The GVK-Emergency Management and Research Institute (EMRI) ‘108’ Ambulance Service has its fleet on high alert across the State to ensure quick response to road accidents during New Year revelry and minimise the loss of lives.
B. Prabhudoss, Regional Manager (Tamil Nadu), ‘108’ GVK-EMRI Ambulance Service, told The Hindu on Monday that vehicles would be deployed closer to accident hotspots, which have been mapped based on the accident figures of previous years.
He urged people to avoid using mobile phones to the extent possible between 12 a.m. and 12.20 a.m. when network congestion would be at its highest and also the time when probability of accidents was the maximum. Keeping the network free would help emergency calls to go through.
‘Avoid drunken drive’Youngsters were also requested to not only refrain from drinking and driving, but to avoid travelling in vehicles driven by persons in an inebriated condition. Those coming across accidents should call the ‘108’ helpline immediately. Vehicles usually stationed on the outskirts of cities would be deployed near places of public revelry such as the Nehru Stadium and VOC Park.
Nearly ten per cent of the total 692 ambulances would normally be unavailable at any given time. All scheduled service and maintenance works for ambulances have been postponed now to ensure the maximum number of vehicles were available during New Year.
The emergency service had a total fleet of 692 vehicles in Tamil Nadu, of which 30 were four-wheel drives deployed in hilly areas and another 37 were neo-natal ambulances.
Coimbatore district had 26 ambulances of which one was neo-natal and two were four wheel drives deployed at Valparai. The Nilgiris district, which comes under Coimbatore, had 17 ‘108’ ambulances of which eight were four-wheel drives and one was neo-natal, he said.
Further, the GVK-EMRI 108 call centre at Chennai would also be fully staffed to respond to maximum number of calls. While usually it received around 16,000 calls per day, this Deepavali saw more than 22,000 being made to the helpline.
Mr. Prabhudoss said that as the mobile phone networks were likely to be congested between 11.55 p.m. and 12.30 a.m. on New Years’ eve, ambulances would be deployed near police stations to get alerts on accidents via police wireless network.
