>
The WORST seat at the Melbourne Cup: see the humiliating ‘drunken chair’ used to get over-gamers to safety
- St John Ambulance has long used the Ferno 2045 sedan at major events
- Can quickly drag gamblers who’ve had a few too many off the field to medical tents
- Melbourne Cup and other spring racing events are notorious for their drunken antics
- With 10,000 cap raised after Covid, chairs are expected to receive training
<!–
<!–
<!–<!–
<!–
<!–
<!–
Finding a seat at the Melbourne Cup is a tough task with 80,000 punters cramming into Flemington, but there’s one seat you don’t want to end up in.
St John Ambulance has been using a Ferno 2045 sedan for years to transport race goers who have grossly indulged in the event.
Nicknamed the ‘drunk chair’, every year a few hapless gamblers have to be strapped into a wheeled past friends and strangers to medical tents.
Often motionless and slumped in the rescue seat as they are evacuated, their humiliation is immortalized by the cameras of dozens watching.
St John Ambulance has used a Ferno 2045 sedan for years to transport race goers who have grossly indulged in the Melbourne Cup and other races (Stakes Day 2017 pictured)
Paramedics prepare seat for worse wear point at 2016 Geelong Cup
Those who are not distressed enough to need the seat are notoriously seen lying unconscious or worse for lying on the grass at the end of the day, or stumbling towards a taxi.
The device is used at events across Australia as a patient rescue device, but its most common use at the Melbourne Cup and other Spring Racing events is for drunks.
St. John already had the seat in use for Derby Day on Saturday and with the Carnival finally back to full capacity after being limited to 10,000 during the coronavirus pandemic, more people are expected to fall victim to the seat on Tuesday.
More follows the following Oaks Day on Thursday and Stakes Day on Saturday, along with other smaller dates on the calendar.
The lightweight chair ‘folds immediately ready for use’, mobilizing patients with ankle, thigh and chest straps to prevent them from falling out.
Those who are not distressed enough to need the seat are notoriously seen lying unconscious or worse for lying on the grass at the end of the day, or stumbling towards a taxi
Some models have retractable head extensions, flip-out footrests and storage compartments that swap headrests for patient belongings.
The version most often seen at the races sells for about $2,200 and one with a track for going up or down the stairs with ease costs about $4,000.
Ferno’s chairs can evacuate patients weighing up to 227 kg and move them up or down stairs.
The manufacturer advertises the device as ‘the need to lift the patient when descending, minimizing the risk of injury to the operator’.