St John Hato Hone said the recent road fatalities in Central Otago were deeply concerning, and management recognised the stress they had on its people in close knit communities, where first responders may have known those involved.

“Our thoughts are with everyone affected, including the families, friends, and first responders involved,” operations manager for Central Otago David Baillie said.

Central Otago’s deputy Mayor Neil Gillespie also spoke out about the toll that they had taken on local Fire and Emergency New Zealand volunteers.

The number of deaths on Central Otago roads was six in the past five weeks and police noticed both speed and alcohol were factors in some of the crashes - with three involving motorbikes.

A 60-year-old man appeared in the Alexandra District Court on Thursday charged with careless driving causing death and careless driving causing injury, following the crash that killed 65-year-old American woman Donna Marie Melcher on March 15 in Cromwell.

David said the well-being of its people has always been a top priority for St John, and its paramedics and other frontline staff were trained to provide life-saving care and compassionate support during the most difficult circumstances. 

“Our operations managers are the first line of support for their teams, ensuring they have access to the assistance they need. We provide Critical Incident Debriefs when required, alongside our Peer Support programme, which we have had since 1993.”

He said the peer support programme offered staff and volunteers confidential, professional, safe, and empathetic support from trained colleagues who understood the unique work they did within the organisation.

“Our Member Assistance Programme (MAP) also provides our people with access to independent and external professional counsellors and psychologists should they need them. It is designed to help and support our people, regardless of whether they are a volunteer or paid staff member.

“We have also developed dedicated Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for particularly traumatic callouts that notify the peer support team of attendance, which results in a proactive offer of support. 

“Additionally, we provide a dedicated Psychological Health and Wellbeing team to support pathways for those who need support and develop and deliver core educational material across the organisation. We encourage our people to use these services and support one another during these challenging times.” 

In terms of resourcing, he said the St John teams across Central Otago, including Cromwell and Alexandra, continued to respond with professionalism and dedication, ensuring emergency care was available when needed. 

“While staffing and resource pressures are an ongoing challenge across the health sector, we remain committed to maintaining our emergency response capability and supporting our people on the frontline.”