Southern Discoveries puts safety first
Queenstown-based operator Southern Discoveries has installed emergency survival equipment in its fleet of coaches and other vehicles to ensure they're prepared for "any eventuality".
CEO Kerry Walker says each of the companies' five coaches has been equipped with long-life food, bottled water, purification tablets, emergency shelter, headlamps, ponchos, survival blankets, personal hygiene items, self-rescue backpacks and stretchers.
The coaches also have AEDs (automatic external defibrillators) and satellite communication devices with SOS and two-way texting functions.
The four-person survival backpacks will enable a driver or passengers from a stranded coach to evacuate themselves, Walker says.
The survival packs have also been put into nine other company vehicles, while 'grab and go' packs have been placed in staff housing in Milford Sound.
The $50,000 package of equipment has been specifically prepared for major earthquake events such as the Alpine Fault magnitude 8 (AF8) scenario.
Walker says it's the first tourism company operating in Milford Sound, and on the Queenstown-Milford bus route, to have this level of equipment in its coaches and support vehicles.
With up to 250 people in the coaches at a time, doing everything they can to ensure their customers' safety in a major seismic event is an "essential step".
Last Saturday night's magnitude 4.2 jolt was a "timely reminder that this sort of thing should never be far from our minds", she says.
"We operate in a region with significant seismic risks, so it's our responsibility to be prepared for any eventuality."
The company's investment in the gear is in line with a renewed focus on disaster preparedness by Milford Sound Tourism, Southland District Council and other tourism operators in the region, she says.
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