New 24/7 Ambulance Service for St Francis Bay

Calibre Security and The Grand Comoros Retirement Estate are thrilled to announce a groundbreaking partnership with Gardmed Ambulance Service. From November 2024, a dedicated Gardmed ambulance will be permanently stationed in St. Francis Bay, offering 24/7 emergency medical response to our community. 

To celebrate this milestone, Paul Middleton of Calibre Security, Bouke Kooiker of The Grand Comoros, and Dave Gardner of Gardmed came together for a photoshoot with paramedics, response officers, and ambulance staff. The excitement was palpable as this much-needed service, which has been in high demand, is finally becoming a reality for the St. Francis Bay community. “We are incredibly grateful to our clients for their continued support in helping us bring this essential service to life,” said Middleton, Kooiker and Gardner in a joint statement. 

The Grand Comoros 24 hour medical facility has already been built and will form the base from which Gardmed ambulance service will conduct their operations in St Francis Bay area. The facilities which were originally designed to cater for 24hr nursing for residents within the estate will now also house the  highly trained paramedics and life support team from Gardmed. ‘We are extremely happy with the collaboration with Gardmed and Calibre as is not only gives our residents more peace of mind, but is a huge boost for the greater St Francis area’ says Kooiker. Plans are to have the medical facility up and running by November 2024. 

As part of this initiative, all Calibre response officers and control room operators will undergo Level 3 first aid training. This will ensure that in the event of a medical emergency, our team can provide initial assistance and, if needed, triage patients before paramedics arrive. Should an emergency arise, clients are advised to contact the Calibre Control Room at 076 278 7205, where an operator will coordinate with response officers and dispatch the ambulance if necessary. 

 

Ambulance Service Costs 

Clients with medical aid plans that include ambulance cover will have the service fully covered. For those whose plans do not include ambulance response, or for clients without medical aid, a reduced rate will be applied as follows: 

 

From St. Francis Bay to Humansdorp Hospital

Level of Care	Client Reduced Rate		Standard Medical Aid Rate
Basic Level Service		R2,000	R2,850
Intermediate Level Service	R2,800		R3,750
Advanced Level Service	R3,500		R5,200

 

From St. Francis Bay to Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)

Level of Care	Client Reduced Rate	Standard Medical Aid Rate
Basic Level Service	R3,500	R5,050
Intermediate Level Service	R4,500	R6,600
Advanced Level Service	R5,500	R8,550

 

Levels of Medical Care Explained: 

• Basic Life Support (BLS): The lowest level of care, suitable for non-life-threatening situations. Staff provide minimal intervention and basic first aid. 

• Intermediate Life Support (ILS): Medics are qualified to administer treatments such as IV fluids and ECG monitoring. 

• Advanced Life Support (ALS): Staff are highly trained, qualified to administer advanced medical procedures, including intubation and the administration of schedule 6 drugs like morphine.
  

This new service represents a significant enhancement to emergency medical care in St. Francis Bay, and we are proud to offer our clients peace of mind with the knowledge that help is always just a phone call away. 

For more information, contact Calibre Security at 042 294 0038.