Wellington Free Ambulance / Who We Are / Overview

Our Vision: To be pioneers of effective change for a better patient experience

Our Primary Purpose: To be the leading New Zealand ambulance service provider, passionate about delivering our free-to-the-patient high quality, community focused model of care.

Our Values: In our team we value: Passion, Openness, Caring, Integrity and Learning

An Incorporated Society run by its own board of management, Wellington Free Ambulance is an essential service provider, committed to providing the highest quality clinical care in emergency situations, pre-hospital care, transport and rescue services.

To provide this service WFA has over 200 staff, including 92 frontline paramedics, 35 paramedic volunteers, 40 managerial and administrative staff, and 44 emergency medical dispatchers.

Each year we assist over 48,000 patients (an average of more than 130 people per day) from our ten ambulance bases across the greater Wellington region.

WFA covers the area from just north of Waikanae, across to the top of the Rimutaka Hill and down to Cook Strait (approximately 4,000 kilometres), a population of approx. 420,000 people.

Technology

WFA maintains a position of leadership in the area of communications through investment in leading edge technology (for example GPS automatic vehicle locating), matched by highly trained communication staff.

In addition, our frontline ambulances are equipped with up-to-date equipment, to ensure that our paramedics continue to provide the highest quality of paramedical care.

Wellington Free Ambulance prides itself on being a future focussed organisation.

Liaison With Other Emergency Providers

WFA maintains very close relationships with other emergency service providers. Whenever the Westpac Rescue helicopter is called to assist in a medical or accident emergency, a WFA Paramedic is always on board to provide in-flight continuous medical care in addition to at scene assistance.

In 2005, WFA and St John established a joint venture company - Central Emergency Communications Ltd - to provide ambulance communication centre services as part of a project that has seen the eight ambulance communications centres in New Zealand reduced to three.

WFA also has an agreement with the NZ Fire Service where fire crews will be dispatched in life-threatening situations where they are able to the patient quicker than paramedics.

WFA maintains its own specially trained Rescue squad. This squad works closely with Police Search and Rescue and is used for any situation where patient recovery requires four wheel driving, rope or winching techniques. The squad responds to anything from off road car crashes, to construction site rescues, boats swept onto rocks and tramping search and rescue missions.

On the water WFA provides occasionally paramedic crewing to the Police launch, Lady Elizabeth and also joins New Zealand Coast Guard vessels for emergency work at sea.

WFA has a close working relationship with Police, New Zealand Fire Service, Airport Fire Service, Civil Defence, WEMO, WRC, Red Cross and neighbouring ambulance services.