❓ A WA parliamentary question addresses road safety concerns related to St John Ambulance, including accident statistics, emergency driving permissions, and driver training standards. The response provides detailed information on these aspects.
AnsweredQoN 6027Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
I refer to the St John's Ambulance Service, and ask —
(1) How many traffic accidents have St John's ambulances been involved in during 2012 to date?
(2) How many of these accidents occurred during normal driving circumstances and how many were responding to emergency situations?
(3) What permission is required by St John's ambulance staff to exceed the speed limit, run red lights or go through stop signs and under what circumstances is this permission granted?
(4) What is the minimum level of driver training St John's paid paramedics are required to hold and are St John's volunteers required to have the same level of driver training?
(5) What on-the-job driver training does St John's provide for its paramedic staff and are there any plans to increase the level of driver training required?
(1) How many traffic accidents have St John's ambulances been involved in during 2012 to date?
(2) How many of these accidents occurred during normal driving circumstances and how many were responding to emergency situations?
(3) What permission is required by St John's ambulance staff to exceed the speed limit, run red lights or go through stop signs and under what circumstances is this permission granted?
(4) What is the minimum level of driver training St John's paid paramedics are required to hold and are St John's volunteers required to have the same level of driver training?
(5) What on-the-job driver training does St John's provide for its paramedic staff and are there any plans to increase the level of driver training required?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
25 September 2012
Responded by
Minister for Mental Health representing the Minister for Health
Response time
7 days
St John Ambulance (SJA) Service has provided the following information as at 19 September 2012.
(1) 17
(2) The number of "non-emergency" accidents is currently eight (8).
The number of "emergency" accidents is currently nine (9).
(3) No permissions are required. Ambulances responding to calls are expected to operate within the Road Traffic Code 2000. The exception to this is when responding to a Priority 1 call, or transporting a seriously ill patient under Priority 1 conditions. The part of the Road Traffic Code that allows this is as follows:
Section 281 - Exemption for drivers of emergency vehicles (other) A provision of these regulations does not apply to the driver of an emergency vehicle that is not being used for official duties by a police officer if - In the circumstances -
- The driver is taking responsible care; and
- It is reasonable that the provision should not apply;
AND
The vehicle is a motor vehicle that is moving and the vehicle is displaying a blue or red flashing light or sounding alarm.
SJA Ambulances are only permitted to drive under Priority 1 conditions following approval from the SJA State Operations Centre. The Road Traffic Act 1974 Section 60 allows for ambulances to travel about the speed limit under Priority 1 conditions, however officers must exercise reasonable care. There are also operational/organisational internal guidelines for an ambulances proceeding through Traffic Signals or stop signs while driving on a priority one.
(4) A "C" Class WA Driver's Licence.
(5) The training provided by SJA is aligned to the National Qualification Framework. The two units of competency staff complete are as follows:
HLTAMBT301B - Transport non-emergency clients under operational conditions
HLTAMBT402C - Transport emergency clients
Driver training is provided to the following current roles within SJA:
- Student Paramedics;
- Student Transport Officers;
- Volunteer Ambulance Officers; and
- Direct Entry (Previously Trained Paramedics) Ambulance Officers and Paramedics.
The following outlines the training provided and the qualifications code in terms of national standards for each relevant role within SJA.
Student Ambulance Officer Driver Training Course - HLTAMBT402C /HLTAMBT301B
Transport Officer Driver Training Course - HLTAMBT301B
Direct Entry Officer Driver Training Course - Aligned to units of competency but no units awarded - this is driving assessment and orientation to WA driving regulations - these students will have completed the units previously or an equivalent in their own country.
Volunteer Officer Driver Training Course - HLTAMBT402C / HLTAMBT301B
In addition to meeting the unit of competencies requirements, training is delivered for:
- Driving in regional areas at higher speeds;
- Driving on a variety of road surfaces including gravel roads;
- Driving at varying times of day;
- Night driving in regional areas;
- Underpinning knowledge covering Road Traffic Code Legislation for Driving in Emergency Conditions;
- Civil and Public Liability when driving under Emergency Conditions;
- Simulated emergency driving exercises to establish time differences by exceeding speed limits and negotiating blocked intersections;
- Road safety and vehicle safety system knowledge; and
- Seminar on risk homeostasis discussing impact of risk perception and task requirement on risk exposure and decision making.
There are no plans to increase driver training requirements at present.
Notice: This document is created or edited using unregistered or evaluation copy of rtLib valid for testing or development purposes only. To use it for productive or any other purposes please register it. You may purchase the license on
http://www.rtlib.com
(1) 17
(2) The number of "non-emergency" accidents is currently eight (8).
The number of "emergency" accidents is currently nine (9).
(3) No permissions are required. Ambulances responding to calls are expected to operate within the Road Traffic Code 2000. The exception to this is when responding to a Priority 1 call, or transporting a seriously ill patient under Priority 1 conditions. The part of the Road Traffic Code that allows this is as follows:
Section 281 - Exemption for drivers of emergency vehicles (other) A provision of these regulations does not apply to the driver of an emergency vehicle that is not being used for official duties by a police officer if - In the circumstances -
- The driver is taking responsible care; and
- It is reasonable that the provision should not apply;
AND
The vehicle is a motor vehicle that is moving and the vehicle is displaying a blue or red flashing light or sounding alarm.
SJA Ambulances are only permitted to drive under Priority 1 conditions following approval from the SJA State Operations Centre. The Road Traffic Act 1974 Section 60 allows for ambulances to travel about the speed limit under Priority 1 conditions, however officers must exercise reasonable care. There are also operational/organisational internal guidelines for an ambulances proceeding through Traffic Signals or stop signs while driving on a priority one.
(4) A "C" Class WA Driver's Licence.
(5) The training provided by SJA is aligned to the National Qualification Framework. The two units of competency staff complete are as follows:
HLTAMBT301B - Transport non-emergency clients under operational conditions
HLTAMBT402C - Transport emergency clients
Driver training is provided to the following current roles within SJA:
- Student Paramedics;
- Student Transport Officers;
- Volunteer Ambulance Officers; and
- Direct Entry (Previously Trained Paramedics) Ambulance Officers and Paramedics.
The following outlines the training provided and the qualifications code in terms of national standards for each relevant role within SJA.
Student Ambulance Officer Driver Training Course - HLTAMBT402C /HLTAMBT301B
Transport Officer Driver Training Course - HLTAMBT301B
Direct Entry Officer Driver Training Course - Aligned to units of competency but no units awarded - this is driving assessment and orientation to WA driving regulations - these students will have completed the units previously or an equivalent in their own country.
Volunteer Officer Driver Training Course - HLTAMBT402C / HLTAMBT301B
In addition to meeting the unit of competencies requirements, training is delivered for:
- Driving in regional areas at higher speeds;
- Driving on a variety of road surfaces including gravel roads;
- Driving at varying times of day;
- Night driving in regional areas;
- Underpinning knowledge covering Road Traffic Code Legislation for Driving in Emergency Conditions;
- Civil and Public Liability when driving under Emergency Conditions;
- Simulated emergency driving exercises to establish time differences by exceeding speed limits and negotiating blocked intersections;
- Road safety and vehicle safety system knowledge; and
- Seminar on risk homeostasis discussing impact of risk perception and task requirement on risk exposure and decision making.
There are no plans to increase driver training requirements at present.
Notice: This document is created or edited using unregistered or evaluation copy of rtLib valid for testing or development purposes only. To use it for productive or any other purposes please register it. You may purchase the license on
http://www.rtlib.com
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