anything else. The Red & Blues are for the safety of personnel and patients alike (if a vehicle is stopped and attending to a patient)one needs the security that twits on the road will give plenty of clearance and the SAAS can see them. They are not Emergency Ambulances but Restricted Ambulances (which means they do not do emerg callouts)and SAAS should not be doing PTV work which includes the vollies. Consider a situation where one has a close relative having a cardy and the SAAS is on a PTV job. Excuse me, do you not think that the patient is a little more important than the bickering regarding who should have Red & Blues. If anyone with clout is reading this they should take particular note that an Restricted Ambulance is an Ambulance not a toy with stripes.

Regards

Kellyp

I saw one at work today and noticed it had amber lights where there would be red and blues (I can't see when they would need to use those lights anyway) and it has NON-EMERGENCY AMBULANCE written in big white writing on the back window.

At least they aren't posing.

actually, it has nothing to do with what you think is right Kelly......it's governed by law. Those people operating on a public road have to follow the NAtional legislation for the use of warning and hazard lights. Those on private property (ie mine sites) can please themselves

[AirWick]

Ambo friend of mine said one of the private ambulance companies winding up their SA operations heading back interstate.

Was in Tasmania a few weeks ago seeing a relative in hospital and saw St. Johns running a commercial patient transport business unit in addition to first aid volunteers. Wonder if that will happen here?

[kellyp]

Hello again,
Please do not take offence at my reply.
I have been trying to find details of the National legislation regarding ambulances and lights. however, each state has it own laws governing lights and sirens and would only use any National Legislation as a template for their own state.
My comment was not meant to deride the state or national law but to bring to the attention of your members that private PTV's offer the service that Emergency units should not be doing (general patient transport) and thats that. The private PTV's do everything that is required (and more in some cases) to ensure a patient is transported in the safest and caring manner and should ever the unthinkable occur then the private PTV's are capable and should have backup from the state emergency services plus SAAS and Red or Red  & Blue lights would assist in locating the PTV. Yellow lights are for the breakdown vehicles, rubbish truck and the like. Hardly for ambulance (emergency or not). Imagine an incident occurring on the highway, there are vehicles attending (all with yellow lights) and a PTV's is on site attending with yellow or none. Time is of the essence in any life threatening situation and for any ambulance to searching for the target is a waste of time. A coroners court is not a nice place to argue the merits of national laws or who has what colour emergency lights.

[FlameTrees]

To be a medical vehicle and be able to use red and blue lights, you have to be able to be registered as an ambulance vehicle.

This means you have to have a certain level of stowage, as well as the authority to be able to operate as such to meet registration (vehicle) requirements. St John pass this under current legislation. Private enterprises at this time do not (hence why they dont have red & blue lights, but I bet there are plenty of spare lens covers sitting in storage somewhere).

As for the Coroner's court, argue all you like. Law is law. I would contend that if we allowed every company to use red & blues, we will have a parade of them up and down King William St every day. Wait till a private company cleans up some poor unsuspecting motorist THEN watch the fireworks in the Coroners Court!

[kellyp]

To be a medical vehicle and be able to use red and blue lights, you have to be able to be registered as an ambulance vehicle.
Well Well,

While I do not profess to know all rules and regulations pertaining to operational ambulances, I do know that the private PTV are equipped to National Ambulance Standards and could possibly embarrass the B/Whites with staowage/equipment/expertise. This is not a fighting match about who is better than who but we all do have to remember that any company that applies for a SA licence must adhere to the SA Government licencing requirements. There is no excuse for failure, it matters not what a law states when human life becomes a liability. Private licensed PTV's work with and alongside government ambulance services in other states of Australia and will do so in SA providing much needed transport relief in many multiple emergency situations, (remember government ambulances are equipped with only a single stretcher) with additional ambulance beds to transport triaged patients to hospital ED's allowing government ambulance crews to concentrate on the serious emergency patients. There will never be enough ambulances in SA or any other state of Australia and while negative attitudes persist in the wonderful state of SA and the failings of former black and whites (commonly mentioned in these columns as Jack's) SA in its absolute glory will never get ahead and become the most inventive and skilled operational ambulance service in Australia.
With regard to parading down Willaim Street, this laughable to even suggest that private PTV's would even consider same let alone with red and blues. The private PTV's are fully aware what their independent licinse allows and they will never be first line emergency vehicles.

regards
 Kellyp

[AirWick]

Maybe the Non Emergency companies have made a choice to use yellow warning lights?
Obviously there isn't a restrictiction because St. Johns is a licensed NEPT operator and they have been spotted this week with red/blue ligjts and sirens. Likewise I saw a defence force patient transport ambulance the other day and they hade red & blue lights also.

[kellyp]

Hello,

With reference to the St Johns and the Defence Dept having red and blue emerg lights.

Defence Dept (ADF) are exempt from state law and are classed as an ambulance service in all states.
St Johns on the hand have the grandfather clause in their stead and will probably be licensed to High Acuity status. See other articles in these columns.

The use of Amber Lights is because the service is probably licensed for Low Acuity patient transfers.

The NEPT that went back to Victoria is probably the one that has a winding up order on them and or have been liquidated.