Pictured left to right: Controllers Dave Finch, Lynn Hirst and Call Assessor Gareth Caine
Thursday 12th June 2014 – 3.10pm – Murray MacGregor.
The stadia are ready, the teams are ready, the fans are ready and so is West Midlands Ambulance Service for the greatest football show on earth.
The Trust, which is gearing up for a particularly busy period, is urging fans of all of the competing teams to make it a festival of football to remember, rather than one to forget.
Alcoholic drinks are expected to play a big part in social get-togethers during the tournament, with many people watching at home or in one of the region’s pubs and bars.
Acting Emergency Services Director, Nathan Hudson, said: “With England’s first match set to kick off at 11.00pm on Saturday night, the result could play a big part in just how busy the early hours of Sunday morning are.
“As everyone knows, that is a period when we are already very busy so we have put a number of additional measures in place to ensure we can cope with the potential for even more demand.
“A lot may depend on the result of the Italy match; whether fans are celebrating or commiserating.
“In many respects we are almost treating it like a ‘mini New Year’. We will have a number of extra ambulances, response vehicles and paramedic officers available to respond across all divisions. There will be additional staff in our two emergency operations centres in Stafford and Brierley Hill and our Gold co-ordination centre will be operating at headquarters.
“I am very grateful to staff for volunteering to work extra shifts at such a busy time when they could have been with friends and family watching the matches.”
Ends