Mick Wilson on duty (Image: Ambulance Service of NSW)

NEITHER the helicopter nor the winch involved in a fatal rescue mission on Christmas Eve was to blame for the death of the paramedic Mick Wilson.

But the transport safety bureau’s investigation has now moved to examine the conduct, experience level and processes used by all rescue workers involved in the accident.

Mr Wilson, 42, died after an attempt to rescue two canyoners from Carrington Falls, south of Wollongong. He was one of two specialist paramedics and a doctor on the ambulance helicopter responding to an emergency locator beacon set off in the rugged terrain just before 5pm on Saturday, December 24.

A Chatswood man had triggered the beacon after a friend, an overseas visitor, had fallen while canyoning.

It is understood that with the injured canyoner strapped to him, Mr Wilson stepped off a cliff and swung into the ravine so the pair could be winched up into the helicopter.

But they crashed into a cliff face opposite and fell some distance, Mr Wilson being pinned between his patient and a rock wall.

Both men had to be lowered to the ravine floor, police said, where the helicopter team was forced to cut the winch line. It is understood that was done because Mr Wilson was unable to free himself from the wire.

He died soon after from internal injuries.

Yesterday, the safety bureau released a preliminary update to their investigation, having conducted ”a number of interviews with the involved crew and canyoners” in the days following the accident.

”The investigation has established that there was no anomaly with the helicopter or its winch with the potential to have contributed to the accident,” the statement said.

”In addition, it has been determined that the winch cable was manually severed by the crew following the accident. That action was taken in order for the helicopter to depart the accident site and return to its base.”

Investigators had also recovered the helicopter’s flight data and cockpit voice recorders, or ”black boxes”, and downloaded the crucial moments.

The bureau’s investigation is continuing and will ”examine the planning and conduct of the winching operation, together with the qualifications and experience of the involved personnel and the operator’s policy and procedures”.

Gympie Breastfeeding Association group leader Rachel Coull has invited paramedic Rod Klein to check and fit child restraints. (Image: Gympie Times)

PARAMEDIC Rod Klein is a man on a mission – not unlike that of water safety champion Laurie Lawrence.

Children’s safety while travelling in vehicles is paramount to Mr Klein, who discovered, alarmingly, that two in three child restraints are not fitted properly.

He has responded by providing parents in the Gympie region with free car seat checks and fittings after discovering there was a two- to three-month wait for the Queensland Ambulance Service to provide the service.

An expectant mother who contacted Mr Klein said she had been told the next available child restraint fitting with QAS was March 8.

Due to give birth in a fortnight, the woman turned to Mr Klein for help, as did the Gympie branch of the Australian Breastfeeding Association.

Group leader Rachel Coull invited him to the association’s next meeting on Wednesday to check and fit child restraints and give a safety talk as well as a question and answer session.

About 12 car seats will be checked on the day and nine spots are still available.

Non-members are welcome to take advantage of this free service from 8.30-11.30am. For more information, phone Mrs Coull on 0403 304 114.

“It comes down to the right straps in the right places. They can’t be twisted and need to be correctly fastened,” Mr Klein said.

“Of the 20 child restraints I have checked in the past 12 months, only one in three was fitted correctly.”

If time isn’t on your side, Mr Klein recommends getting your child restraint fitted by New Age Mechanics on Bonnick Rd.

He said people were being incorrectly told that the closest service other than QAS was Caloundra.

“It’s a lot cheaper here in Gympie than in Caloundra. People don’t have to travel all that way.”

RACQ and the Gympie Hospital recommend Mr Klein to their clients, but he refuses to take any payment, instead offering it to the community on a volunteer basis.

He does it in his own time, using his own tools and car.

“As long as the people purchase their own car seat and live in the area, I’m happy to do it,” he said.

Although Australia’s bid for registration is completely independent, documentation and information from the New Zealand experience can help to inform us.  Provided below are a series of documents that have been influential in New Zealand’s progress towards registration.

• NZ registration forum sessions
• NZ registration booklet
• NZ Review of the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act
• Senate report on Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency

For further information regarding the New Zealand registration experience visit their WEBSITE.

To find out how to get involved in Australia’s bid for registration, contact the PA Policy Advisor ray@bange.net.au">Ray Bange.

Image: Blue Mountains Gazette

A preliminary report has been released into the death of an elite paramedic in the New South Wales’ Southern Highlands on Christmas Eve.

Mick Wilson, 41, was being winched to an injured canyoner at Carrington Falls on December 24 when the cable was cut and the paramedic fell to his death.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau says it has completed examinations into the helicopter and winch and found that neither could have contributed to the accident.

It has also completed interviews with the crew and witnesses and recovered data from the helicopter’s voice recorders.

It says the investigation is continuing and will now look at ropes and other equipment used during the attempted rescue.

The entire winching operation, along with the experience and qualifications of those involved, will also be investigated.

The final report is not expected to be released until January 2013.

The first session is a meeting of the Centre, entitled “Developing an Education Strategy for Disaster Healthcare Professionals”.

See information poster with details HERE

Later in the day, Prof. Kevin Davies will run an interactive workshop on collaborative responses to disasters, involving a disaster scenario where participants will make decisions based on geographic, socio-economic and disease profiles of a hypothetical country.

See information poster with details HERE

Please RSVP to these sessions via email to: sonminspiration@flinders.edu.au

- Wednesday 4^th April, 2012
- Wednesday 6^th June, 2012
- Wednesday 1^st August, 2012 – Annual Chapter Meeting
- Wednesday 3^rd October, 2012
- Wednesday 5^th December, 2012

Meetings are held at 1900 on the 1st Wednesday bi-monthly at Eastwood.

If you have skills in web page management, organising conferences and presentations, marketing, graphic design, minute taking or any other skills youd like to offer, we’d love to hear from you.

If you would like to attend, please email chapter Secretary James Pearce at james.pearce@paramedics.org.au at least 1 week prior to the meeting so visitors passes and catering can be arranged.

The RHCE2 program, funded by the Australian Government through the Department of Health and Ageing, supports qualified health professionals working in rural and remote Australia to undertake continuing professional development and inter-professional learning activities – see the RHCE2 website http://rhce.ruralhealth.org.au/.

RHCE2 is being administered for the Department by the National Rural Health Alliance for three years (April 2010-June 2013). Total funds available for RHCE2 project grants are approximately $630,000 per annum, with the final round in the 2012-13 Financial Year. Information on the allocation of grants in Rounds One and Two is at http://rhce.ruralhealth.org.au/grant-allocation

RHCE2 grants are available for organisations and groups of individuals to access, develop and/or provide continuing professional development (CPD), continuing professional education (CPE), multi-disciplinary training or inter-professional learning (IPL) and orientation activities that meet the needs of:

• nurses and midwives;
• allied health professionals;
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workers; and
• general practitioners

practising in rural and remote areas of Australia.
The RHCE2 program will support cost-effective training that can encourage increased collaboration between professions and support the attraction and retention of health professionals in rural and remote areas.

For full details, see the Guidelines page of the RHCE2 website . Please read the guidelines carefully before applying online for a grant.

Successful applications in the third round will give priority to projects that clearly demonstrate how they will fill gaps in continuing professional development and inter-professional learning in rural and remote areas.
Applications should provide evidence about how the work to be undertaken will encourage inter-professional learning and teamwork in health services – and how it can impact positively on workforce retention.

Multiple applications will be accepted but no single entity will receive more than one grant. To access the online Application form click on the following link http://rhce.ruralhealth.org.au/apply

Support can only be provided for programs that are:

• accredited and/or endorsed by the relevant professional body or bodies;
• directly relevant to the current employment of intended program participants in a rural or remote area; and
• delivered in Australia.

The Alliance would like you to circulate the above information soon through your organisation’s newsletters, email broadcasts or other publications to allow interested organisations and groups as much time as possible to prepare and submit their applications.

If you have any comments or questions regarding the information above, please contact the RHCE2 Program Manager, Wendy Downs, on (02) 6162 3374 or 1800 987 440 or email rhce@ruralhealth.org.au

The consultation will be a once-only opportunity to demonstrate that paramedics are healthcare professionals able to provide advanced medical services within the community (nationally and internationally) across a range of inter-professional practice settings.

Paramedics Australasia has been at the forefront in seeking appropriate regulatory systems under the AHPRA framework for health practitioners.  The primary objectives are public safety and the recognition of individual fitness to practice, independent from any association with a private or public healthcare service or EMS provider.

On this occasion your active participation will be absolutely vital in one of the most significant developments in paramedic practice of recent times.  It is not enough for Paramedics Australasia and other groups to make submissions. A groundswell of support is needed, and every individual who believes that they are worthy of the role and title of a professional paramedic should become involved.

Past consultations into registration and health workforce issues have typically involved three options: (1) the provision of on-line surveys; (2) a call for submissions with 30-60 days to respond; and (3) a workshop run at a number of locations with participants generally limited to 25-30 to enable a workshop format based on a discussion document.  So there will likely be three opportunities for you to participate.

If you need more information about regulation and registration there is considerable material available from which you can draw information. Much of that is available on the PA website. Start reading now because written submissions will likely be needed by April (PA is currently seeking further details on the timetable).

By way of comparison, New Zealand (through Ambulance New Zealand) lodged an application for registration of paramedics in October 2011. There are approximately 4000 people working in the sector of whom some 3000 are volunteers and 800 are paramedics including those who work as medics in the NZDF.

Over 900 people attended the NZ consultation sessions and focus groups. An online survey was sent to all ambulance officers and NZDF medics with around 40% responding – 2119 people viewed it, 1709 completed some of the questions and 1341 completed all of the questions. Those who responded were a mixture of paid and volunteer people drawn from a variety of practice levels, a wide range of locations and varying lengths of service as an ambulance officer or medic.

On that basis the response from Australian paramedics and related personnel should exceed 3000 or 4000 persons answering any on-line survey and seeking participation in any consultation sessions. On this occasion, as never before, paramedics need to stand up and be counted. We are talking about public safety and the future of the profession.

It is notable that in New Zealand the submission for registration was developed and submitted on behalf of paramedics by the Trustees of Ambulance New Zealand – which represents the ambulance sector comprising the major employers.  Employers and government in New Zealand have recognised the importance of independent registration.

Registration is something that is particular to the individual and separate from the infrastructure of an EMS provider or employers (which employ registered professionals). Registration involves personal fitness-to-practice, while the other is related to infrastructure support and restrictions on service delivery to create an orderly and efficient system of EMS delivery (as outlined in Ambulance Acts).

The consultation responses thus need to focus on the paramedic as a professional practitioner and the registration requirements that are necessary to ensure public safety and the public interest in that context.

While everyone is urged to participate in the forthcoming exercise through one or other mechanism, I hope that some of you will contribute even more significantly through accepting the challenge of becoming part of the core team that will respond to the consultation exercise. If you wish to do that, please drop a line to the PA policy consultant Ray Bange (ray@bange.net.au) or the Secretary Les Hotchin (secretary@paramedics.org.au) who will be pleased to hear from you. But do that now to ensure you are kept up to date with developments.

This exercise transcends jurisdictional boundaries and recognises the international dimensions of paramedic practice as a discrete professional field of endeavour. It is something that must involve all paramedics. It’s your future – and that’s where you’re going to spend the rest of your life.

Ian Patrick
President – Paramedics Australasia

Dr Oxer was awarded an ASM in 2002 and is a Fellow of Paramedics Australasia.  Congratulations!

Just some of his achievements are:

• Medical Director, Hyperbaric and Underwater Medicine Unit, Fremantle Hospital, 1989-1998;
• Emeritus Consultant, Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine, since 2002.
• Consultant Specialist, Anaesthetics and Intensive Care Medicine, Fremantle Hospital, 1975-1998.
• Past Chair, Australian Resuscitation Council.
• Past Chair, Australian and New Zealand Hyperbaric Medicine Group.
• Member, Trauma Committee, Western Australian State Government.
• Member, Trauma Committee, Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (WA).
• Former Committee Member, Western Australian Branch, Aviation Medical Society of Australia and New Zealand.
• Medical Consultant, St John Ambulance Western Australia, since 2002; Member, State Executive, since 2006.
• President, St John Ambulance Historical Society of Australia, since 2005; Inaugural Committee Member, since 2001.
• Medical Director, until 2002.
• Senior Lecturer, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Western Australia.
• Medical Director/Board Member, Medical Developments International, since 2002.

This year’s Australia Day recipients are:

• Dr Ronald Manning ASM (NSW)
• Ms Maureen Roberts ASM (NSW)
• Dr Andrew Bacon ASM (VIC)
• Mr Bryan Cass ASM (VIC)
• Mr Stephen Humphreys ASM (VIC)
• Mr Ian Jarvie ASM MPA (VIC)
• Mr Daniel McGennisken ASM (VIC)
• Mr Mark Rogers ASM MPA (VIC)
• Mrs Michelle Baxter ASM MPA (QLD)
• Ms Deidree Whap ASM (QLD)
• Mr Christopher Gleisinger ASM (WA)
• Mr Julian Smith ASM (WA)
• Ms Pamela Tennant ASM (WA)
• Mr Malcolm Hancock ASM (SA)
• Mr David Tingey ASM MPA (SA)
• Mr Desmond Lane ASM (TAS)
• Mr Michael McKay ASM MPA (NT)

Committee Meeting

When: Friday 10 February 2012
Time: 1pm – 3pm
Where: Room D343, Whitireia New Zealand, Wineera Drive,  Porirua

Open Meeting – All those who are interested In PA New Zealand are warmly invited

When: Friday 10 February 2012
Time: 4pm-5:30 pm; Plus socialising to follow…!
Where: Room D343, Whitireia New Zealand, Wineera Drive, Porirua

Ph (04) 237 3100 xtn 3957

Staff and volunteers from the Queensland Fire and Rescue Service (QFRS), Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS) and Emergency Management Queensland (EMQ) were yesterday announced as award recipents on the Australia Day 2012 Honours List.

Emergency Services Minister Neil Roberts said the honours list provided national and formal recognition for those Australians who make a significant difference to their communities.

“I am proud to recognise the nine Department of Community Safety staff and volunteers who were included in this year’s honours list and will receive the Australian Fire Service Medal (AFSM), the Emergency Service Medal (EMS) or the Ambulance Service Medal (ASM),” Mr Roberts said.

“It is the commitment and professionalism of these people which has helped to establish national and international reputations in the field of emergency management.”

Mr Roberts congratulated the five QFRS staff and volunteers who were announced as Queensland re cipients of the AFSM.

The AFSM recognises distinguished service by a member of an Australian Fire Service who is seen to have demonstrated a high degree of service and devotion to duty in a particular situation, or in special duties above and beyond normal work responsibilities.

“QFRS Assistant Commissioner for North Coast Region John Watson will receive the AFSM for outstanding service and exceptional contribution most notably as a leader following the Childers Backpacker Hostel fire in 2000, the Tilt Train disaster in 2003 and following Tropical Cyclone Larry in 2006,” he said.

Mr Roberts also recognised Rural Fire Service (RFS) volunteers Ian Birbeck, Anthony Perna, Brian Clerk and Charles Smith (deceased) who were awarded the AFSM for their outstanding commitment and tireless dedication in their desire to assist and support the their local communities.

“Mr Birbeck was recognised for his work in establishing a joint rural and auxiliary fire station at Agnes Water and in enhancing the QFRS communications network throughout Central Region, increasing the operational capacity in the region and of other agencies and emergency services,” he said.

“Mr Perna was honoured for his service to the Kuttabul Brigade in Central Queensland and his exceptional guidance for rural fire service reforms across sugar cane related brigades.

“Mr Clerk and Mr Smith were awarded for their outstanding volunteer commitment to the Bambaroo Rural Fire Brigade and the Wasp Creek Rural Fire Brigade respectively, providing the best possible service to the local community.”

Brisbane State Emergency Service (SES) volunteers Peter Gould (Redlands SES) and Carrollyn Hennessy (Caboolture SES) were announced as Queensland recipients of the ESM.

The ESM was introduced in 1999 to give recognition to members of Australian emergency services for distinguished service relating to emergency management, training or educati on.

Mr Roberts congratulated the pair on their exceptional contribution to the SES and in turn, the wider community, over the years.

“While serving as a member and Deputy Local Controller of the Redland SES, Peter has significantly contributed to the training enhancement and operational readiness of the unit,” he said.

“He is truly an asset to the unit by raising, maintaining and setting the standard in both individual and collective training, hence enhancing unit operational capability.

“Ms Hennessy is committed to the SES in all possible ways – she is a dedicated trainer, passionate volunteer and supportive EMQ officer.

“She has 19 years as an active SES member in the Caboolture SES Group, including 10 years as a group leader.”

Mr Roberts also congratulated Michelle Baxter and Deidree Whap who were announced as Queensland recipients of the ASM.

The ASM recognises distinguished service by the men and women of Australia ‘s ambulance organisations.

“Ms Baxter and Ms Whap are fine examples of what it is to be a professional ambulance officer and are highly deserving of this honour,” he said.

“Beginning her career in NSW, Ms Baxter joined QAS in February 2001 and became the Officer-in-Charge at the Blackwater Ambulance Station in June 2002 and the Area Director for Gladstone in April 2009.

“Over the years Ms Baxter has undertaken further education, working tirelessly to apply and share the knowledge she has gained through her studies with colleagues and instil ethical principles within her operational and geographic area.”

Ms Whap joined the Queensland Ambulance Transport Brigade (QATB) in 1989 as a Cadet Ambulance Officer at the Thursday Island Ambulance Station.

“Since joining QAS, Ms Whap has qualified as an Advanced Care Paramedic and helicopter flight paramedic, training in helicopter underwater escape and helicopter rescue winch operations,” Mr Rob erts said.

“She is a valuable asset to the QAS, communicating with her own people in their traditional language. Ms Whap also trains first responders and community members in the use of the equipment.

“I would like to congratulate all Queensland recipients of these awards as well as all our emergency services workers who have made such a great contribution over the past 12 months.”

A new book written by East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust paramedics to help deliver high quality care for patients is being launched next week.

The group of front-line staff who have contributed to ‘Pain: an ambulance perspective’ will be presented with their own copies during an event on Wednesday, where guests will also hear about how pain management for patients was an area that needed more focus in the ambulance care arena.

Edited by clinical managers Tracy Nicholls and Lucas Hawkes-Frost, the contents cover areas such as assessing and measuring pain, medication, children and pain, and pain relief in the elderly.

Every clinical member of staff in the region will receive a book and publishers Class Health will sell the book online.

As part of its ongoing programme to improve pain management, the trust is also exploring further pain management interventions.

Consultant paramedic John Martin said: “As clinicians we should be putting the complexity of pain in physical, emotional and cognitive contexts and how to manage it best for the patient.

“It’s also important the group of people involved in this huge project are recognised for their invaluable contribution. “A lot of hard work went into this and of course we hope it benefits any clinician who uses it.”

Dave Tingey’s career with the ambulance service started 20 years ago. He has had a major influence in particular on the development of the rescue paramedic role in South Australia.

He commenced his career as a student in 1992 and qualified as a paramedic in 1995. He was soon accepted as a reserve member of the developing Special Operations Team (SOT). In 1997 he was awarded the position of Team Leader for the SOT. In this role he developed and implemented innovative standards for SOT selection, training, response equipment and vehicle selection. In addition, he established the role of the Rescue Paramedic in SA for multi-agency response to Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) incidents, Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) and Multi Agency Response Teams (MART) for explosive devices/CBRN incidents.

Under Dave’s leadership, specialist skills, equipment and vehicles were researched and developed in order to support the role of the rescue paramedic.

Dave played a key role in the development of MedSTAR, South Australia’s, state-wide emergency medical retrieval service, with his leadership, support and involvement in the project where he was an inaugural member of key strategic development committees. Dave has also been selected as the first of only two Retrieval Practitioner candidates in training supported by SAAS/MedSTAR.

PA would also like to congratulate Malcolm Hancock who is a dedicated South Australian volunteer ambulance officer. Malcolm has been a VAO for over 36 years since beginning at Clare in 1974. Malcolm has also had a major impact on OH&S issues for volunteers, and has been part of many committees during his time with the ambulance service, all while running a family and farm.

Well done Dave and Malcolm!