Tuesday 11th November 2012 – 6.57pm – Murray MacGregor.
Ambulance crews are gearing up for one of the busiest weekends of the year, but are asking for the public’s help.
While thousands of people across the West Midlands will be enjoying their Christmas parties, ambulance staff will be working harder than ever to deal with the expected increase in patient numbers.
This week, the Trust is putting out upwards of 20% more ambulance vehicles at peak times than it would normally do.
WMAS Medical Director, Dr Andy Carson, said: “We know from previous experience that the two weekends before Christmas are extremely busy for us.
“We hope that everyone out celebrating has a great time, but would ask that you look out for your friends and work colleagues to ensure that everyone gets home safely at the end of the night.
“The cold weather this week will adversely affect people that have had too much to drink. Sadly, the reality is that in the past we have seen a number of people that have had too much to drink suffer from hypothermia after falling asleep outside.
“The service also receives an increase in calls to those people who have slipped over and hurt themselves. We also see people who have been injured after misunderstandings have turned to violence.
“If you are going out this weekend, please look out for your mates and ensure that it really is a Happy Christmas.”
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