After dealing with numerous medical events and first aid situations at his workplace in a Dunedin supermarket, Operations Manager Tony Watts saw a need for privacy and shelter for patients during medical emergencies.

Tony searched the internet for a tool or product to provide this and came up blank. So, he teamed up with his fellow Operations Managers, Braedan Trompetter and Craig Latimer, to design and manufacture the First Aid Pod, an instant, pop-up shelter that is placed over a patient to provide guidance for first responders and emergency services, privacy from onlookers and shelter from the weather.

“With tens of thousands of customers coming through the door of our supermarket every week, we’ve witnessed many medical events. It was an ongoing issue that we couldn’t provide privacy, shelter or contain the area and we’ve watched our colleagues become flustered and in need of some basic first aid prompts,” Tony said.

First aid guidelines are printed inside the pod and on the reverse of the carry bag, providing guidance for first responders. The pod is floorless so can be easily moved and can be used both inside and outside and includes a 57-piece First Aid Kit.

Tony said they had sold the pod to supermarkets throughout NZ, construction companies, pools, gyms, councils, airports, schools, sports clubs and other retail stores. NZ Ski has agreed to trial the pod this winter on its ski fields and Dunedin company Workplace First Aid Training is also promoting it and using it in their courses.

Enterprise Dunedin has advised the company and Tony said they have been assigned a mentor to learn how to grow the company. They are about to launch the First Aid Pod into the USA using a local company that distributes New Zealand products world-wide on Amazon

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