Off Road Adventures owner Denis Collumb, of Queenstown, raised his concerns at a Queenstown adventure tourism forum attended by about 40 operators on Wednesday night.
He told the Otago Daily Times yesterday he had no faith in the police and ambulance services.
"They need to lift their game. We, as an industry, are being asked to be responsible but when we request services they don't always back us up."
Mr Collumb runs mountain-bike and four-wheel-drive tours around Otago.
He said it took emergency services one hour and forty minutes to send a helicopter to an incident in 2004 in which one of his clients broke three ribs and punctured a lung.
"I thought he was going to die while they mucked around."
Emergency services needed to trust operators who requested helicopter assistance in off-road incidents, instead of trying to send a car or ambulance first.
"They don't take the operators' word because we are not doctors but we wouldn't ask for a helicopter unless it was really needed," he said.
Sergeant Grahme Bartlett, of Queenstown, said he addressed Mr Collumb's concerns at the forum.
He said police followed protocol on how best to respond to 111 calls.
Sgt Bartlett gave a presentation at the forum on operators' documentation, maintenance and safety plans.
Wakatipu St John acting team manager Alana Reid, who also gave a presentation at the forum, told the ODT yesterday the police force was the "leading agency" in off-road emergencies.
"It is never easy making attendances off-road. Every attendance is different and depends on things like exactly where the person is, what their condition is, and the weather."
She said St John and the police were happy to work with the industry and operators were welcome to give advice on how to make services better.
Forum organiser and Destination Queenstown chairman Mark Quickfall, of Totally Tourism, said several agencies and specialists involved in safety operations and crisis management gave brief presentations on emergency responses.
It was an opportunity to share information and identify issues which could improve overall operating systems and safety.
"The lead-up to summer is a good time for operators to review their operation plans and their crisis management plans.
"The adventure industry is to undergo a safety review and we in Queenstown are very keen to ensure our operations are as safe as they possibly can be and that each and every operator has a full understanding of the responsibilities they face," he said.
It was a productive meeting and a positive move towards ensuring the Queenstown industry worked collectively.
Operators included jet-boat, paraponting, river surfing and aviation industry operators from Queenstown and Glenorchy.
"A range of speakers took everybody through the whole process of having a plan right through from start to finish - how to handle it if something went wrong, from liaising with police and the media to dealing with victims and the emergency services," he said.
The forum's speakers were representatives from the Tourism Industry Association New Zealand, Police, Search and Rescue and Safety Audits, St John, medical services, Victim Support, public relations and Destination Queenstown.
Queenstown Lakes District Council chief executive Duncan Field and safety officer Brendan Winder were present.
Queenstown Lakes Mayor Clive Geddes suggested the forum should meet annually.
The last forum was in 2001.
