Services in the Western Cape are offered by:

• METRO Services
• Red Cross Air Mercy Service
• First aid organisations

METRO provides a 24-hour emergency medical response for the rescue and transportation of the sick and injured to the nearest appropriate healthcare facility.

The Western Cape has a fleet of around 400 vehicles, including rescue vehicles, rapid response vehicles, patient transporters and ambulances. Each ambulance has two people trained to provide emergency medical care. The level of care provided is determined by the qualifications of the crew, which include basic life support, intermediate life support and advanced life support (paramedics). Specialist rescue qualifications equip the staff with the knowledge and skills needed to sort out complex medical rescue situations. The Health Professions Council of South Africa determines education and training standards for Emergency Care Personnel and requires that they be registered before being able to practise.

The medical emergency care response and the time taken to transport patients to hospitals depend on the complexity of the medical problem and the distance of the incident from the nearest facility.

People calling for assistance must provide the following essential information:

• the exact location of the incident, injury or illness
• the nature of the medical problem or rescue situation
• a call back number.

For an efficient service to continue, patient's rights must be balanced with patient's responsibility and people are asked to use ambulance services only when there is a real emergency.

The Red Cross Air Mercy Service is used to transport sick people over long distances by air to Cape Town's three tertiary hospitals. The service cannot be used directly by members of the public and can only be accessed by public health professionals.

First Aid organisations including St John Ambulance, SA Red Cross Society Western Cape and SA First Aid League give back-up assistance to Metro services and give first aid at sporting and cultural events.

Volunteers are an important part of the service and there are volunteer groups in towns throughout the Western Cape. These groups can be contacted through the ambulance services in all four regions (see numbers below).

If you want to be a volunteer contact the Pinelands Division of the service on 021 511 5154 and ask for the co-ordinator of the volunteer groups. Usually you will be interviewed and then once you have joined as a volunteer you will be taken out on ambulance calls. You will be required to attend Level I, 2, and 3 first aid courses given by paramedics. In addition, you may be sent for short courses at the Academy of Emergency Medical Care at the Cape Technikon. The courses involve basic, intermediate and advanced life support.

• St John Ambulance: tel 021 461 8420, a/h emergency tel 021 423 3333
• SA Red Cross Society Western Cape: tel 021 797 5360, email redxcape@iafrica.com
• SA First Aid League: tel 021 948 6294.