It will be “all-systems go” for the St. John Ambulance Brigade come the next sporting event - even motocross.

Commissioner of the first-aid unit, Colonel Eugene Raynor, said yesterday they would not be deterred from duty by the unseemly incident that resulted in their departure from a Bermuda Motocross Club (BMC) meet on Sunday.

He disclosed that the St. John Ambulance Brigade had accepted apologies from the club and from Vaughan and Amanda Smith - the parents of an injured rider. The latter verbally abused the unit's personnel at the Coney Island track because they felt their son, Jonte, had not ben attended to in a timely manner.

However, though welcoming the apologies, Raynor supported his members' decision to leave but said any action against the offending parties would be left up to the BMC which is investigating the incident.

“How people have behaved is not going to affect our response to duties unless this becomes a frequent occurrence. We're not going to cancel our availability to anyone,” said Raynor.

“All I needed was to determine the facts and I am quite satisfied with our members' explanations of what went on. I completely endorse the fact that they decided, under the circumstances, to pick up and leave. There is no reason whatsoever for our members to sit and take abuse from people who are upset about something and who are very often misdirected and misinformed.”

The St. John Ambulance head was told by his members that they were already paying attention to a rider injured in the second race when Jonte Smith suffered a spill later in that same race. In addition, he noted that another St. John Ambulance crew had already left for hospital with a rider injured in the first race.

While committed to continued first-aid service, Raynor said his organisation would insist that when accidents occur at sporting meets - particularly motorsports - that the event be halted while St. John Ambulance volunteers give assistance.

This, he noted, would ensure the first aiders' safety as they go onto the track and also that there were no further accidents while the St. John Ambulance team were busy doing their duty.

“For the race to continue while we're attending to someone is dangerous. Apparently they were still racing (on Sunday) because around the other side of the track somebody else spilt. If the race had been stopped then maybe that other accident might not have taken place.

“We expect the race to stop and we will not shift from that position and the organisers must be prepared to do that,” said Raynor.

Stressing they work voluntarily, the commissioner said the public must appreciate that St. John Ambulance personnel sacrifice time to serve in that capacity.

He challenged the suggestion that a female member who was on duty on Sunday was “too old for the job” and only had an inexperienced cadet with her.

“That lady, regardless of her age, is a very experienced first aider and she has spent a lot of time on duty. She is an ambulance driver and she is a first-aid instructor and no way do we accept that she is not fit to be on duty. I reject that accusation.”

Raynor said the Smiths' beRaynor said the Smith's behaviour was “something that's becoming more and more prevalent” in society, particularly at sporting events, though what happened was not a situation St. John Ambulance Brigade members often faced.

“We (St. John) have not had many situations like that. We have been caught up in the middle of things at times when we have gone to assist somebody and there is a bit of aggro - as they call it - around that person. But it's not often that we are the targets,” he said.