If I - St John Ambulance NT€¦ · NT Cervical Screening Program is a program aimed at encouraging...

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BOCGASES

The Gases Company

that delivers

r.r. on servlce

Proud to support St. John Ambulance

phOng, Otice Springs 08 89524922

Darwin 08 89843811

OU'rBACIIA}IBULAXCE

General Managers Report

EPriory 1997 Programme of Events

EBusiness Managers Report

ttTraining Managers Reportg

Getting to Know the Staff at Headquarters

tuFirst Exchange 0fficer to Lincoln

IEMACA (Motor Accidents Compensation Scheme)

trAboard the 0rient Express

trTEducation and the Continuous 0uality

lmprovement Program in St John Ambulance (NT)

EShell Bitumen Plant Exercise

EINews from Down the Track

E1996 Honda Masters Games

Australias Breast Cancer DayqCadet National Camp

@0perations Branch News & Views

@Nature Versus Twentieth Century Syndrom

@A Letter from Avon Downs

@St John Ambulance -

An lnvitation to'Friday Sessions'

4Winter 1997 - 0UTBACK AMBULANCE - 1

NT Cervical Screening Program is a program aimed at encouraging women to have Pap smears every two years. Pap

smears can detect the early warning signs that cancer of the cervix may develop.

You need to have a Pap smear if:. You are a woman. You have ever had sex. lt is more than 2 years since your last Pap smear

If you are not sure about whether you need to have a Pap smear talk to your local doctor.

To have a Pap smear contact:. Your local general practitioner. Aboriginal medical services. Family Planning NT. Some community care centres. Remote community health centres. Clinic 34

--.-Zle HEALTH SERVICES

The NT Pap Smear Register is a new service set up by NT Cervical Screening Program for women who wish to be

notified if their Pap smear is overdue. Women can join the Register when they have their next Pap smear. Once on the

Register, women will receive a letter reminding them to have a Pap smear if they become overdue.

LOOKING AFTER YOUR HEALTH WITH REGULAR PAP SMEARS COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE!

ANY QUESTIONS? Ring lst 556

-#)NONT BREAST SCREE

I 0 uooD REAsoNs wHy you sHoutD .ALL us

I One in l4 Austrolion women will develop breost concer during their lifetime,2 Over 2,600 women in Austrolio died of breost concer lost yeor,

3 This screening progrom oims to reduce deoths from breost concer by of leost oneJhird,4 The eorlier breost concer is found, ihe better the chonce il con be cured, even without such treotments

os chemotheropy or mostectomy (removol of ihe breost),5 lhe breost screening progrom is for oll well women over 40, but especiolly for women over 50 yeors.

6 The service is very privote ond you will hove your screening mommogtom loken by o womon.7 Mommogroms (breost X-roys) oi the NT Breost Screen Clinic ore FREE.

8 lhe oppointment tokes obout 20 minutes,9 NT Breost Screen is o multiculturolfocused orgonisotion, We con provide on interpreter free of chorge for

your oppointment,l0 We keep oppointments free every doy for women from remote/ruroloreos who ore visiting Dorwin ond

Alice Springs,

NT Breost Screen hos o screening service in Dorwin ond o port-time service inAlice Springs. The unit will olso be visiting:

. Nhulunbuy (Moy 28-June 6, 1997). Kolherine (June l6-July 11,1997)

. Tennont Creek (July 2l -August 1, 1997)

Coll us ruOyy for further informotion or on oppointment on

l3 20 502 _ OUTBACK AMBULANCE - Winter 1997

Gene ral Manager's ReportI think this is the first time since

1989 that I haven't had to really

rack my brain to come up with an

article lor Outback Ambulance,

as this special "Priory 1997"

edition makes it quite easy.

Firstlv. to all visitors to the NorthernLlsrritsrv for the 1997 NationalI Priory Conference, lnstructorsSeminar and Australian First AidChampionships...welcome !!

Just before I provide someinformation for you on what Darwinhas to offer while you are with us, I

would like to extend some thanks. Tomajor sponsors Ansett Australia; TheBeaufort Hotel; Territory lnsuranceOffice fl-lO) and Laerdal goes ourmost sincere gratitude. To othersignificant sponsors and supporters,including His Honour, the Administratorand Deputy Prior, Dr Neil Conn andPatron Mrs Lesley Conn; ChiefMinister Shane Stone and the NTGovernment; Lord Mayor of DarwinGeorge Brown; lntegrated TechnicalServices and Motorola; and SeaviewWines - Thank you.

To Chairman Richard Morris and allmembers of the NT Council of St JohnAmbulance Australia and to the staffand volunteer members of St John inthe NT - thank you all for your support,assistance and co-operation duringthe planning phases of this year'sproceedings.

From a climate perspective, Darwinin June is as close to perfection asyou may ever experience. Maximumtemperatures rarely exceed 30 - 32degrees Celsius and overnight "lows"are around the 16 - 20 mark. Theweather is so predictable at this timeof the year, you can plan a Juneoutdoor activity in February and counton the weather co-operating.

June also sees the BougainvilleaFestival, Mindil Beach's famousThursday evening sunset markets andthe Saturday morning Parap markets.You can visit the Museum and ArtGallery the Wharf Precinct, the oldFannie Bay Gaol, the East Point MilitaryMuseum, or simply wander the streetsof Darwin City or other major suburbanshopping centres and stock up ontourist items. Dining out in Darwin is achallenge, with literally hundreds ofoptions to cater for all tastes.

We certainly hope you don't get tooinvolved with work while you are hereand get a good chance to sample lifein the easy lane. For those personsaccompanying delegates, there aretwo tours which have been organisedfor you and there is a huge range ofprivate operators for you to choosefrom, should you wish.

May 21 this year saw one of the mostimportant events on the St John NorthernTenitory calendar- our lnvestiture andGraduation ceremony, which was kindtyhosted by Deputy Prior, His Honour, theAdministrator Dr Neil Conn and Patron,Mrs Conn. I would liketo pass on

frry@

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congratulations to the following:Priory Vote ol Thanks recipients

Mrs Dawn BatMrs Joy KingMr Andrew HodgesMr Des ThorntonMr Glen Denmeade

Admitted to the Order as ServingBrother

Mr Michael BarrettMr Bruce Jones

Promoted within the OrderDr Lionel Crompton to KnightMr Trevor Riley to Commander(Associate)Dr Keith Solomon to CommanderMr Bernie Kilgadff to CommanderMr Robert Tremethick to OfficerMr Michael Mooney to OfficerGraduates at the 1997 ceremony

also deserve special congratulationsand they included this year:Certificate in Ambulance Studies

Andrew HebbronAnnette lnghamAdele KnottPaul MaybankLaurence RyanHoward SmithDonna StoneAndrew WheelerBruce Whittington

Associate Diploma in AppliedScience (Emergency Care)

Bruce AndersPaul BellmanRichard JonesScott KeetchSandra LimonCherubim RuedigerTrevor SellickCarmen Winter

Certificate in Paramedic StudiesShane ChristopherGlenn HunterWayne HunterJames LeighDomenic PorcelliAndrew WilsonMy congratulations to all mentioned

above.This edition ot Odbackshould assist

you in keeping track of what's on in Dar-win during this important week, brlt ifthere is anything you need to knoq oranything you want, please do not hesitateto call on me or any of the staff andmembers to assist, as we are determinedthat your stay with us will be rewarding,pleasant, comfortable and good fun.

Please enjoy your week.David BAKERGeneral Manager

Winter 1997 - 0UTBACK AMBULANCE - 3

Otitis Medialtf AB0RIGINAL HEARING andPROGFATT Conductiveco_oRDrNArrNG coMMrrrEE rNC. Hgaritg Loss

The NT Aboriginal Hearing Programme is a ioint NT Education Department and Territory Health ServicesInitiative that [rovides app".opriite intervenficn and support to reduce the long-term effetts of Otitis Media.* Otitis Media is a middle ear infection that can cause a hearing loss.* The infection often starts early in life, eg in babies.* The hearing loss affects language and learning at home and in school.** FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT YOUR NEAREST ABORIGINAL HEARING PROGRAMME

CO-ORDINATING COMMITTEE MEMBER OR EDUCATION OFFICER:

AHPCC Inc.Darwin . .Joe Daby (Chair)Bathurstls.... ..UnaPalipuaminniGaliwin'ku .....PeterRrawaliUmbakumba .... ......Hazal LalaraBorroloola ......RoddyFridayTennant Creek . .]udy NixonAliceSprings ... ......ChippyMillerHermansburg ... ......PeterStuart

Numbulwar ...HarryYalanganiYirrkala ....MerrkiyawuyGanambarrGaliwin'ku .. . . .Wukutjpa GurruwiwiBulla Camp . . .Jack LittleAmpilatwatia ... ..KarenFosterTennant Creek . . .Cliff PlummerAliceSprings .... ......PatrickAhKit

EDUCATION OFFICERSDarwin . . Craig McDonald Tel: (08) 8999 8786East Arnhem . . . . Carol Dowling . . Tel: (08) 8987 2955Katherine Naomi Merry . . Tel: (08) 8973 891,4AliceSprings .... ..... TimWebb. ..... Tel: (08)8951,7078

Fax: (08) 8999 8785Fax: (08) 8987 2790Fax: (08) 89722325Fax: (08) 8951,7059

GOT A COMPLAINTagainst a

GOVERNMENTagency?

YOU CAN CONTACTTHE OMBUDSMAN

THE OMBUDSMAN'S OFFICEDARWIN

12th Floor, NT House22 Mitchell Street

Telephone: (08) 8981 8699Facsimile: (08) 898f 2068

Telephone (08) 8981 8699GPO Box 1344 DARWIN

THE OMBUDSMAN'S OFFICEALICE SPRINGSBelvedere House

Cnr Parsons & Bath Streets

Telephone: (08) 8953 4933Facsimile: (08) 8953 1706

Telephone (08) 8953 4933GPO Box 2388 ALICE SPRINGS

Do you have a complaint against -\ . agovernment department?J .atowncouncil?

. the NT Police Service?

. some other NT Government authorityor agency?

The Ombudsman is an independent and

impartial person who has the power to

, look into complaints about Northern

7 Territory Government organisations andJ town councils.

Who may complain -. Any member of the public.. Organisations, companies and associations.. Complaints may be lodged on behalf of

another person, eg. such as a relative, a

solicitor or an accountant.

What will it cost?

Nothing. The Ombudsman makes no charge

for the investigation of complaints.

4 - OUTBACK AMBULANCE - Winter 1997

EventsPriory 1 997 Programme ofDav/Date Event Time Venue

Sun,15OGA7Mon,16[647

Tue,17ltl6A7

Wed,18116A7

Thu,19[647

Fri,20N6l97

Sat,21OGA7

Sun,220647

Early Registrations

Registrations

National H0 Staff

Happy Hour

Registrations

Professional Officers Meeting i

District Superintendents Meeting

District Officers (Cadets) Meeting

Happy Hour

Professional Officers Dinner

District Superintendents Dinner

District Officers (Cadets) Dinner

Registrations

Litchlield Park Tour

Trg. Branch Standing Committee Meeting

District Commissioners/NHQ Staff

District Commissioners Meeting

District Supt's/Cadets WorkshoP

Training Seminar Day 1

Happy HourTrg Branch Standing Committee Dinner

Dist Commissioners Dinner

Registrations

Operations Branch Standing Committee

Library Standing Committee

Technical Advisory Standing Committee

Ophth. Hosp. Standing Committee

Community Care Branch Standing Committee

Lord Mayo/s Reception


NT GovernmenVCouncil Reception

0perations Branch Official Dinner

0phth. Hosp. Standing Committee Official Dinner

Comm. Care Branch Standing Committee Official Dinner

BreaKast on The Esplanade

Danrvin TourRegistrations

Competition Team Managers Meeting

General Manager's Meeting

Chancello/s Executive Meeting

National Council Meeting


Happy HourDeputy Prio/s Reception

National Council Dinner

Training Seminar Dinner

Registrations

NHQ Debrief

Rehearsal for Capitular Procession

Robing for Chapter Meeting

Priory Chapter Meeting

Aust. First Aid Championships

Dinner Dance

0perations Branch Assembly

Robing for Procession

Priory Church Service

Farewell Luncheon

1 600-1 700

0830-1 700

0900-1 700

1 730-1 930

0830-1 700

0830-1 700

0830-1 700

0830-1 700

1 730-1 830

1 900-1 900-1 900-

0830-1 700

0900-0930-1 500

1 000-1 200

1 300-1 700

0830-17000900-1 700'1730-1830

1 900-1 900-0830-1 700

0830-1 230

1 000-1 1 30

1 400-1 630

1430-16301 430-1 630

1 500-1 600

0900-1 700

1 800-1 930

1 930-1 930-1 930-

0700-08300900-0830-1 700

0830-09300830-1 200

1215-13451 41 5-1 700

0900-1 700

1 730-1 830

1 730-1 900

1 930-1 930-0830-1 200

0830-1 1 00

0830-09000900-09401 000-1 1 45

0900-1 700

1 930-01 00

0945-1 01 5

1 030-1 1 00

1 1 00-1 200

1 21 5-1 330

1st Floor Lobby

1 st Floor Lobby

Level 4

Circles (1st Floor)

1st Floor Lobby

Convention Hall

Level 4

Danryin Room

Circles (1st FlooQ

Peppis

Peppis

Peppis

1st Floor Lobby

Departs Beaufort

Danivin Room

Level 4

Level 4

Convention Hall

Mirambeena

Circles (1st Floor)

Poseidon Restaurant

TBA

1 st Floor Lobby

Convention Hall

Danivin Room

Danrvin Room

Territory Room

Level 4

Civic Centre

Mirambeena

Parliament House

Rooftop Restaurant

Peppis

Cornucopia

Esplanade Lawns

Departs Beaufort

1st Floor Lobby

SJA (NT) Suite Beaufort

Convention Hall

Level 4

Convention Hall

Mirambeena

Circles (1st Floor)

Government House

Museum

Rooftop Restaurant

1 st Floor Lobby

Level 4

Christ Church

Christ Church

Christ Church

TBA

TBA

Christ Church

Christ Church

Christ Church

Beaufort

Winter 1997 - OUTBACK AMBULANCE - 5

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TRACHOMAINFORMATION FOR ABORIGINAL COMMUNITIES & COUNCILS

What Is It?Trachoma, or sandy blight as it is sometimes known, is an eye infection which can cause visual impairment or even blindness in

later life.

What Causes It?The organism that causes trachoma is Chlamydia trachomatis. Living conditions have a strong influence upon the prevalence of

trachoma. History has shown that trachoma disappears when living conditions improve.

What makes Tiachoma worse?Impairment of vision is more likely to occur in the following circumstances:

. Repeated infection with trachoma . Other concurrent eye infections ' A dry, dusty environment and flies

Who does it affect?Active trachoma is a disease of childhood and adolescence. Many Aboriginal children who have trachoma experience little or no

eye discomfort, so they are unaware that they have an infection.

Elimination of TlachomaTrachoma disappears when living conditions and personal hygiene, i.e. face washing, improve. It is essential that housing, water

and sanitation facilities in Aboriginal communities are upgraded to an acceptable level so that trachoma can be eliminated.

For further information phone Nicole Kilgour on: Phone (08) 8981 5866, Fax (08) 8981 2644.

a

NT ABORIGINAL EYE HEALTH COMMITTEE INCGPO BOX 4832 DARWIN NT OSOI

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]1ELr0r[0$rsIn Northern Australia and other tropical areasthroughout the world a dangerous bacteria isfound in lnud and surface water during thewet season. This bacteria, Burkholderia(formerly Pseudomonas) pseudomallei, cancause a serious illness, called melioidosis,especially in people who have underlyinghealth problems. This illness can cause death.Heavy rainfalls cause the bacteria, whichusually lives deep in the soil, to come to thesurface increasing the possibility of exposure.

HOWFor the bacteria to cause illness it needs to enter

the body, which usually occurs through cuts orsores that come in contact with soil or mud. Thishappens by walking, working, gardening orplaying (ie sport) in mud or pooled water.

wHoPeople with existing chronic illnesses are more

susceptible to getting melioidosis. These includepeople who have diabetes, excessive alcoholintake, immunosuppression (ie cancer or steroidtreatment), or who are over the age of 50 years.

But healthy people who have a lot of contactwith soil could also be at risk.

SYMPTOMSThe illness usually follows a few days after

exposure to mud or soil and is characterised byhigh fevers, headache and confusion. Difficultyin breathing and passing urine may also occur. Insome cases the illness comes on more slowlywith weight loss, intermittent fevers, chest orabdominal pain, and a cough. If any symptomsare present, you should seek medical adviceEARLY and state that you have had contactwith soil.

PREVENTIONMinimise your contact with mud, soil andsurface water during the wet season. Cuts, soresor grazes should be cleaned thoroughly andcovered with waterproof dressings. It isimportant that you wear waterproof shoes orboots when around mud and surface watel, andprotective gloves when handling soil. Mud andsoil should be washed from the body as soon as

practicable and soiled clothing should bechanged. People must recognise tbat thecommonest risk factors for melioidosis and death

from disease are alcoholism and diabetes, andtherefore prevention and control of these riskfactors is important.

wrcAsEsAround 4570 of the cases diagnosed in the NThave had a history of excessive alcohol intake andabout 357o have been diabetic. 207o have had

chronic lung disease and l07o have had chronicrenal failure. The most common presentation has

been pneumonia but it can affect any organ. From1990 to early 1997 there have been 178 cases ofmelioidosis with a 20-257o mortality rate. Deathshave also been recorded in North Queensland and

in the tropical regrons of Asia.

CONTACTSIf you require further information aboutmelioidosis please contact:

. Centre for Disease ControlPh:8922 8044

. Your general practitioner

facts

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HEALTH SERVICES

6 - OUTBACK AMBUTANCE _ WiNtEr 1997

1997 presents us with avery busy year.. National St John Priory being held

in Darwin in June,. New training facilities for the

Casuarina Centre to cater for theever-increasing demands for ourPublic First Aid Training,

. A heavy vehicle replacementschedule for Ambulances, witheight (8) new imported twin berthvehicles planned to come on linebefore the end of the year,

. A major subscription schemepromotion, and

. A full network computer systemhas been implemented in Darwinand Alice Springs, with systemsupgrades happening at all otherCentres.Staff involvement and patience in

the above has been great andalthough everyone has been kept

busy, the benefits of the changes havefar outweighed the hectic schedule.

Nationally, St John is finallyestablishing a one contact Australia-wide number (a 1300 number) whichcan be used with any nationaladvertising that takes place. A nationaladvertising campaign is presently beingdesigned to air around St John Week inOctober. Some compromises andvariations were made and, for the firsttime, it would appear we will have anadvertising promotion that will reflect thetotal needs of St John Australia-wide.

On a financial note, our self-generating income ventures are,again, seeing a marked increase inactivity, with Training numbersimproving and the sales departmentexpanding its market considerably,particularly in the mining area. ln theAlice Springs Region there has beena program implemented betweenManagement and the Operational

staff lor the restocking of first aidkits and provision of associatedservices.

Staff turnover in recent times hasseen a number of our AmbulanceOfficers move interstate to otherAmbulance Services to broaden theirwork practices and to also experiencelife outside the Territory. The fact thatinterstate Services are happy toemploy our Officers speaks volumesfor our level of Ambulance Officertraining. We wish these Officers thebest and welcome their replacementsto the Ambulance Service.

ln closing, it is that time of the yearagain, where the hopes of all footballsupporters are high and realities oftheir respective teams is very low. lt isalways a pleasure to come to work ona Monday to speak with all the losers.

Ross COBURNBusiness Manager

1997 Memorial Serviceof the

Bombing of Darwin

(Centre #1) His Honour the AdministratorDr Neil Conn

1997 Memorial Service of the Bombinj of Darwin

1997 - OUTBACK AMBUTANCE - 7

HP and Laerdal announcestrategic alliance to strengthen

I

the Chain Of Survival.

In April, 1996 - Hewlett-Packard Company and victim can be defibrillated within, at most, fourLaerdal announced a strategic alliance to minutes," said Jerry Shea, general manager of HP's

strengthen the "Chain of Survival" for cardiac Diagnostic Cardiology Division. "Numerous studies

arrest patients by combining distribution, product have shown that fast response to cardiacdevelopment, and training initiatives. These joint emergencies yields dramatic improvements ininitiatives are designed to support the early outcomes. Together, HP and Laerdal can provide aresponse of caregivers both in and outside the complete set of solutions for the

I '.7-

renowned in the pre-hospital I 1/ * "We are committed tomarket as a provider of innovative training working with caregiversproducts and resuscitation devices, including the to speed access to critical lifesaving therapies,Resusci Anne Family of CPR Training Manikins and both for the general public and within healthcare

the Heartstart line of Automated External institutions. Our combined strengths in clinicalDefibrillators (AED's). measurements, product development, training and

education will lead to more customer-oriented"The ultimate goal of this alliance is to save lives lifesaving solutions to strengthen the entire chain

by ensuring that, in the future, every heart attack of survival."

hospital, a part of which is to expand entire continuum of care -

T1*:::::::j::' "1,.

o&rt { 4"T:i{'.1r,1?H'.:li:clinical and technological \J ^.h,-

(*.| in hospitals."

forcesoftwomar-^s&..'ii,q..Theallianceweket leaders. HP istheleadingproviderof-aw::'.iiie';;;;r1cin.qhospital-basedcardiaclsw'.ii#'$.rtodaywithHPwilI

il':1"J.1il:',',:','lil:.11,,R. X tffi Oil' tr#:iq:'#jJ.ildefibrillators. Lae

ftitffshTs ffi Laerdalhelping sove lives

*This symbol represents the strategic alliance between Hewlett-Packard and Laerdal

I - 0UTBACK AMBULANCE - Winter 1997

It is with a great deal olpleasure that lwelcome allSt John Members to Darwin forPriory '97 and the Nationallnstructors Seminar. From aSt John Training point of view,I am confident everyone

attending the lnstructorsSeminar will be pleasantly

surprised at the diversity oftopics presented and thestandards of our presenters.

As we all know, all work and noplay is no good for anyone, so

don't lorget to take advantageol the NT hospitality while you

are here. I'm sure you will allgo home with fond memoriesof your trip to the Top End.

well

t John First Aid courses arerecognised as being second tonone throughout the Territory. Asas delivering programs in the main

centres of Darwin, Alice Springs,Katherine, Tennant Creek andNhulunbuy, our lnstructors frequentlytravel 'out bush'to remotecommunities. Such trips may involve a5 or 6 hour drive, or they may requirethe co-ordination of transport, involvingair, sea and land to get to the venue. ltis not unheard of for our lnstructors toroll out the swag under the 'starlightmotel'for the night and then use their'bedroom' as a classroom during theday. Our courses are delivered by 7full-time lnstructors and over 80 part-time lnstructors. Probably our mostremote lnstructor is Denise Hayter.Denise lives in Avon Downs, which islocated on the Barkly Highwaybetween Tennant Creek and Mt lsa.

ln the Northern Territory St Johnprovides not only First Aid/PublicEducation programs but alsoAmbulance Officer Education andTraining through the Ambulance OfficersTraining College. The College offerscourses up to Advanced Diploma levelfor both paid and volunteer AmbulanceOff icers. Ambulance Officer Educationand Training activities are delivered with

the support and assistance of many ofour Qualified Ambulance Officers asguest lecturers and a plethora ofindividuals and businesses fromthroughout the community.

I would like to take this opportunityto acknowledge the recent support ofOsi Flueck and his team at 4WDSpares, Georgina Crescent inPalmerston who kindly donated fourcar bodies for use during the RecentRescue and Disaster ManagementCourses. These were used to trainstudents in the course in casualtyaccess and extrication procedures.

There is also a Distance Educationcourse available for those who cannotget to the AOTC in Darwin. While themajority of participants in the DistanceEducation program are NTVolunteers, interest has grown fromaround the country and we now havestudents in Tasmania, Victoria andWestern Australia.

A spin off from Ambulance Trainingcourses has been the Mines Rescuercourse, now delivered to mine sitepersonnel who are responsible forresponding to on-site incidents in themine Ambulance. The information inthis course is packaged from the firstunit of the Advanced DiplomaAmbulance Officer course and hasproven very popular with some of thelarger mines operating in the NT. Thecourse is not intended to replace themore lraditional First Aid programsoffered by St John, rather tosupplement them by concentratingmore on the specifics of pre-hospitalpatient management in circumstanceswhere an Ambulance and appropriateAmbulance equipment is available.

We have recently doubled the sizeof training facilities in Darwin, throughthe addition of two more classrooms atour Casuarina Headquarters. I wouldlike to acknowledge the very activesupport of the St John (NT) Counciland, in particular, the members of theFuture Directions Working Group,Mr Mike Mooney, Dr Keith Solomon,Dr Lionel Crompton and our GeneralManager, David Baker, in seeing thissignificant project through to fruition. ltwould also be remiss of me not torecognise the contribution of TrainingDepartment staff as well. lt is in nosmall way due to the consistently highstandard of course delivery by ourTraining Officers that the popularity ofSt John programs continues to grow. I

would like to thank and congratulatethis highly motivated group of people fortheir efforts. I would also like toacknowledge the Alice Springs TrainingOfficers for their efforts in increasing thecourses offered in that Region. Whilethere is not yet a need to permanentlyexpand our Alice Springs facilities, wewill certainly keep monitoring courseactivity in that Region.

Following seven years ofcontinuous growth in the First AidTraining field by St John (NT), nearly8.5o/o of the NT population now hold acurrent Senior First Aid credential. Wehave experienced an average 6.30loincrease in course participation rateseach year since 1989. While thenumber of persons completing FirstAid Training continues to grow, thereare still many people in the communitywho can be encouraged to learn thesevaluable, life-saving skills. By activelypromoting the benefits of learning FirstAid to the community, we look forwardto continued growth and participationrates for a long time to come.

First Aid has come a long way overrecent years, both in what is taughtand in the methods of delivery. One ofthe more significant advances hasundoubtedly been the introduction ofthe CD-ROM package. There is yetanother advance currently underdevelopment which, I believe, will beeven more of a success than the CD-ROM, that is, the presentation of allFirst Aid topics in modular format. Theoutcome of this exercise will be theability to offer specific client groupsthe opportunity to 'build' a First Aidcourse to suit their particular needs.While a generic (say) Senior First Aidcourse will still exist as our standardPublic program, other programs willbe able to be developed using a set of'core' modules which can be coupledwith 'elective' modules to comprise thefull program. Such an approach willensure St John is able to meet thecontinuously changing needs of ourclients for years to come.

By way of closing this article for ourspecial Priory'97 edition of OutbackAmbulance, may I again welcome all ofour visitors to the NT and wish each ofyou a productive, valuable and, aboveall, enjoyable time while you are here.

Brendan QUIRKETraining Manager


10 - 0UTBACK AMBULANCE - Winter 1997

Sates Consultant, Gordon Bowman SAO Michael Fisher and ParamedtcAnne Hoschke

L,ryrbt%ry',,*4,iifli-

Workshop Staff , Eart Richardson (L), Mark O'Shaughnessy (R)Supply & Purchasing Officer,

David Rosenberg

Receptionist, Val Sweeney Accounts Clerk, Sue SheltonTraining Secretary, Sylvia Klonaris


o Australia ffi Shop

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12 - OUTBACK AMBULANCE _ Winter 1997

PoincianaInn ***IN THE HEART OF DARWIN* LOATED OPPOSITE CONFERENCE VENUE

* SPECIAL RATES APPLY TO DELEGATES(17%o COMOMTE DISCOUNT)

'A Thopical Relaxed,Friendly Atmosphere"

EXCELLENT SERWCEGnr Mitchell & Mclachlan Sts, Darwin

Freecall: 1800 241 999Ph: (08) 8981 8111Farc (08) 89412440 =TLAG

First Exchange Officerto LincolnSeptember 17-)ctober l1 1996As most employees are aware,

we were host to the lirstexchange ollicer from Lincoln,

Nebraska in July this year,

Mr Richard (Dick) Wenske.

Most employees were given

the opportunity to meet him,

either at work or after hours

and those ol us that did spend

some time with him would

agree he is a very nice man

with lots ol interesting tales totell. 0f course, an exchangeprogram means we also send

an officer to Lincoln, Nebraska

to experience the differences

between the Ambulance

services and the community.

Applications were called forfrom interested ollicers and

I was lucky to be selected. The

following pages give an

overview ol my travels. Belore

I begin, I would like to

encourage all oflicers to apply

lor future programmes ol this

nature, not only forprofessional development but

also lor personal growth and

awareness.

he day I was to leave wassomewhat rushed. As I had beenill for nearly a week with influenza

I still had not completed packing. I hadnever travelled overseas before, not

"blue" bus. lt just didn't want to collectme, so I caught a taxi and went off tothe motel. We were driving forapproximately ten minutes to the moteland the driver said we were still in theairport grounds. I told you it was huge.Finally in my room and a nice long hotshower. lturned the W on to see whatthe stations were like and that took agood few hours to do. There were 67stations, by the time I looked at them allI had forgotten what was on the otherstations. lt made two stations in Darwinseem rather sad, really. By now, lwashungry again so I went for a walkoutside. Not much around this areaexcept a McDonald's so back to myroom for room service and a movie. Allthe motels so far have had drip coffeemakers and small packets of powderedmilk, not real milk. Some of the otherdifferences I have noticed include thetoilets are lower, the light switches areupside down and, of course, theirmoney all looks the same. I was alsoreminded of a well-known differencewhen I went to cross the road. Theydrive on the opposite side of the road.After a night's rest (well moviesanyway) it was time to return again tothe airport for my flight to Denver. Themotel supplies a shuttle bus for translerto the airport. The driver said to sit inthe front so I went to get in only to betold by the driver it was OK, he woulddrive this time. I plan to remember whatside to get into the car from now on.The domestic terminal was different.There are people on the side walk thatcan check in your bags and issue yourseat and boarding pass. I handed overmy ticket and was told my flight, thatwas due to leave in 1% hours had beencancelled. Great! Now what? A ladycame over to me and said they hadmade another booking for me on aflight due to leave in 20 minutes or I

could wait for four hours. Lucky I wasearly. On the plane I go again.

The flight to Denver was great. Thescenery was magnificent and kept mymind off other things. I must admit I wasa little worried about the domestic flights

even to Tasmania, and was unsure ofwhat lwould need. Dick had told methe weather was similar to here so I

packed accordingly. The hardest partof the preparation was knowing I

would miss my family. Three weeksaway from home seemed like a longtime for me not to see them. Finallypacked and off to Casuarina centre togather the last of some "gifts" forpeople. From here, it was off to theairport. Two hours of waiting seemedto take forever then, finally, we were toboard. Like all mums, the final runthrough of family matters followed bylots of hugs and kisses then off I went,a little teary eyed but excited. The firststretch of my journey was to KualaLumpur for an overnight stay.

I was met at the airport by a touroperator who transported me to themotel. The driver, Roger, was verypleasant and pointed out some of thelocal sights as we drove past. Thenext day I was collected by Rogeragain and taken back to the airport formy flight to USA. The traffic in KualaLumpur is unbelievable. lt remindedme of an ants nest. More waiting atthe airport, I get the feeling I will haveto get used to this. Finally, time toboard the plane. I am now on my wayto Los Angeles via Taipei.

The flight seemed to take forever.I was surrounded by a group of veryexcited Asian tourists who talked nearlyall the way. That is nearly 18 hours.Even though all you do is sit, eat, drinkand watch movies, I was exhaustedwhen we finally landed in LA. The LAairport is huge. lt's known as l-AX andyes it can give you the...! Gettingthrough customs was so much fun!After filling in three different forms,each ol them the wrong one and eachof them given to me, I was finally giventhe correct one, completed it andallowed to go through. I think theirfaces would crack if they smiled.Outside the customs area the peoplewere much nicer, thank goodness, as ithad me a bit worried. I went to theshuttle bus area and waited for my

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in the US, not a great record for safety.Arrival in Denver was uneventful. As

I had caught an earlier flight,l had 2%

hours stop here so I went walkingaround to have a look. The terminal israther long and like all the other largeairports in America, it has movingwalkways in the centre so you can travelfrom one end of the building to the otherwhile resting. This is great if you havelots of luggage. llme for my last flight fora few weeks. The trip from Denver toLincoln is only 1% hours thankfully. I

arrived safely and was met by DickWenske and he is still smiling.

It is now 2040 hours Thursday,19 September (it's Friday 20 inDarwin approximately 1600 hours).We went straight from the airport tothe main Ambulance station, Station 2where I met some of the duty crewsand dispatch officers (communi-cations). From here to the townhouseI would be staying at for various partsof my visit. Dick said he would beback around 0700 hours to collect mefor my first day in Lincoln. Thatsounded great except it was alreadyafter midnight. I had a lot of troublesleeping. At 0300 hours I thought I

would never get any rest. ln themorning, I was ready to go by 0700hours. Dick arrived and off we went toheadquarters to meet the Managersand more of the staff of Rural MetroAmbulance service. Everyone seemsvery nice. From here I was takenaround the other two stations, out tothe supply and workshop building anda general tour around Lincoln.

General Overviewof LincolnLincoln is the capital of Nebraska andthe seat of Nebraska Government. ltis the second-largest city inNebraska, with Omaha the largest.Lincoln is in Lancaster County, one of93 counties in the State of Nebraska.The main areas of industry include,but are not limited to crops - corn,wheat, rye, oats, alfalfa, etc. TheUniversity of Nebraska, vehiclemanufacture, pharmaceuticals,clinical research laboratory, foodprocessing such as flour products,farm equipment and tourism.

The weather temperatures rangefrom the hottest month, July withaverage daily temperatures of78.2"F (around 28'C) to January asthe coldest month with average dailytemperatures of 21.3'F (around-6'C). Speed limits around towninclude 25mph in unpostedresidential (approximately 36 kph)and 35-40mph in commercialdistricts (signs are posted. Unless

posted otherwiseyou are allowed toturn right on a red light after comingto a complete stop. There appearsto be a lot of one-way roads inLincoln and no roundabouts.

Lincoln has three full servicehospitals, Bryan Memorial Hospital - 312acute care beds, including 14 psychiatricand 20 bassinets; Lincoln GeneralHospital which is city-owned and thedesignated Trauma centre - 289 acutecare beds, including 64 psychiatric;30 chemical dependency treatment,30 temporary residential care and33 bassinets; St Elizabeth's - 208 acutecare beds, including 20 burn trauma and32 bassinets. Lincoln also has aVeterans Medical Centre, 120 bed acutecare facility and Madonna RehabilitationHospital - 120 acute rehabilitation and132 long-term care beds.

There appears to be a variety oflaw enforcement departments. Fromstate police to county sheriff tofederal police and an array ofsecurity officers. From what I wastold, the crime rate in Lincoln is notvery high and I did not go to oneassault case while I was there. Well,that would cut our workload in half,at least.

As we are probably all aware, theemergency number in America is 911.These calls come in to independentoperators who then dispatchaccordingly. The Fire Department isdispatched to all medical emergencycalls followed by an Ambulancedispatch. The Fire Department has itsown Paramedical Officers.

The first emergency call I went onwas to a person with uncontrolledhaemorrhage from the nose and theFire Department was already inattendance prior to our arrival. TheFire Department Paramedics werewalking the patient out of the housewith a bucket near his face for theblood loss. No blood pressure hadbeen obtained and no lV or skillsimplemented. The first thing I noticedwas the abundance of people, fourFire Officers and three AmbulanceOfficers, all for one patient. This"overkill" was very noticeable on allcalls. I went with a crew to a two carVA and on our arrival, the FireDepartment was treating a girl with aspinal/cervical injury on the ground,approximately two metres from thevehicle she had been travelling in. Thepatient was complaining of a sore cutto the temple area and was layingpartially on her left side. The FireDepartment Paramedics wereapplying a stiffneck "C" collar. I lookedaround at the scene to see cars tryingto manoeuvre around the accident

scene without any assistance and I

also noticed what appeared to be asmall fuel spill from one of thevehicles involved in the accident. ltstruck me as being "very mixed up"with four Fire Officers treating onepatient who appears to have minorinjuries and no-one attending to scenesafety. When the patient was handedover to the Ambulance crew, a moredetailed history was obtained andpatient vitals were recorded. Thepatient stated she was helped fromthe vehicle and walked across to thearea we found her by the Fire Officers.The patient stated she had nil pain ordiscomfort to cervical area, nil changein sensations to limbs, nil loss ofconsciousness and on examination nildeformity felt or seen.

The reason the Fire Officerstreated this patient as a "spinal" wasunclear. The patient stated speed ofthe car she was travelling in wasapproximately 25-30kph as they wereturning out of the school grounds.Driver of the other vehicle statedspeed approximately 40-45kph.Damage to both vehicles was minimaland all persons in both vehicles woreseatbelts. The idea of automaticallytreating MVA patients as spinals nolonger occurs. Studies have shownthat if the patient has no pain orchange in sensations or decreasedmovement or has not sustained LOC,the time and cost involved is too greatto justify the treatment as a lull spinalpatient. I was informed that theyhave not yet been proven wrong withthis decision.

Each fortnight, the Ambulance andFire Departments meet to participatein case reviews. These reviews areconducted in a building away fromeither Ambulance or Fire Departmentcentres. The review is conducted byan independent medical assessor anddoctors from the regional medicaladvisory board are also present toanswer questions, etc. The convenorof the case review chooses variouscase reports, good and bad, and hasthem copied onto overhead trans-parencies (officers names/ numbersand patient names are covered). Thecase is read out and then a discussiontakes place regarding treatment andtimes, etc. Any major concerns arealso raised with the officers involvedoutside the meeting. I found thisprocess very encouraging and a greatway to clarify any concerns ortreatment changes for everyone. lt isalso a good way of having access tothe medical adviser. Officers are notrequired to attend all case reviews,however, they must attend a certain


Noxious wccds con be toxic ond con couse injury to bothonimols ond people, They con horbour pests ond diseose ondcouse ollergic reoctions.They con o/so be o domn nulsonce,

frlake sure your uehicles and,equipment are lree ofburrs, seeds and water weeds.

For further informotion, contoctThe Weeds Bronch of the NT Dept, of Primory

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on (09) s999 2348

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number each year. Each regionfollows its own protocols and eachregion has its own medical advisoryboard. For officers to work in thedifferent regions they must be licensedto do so and have passedaccreditation for that area.

Lincoln has three Ambulancestations and the Ambulance crewswork 24-hour shifts. 24 on,24 oll,24on,24 ott and four days off. The crewsare made up into teams, A B C D.Each team stays together but workswith different partners. Recentchanges to ambulance coverage arenow - Day shifts covered by 5 x ALScrews and 1 x BLS crew, Night has 3 xALS crews and 1 x BLS crew.

The uniforms do not show any rankmarkings and all the officers I spoke todid not like this.

Officers are graded as follows:PP - Paramedic Preceptor -

Senior, works with trainee paramedicsand assesses when they are ready forelevation, must do 30 ALS calls.

PF - Paramedic Field TrainingOfficer - Self-explanatory, on-roadtraining of officers. Takes approx-imately three years; 240 ALS calls.

SP - System Paramedic - Clear towork on own. Does not need tocontact for approval to lV, etc.

P - Paramedic - Can do skills butcontacts medical facility for approvalto lV or administer drugs.

l- lntermediate.B - Basic Life Support.Pay rates - Paramedic,

approximately $6.35 per hour;Paramedic Field Training Officer,$8.98 per hour.

Any hours worked over 40 hoursper week paid at OT rates = time anda half only. Therefore, each officergets OT each week as their normalshifts go over 40 hours.

Holidays - one week Per Yearfor first two years, then two weeksper year.

Sick Leave - can accumulate uP

to 800 hours then all extra is addedto vacation time. Rural Metro alsohas an employee of the year. PeoPleare nominated by their peers and atthe end of the year the winner isgiven a paid holiday to anYwhere inUSA, Mexico or the Caribbean. Thetotal cost, covered by Rural Metro, is

$3500. The leave is not taken off theemployee's accrued leave.

Teams A and C have a mix oflevels whereas D team is made uP ofmainly I & B levels. Shift swaPs andworking split shifts ie; instead of your24-hour shift you might work 10hours and someone covers Your next14 hours, are also allowed. This

system is handy for not only personalthings but the officers have tocomplete their study in their owntime. Rural Metro also covers a lot ofsporting events and what we callpublic duties. These events areusually large and are covered bY

officers on overtime. Any overtime isoffered to service before any casualsare called in. While I was there, I wastaken to the College football. Thelocal sporting heroes "Huskers" wereplaying a home game. The crowdwas unbelievable and the noise! Theevent is covered by the Red Crossand the Ambulance service. The RedCross bring people from the stand tobe treated by Ambulance or bY RedCross nurses, depending on thetreatment required. A large portion oftreatment is for bee stings. With thelarge quantities of "soda pop" around,the bees go crazy. The game hadapproximately 80,000 spectators,sports participants, etc.

During my stay I was also taken tosee Heart caths being done at thehospital. This is where dye is injectedinto the arteries around the heart fromthe femoral artery to see anyocclusions or restrictions in blood flow.I was also shown the Star Care Vhelicopter and lixed wing aircraft andspent some time with the flight nurses.Unfortunately, we did not get a flightas the weather conditions were bad. I

was also shown around the burns unitand the neonatal intensive care unit. I

visited nearly everything and I hadtrouble keeping up with it all.

I was taken to Hastings for aHealthcare fund-raising banquet(including a brass band). I spent twonights in Hastings. I was takenaround the station, went to themuseum, saw the l-Max cinema, sawan astronomy display at thePlanetarium, went to the StuhrMuseum in Grand lsland and did ageneral tour of the area. I also wentto Omaha for two days and wastaken to the Henry Dorely Zoo. No,they did not leave me there. We wentfor a look around Omaha and I

worked with the crew. All the stationsI visited were very friendly andshowed a lot of interest in Australia.

Another very interesting part of myvisit was the trip away. I was taken notonly around Nebraska but also on afour-day trip into South Dakota. Duringthis trip, we went along the approxi-mate route of the Oregon Trail toChimney Rock, onto Fort Robinson(where Crazy Horse was killed in1877), lo Mount Rushmore(Presidents Washington, Jefferson,Roosevelt and Lincoln, carving started Tracy WATTS

in 1927 and ceased in 1941), to RapidCity, Black Hills (lots of snow andgambling), Deadwood (home ofCalamity Jane and Wild Bill Hickok)through the Badlands National Parkand back to Lincoln.

The trip away was unbelievable.There was so much to see and do andit SNOWED. I was frozen but I wouldnot have missed it for anything.Another first for me. To tell you moreabout all the places I was taken towould take forever, but I do have afew photos, maps and books if youare interested. lwould stronglyrecommend a holiday there to see itfor yourselves.

The rest of my stay in Lincoln wasjust as full on as before. I worked withthe crews, met the Major (he gave mea citizen certificate and a key to thecity of Lincoln), taken to a TimMcGraw and Faith Hill concert, wentto a country and western nightclub(and it was great) and went for a daY

out shopping.Time for me to leave came far to

fast. The people here are wonderful.I would like to thank everYone fortheir friendship and support. I wouldlike to send a special thank You toDick, Randy, Ann, Josh, Christina,Jessica, Jeff, Lisa, Todd, Mike,Stacey, Caryn, Megan, Rick, Connie,Doug, Cathy, Ashley, Tobin, TaYlor,Russ, Mike D, Mike G. lf I have leftanyone out please forgive me as I

have lost my journal with ALLMY NOTES.

To the airport and off to SanFrancisco. I could not believe howsteep some of the roads are. I wentsightseeing around the city and wentover the Golden Gate Bridge. I did tryto get a good photo, however, therewas too much fog (smog!). Two days,then onto LA for two days. Again lots ofsightseeing, Universal Studios, SunsetStrip, stars' homes, etc. Off again toKL for a short stay before home.

lf I could choose again I wouldnot go to KL or go to do thesightseeing in LA or San Francisco.It was great, however, when you areby yourself, it's not as much fun. I

would have liked to have spent thatextra time in Lincoln. lt certainly was"a trip of a lifetime" and I hope toone day return with my familY anddo it all again.

Since my return, Rural Metro hasincreased in size. They have put onan extra crew, day and night inLincoln, opened in San Diego andnow Ouebec. Well done.

Winter 1997 - OUTBACK AMBUTANCE - 17

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NORFORCE olfers a variety ol interesting waysfor people of the Northern Territory and theKimberley to become actively involved with theArmy Reserve in lhe protection of Australia.

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Territorians lor injuriesresulting from road accidents.

Th" proposal was for a'no fault'I scheme to replace the existingI compulsory tnirO party insuraice

scheme.The philosophy of the No Fault

system was based upon the fact thatthe motor car had a special place inour society and that, regardless of theefforts of the authorities, there wouldalways be accidents on the road.

Accidents inevitably result in painand suffering, family hardship and alltoo often, bereavement.

There was a need to treat thisproblem in a special way.

The victims of the road ought to betreated equally and without favour tothose who are 'lucky' enough to beable to prove that anolher person islegally at fault.

TIO Chief Executive, Neil Weeksexplains, "The purpose of any policyof insurance is to indemnify peopleagainst cost or liability. And thepurpose of compensation is to protect,assist and compensate personssustaining personal injury." He said"The No Fault scheme was a greatinitiative in achieving those goals. ltgives protection to most victims ofroad accidents," regardless of fault.

Mr Weeks quoted the example of adriver injured in a single vehicle roll-over. Under a fault-based scheme, thedriver would not be compensated, butunder the Territory's Motor AccidentsCompensation Scheme, he would becompensated.

The effect of the scheme has beenthat more people receive compensation.

At the time of its introduction, therewere community concerns that itwould cost too much and premiumswould spiral. This has not occurred.

Premiums paid by contributors to

Single vehicle rollovers are the most predominant form of accidents in the NT

the scheme remain amongst thelowest in Australia. Over the 17 yearsof the operation of the scheme,premium increases have averagedaround 4"/" for each year. During thattime, average payouts under thescheme have increased, with theintroduction of new categories ofbenefits, such as attendant care.

The TIO Board, chaired by RichardMorris, has maintained a policy ofrunning the scheme on a break evenbasis. That is, it aims to cover the costsof the scheme and not make big profits.Profit targets are kept low to keeppremiums low and compensationpayments at an adequate level butprovide a sufficient level of free reserves.

Sometimes large profits can occur,if claims on the scheme are lower thanexpected in a particular year.

Although the scheme has been asuccess, it is disappointing that roadfatalities in the Northern Territorycontinue at an unacceptably high level.Consequently, TIO maintains itscommitment to road safety matters.When the scheme commenced, it waslinked to a concentrated Governmentprogram ol road safety. This included:. Random breath testing

. Higher penalties

. Encouraging child restraints

. Grading ol motor cycle licencesTIO has supplemented these

measures with a continuing commitmentto road safeg education by:Fully Funding and/or Sponsoring:The Road Safety Council, DriverTraining and Licencing, MotorcycleEducation, Training & Licencing (Metal)Program, Bicycle Helmet Scheme, TopEnd and Central Australian LifeEducation Centres, St John AmbulanceEndowment Trust, Royal DarwinHospital Seating Clinic (wheelchairs,etc) and Early Management of SeriousTrauma (EMST) Program.

Active participation on the RoadSafety Council Committee

Continual Liaison with CommunityRepresentatives lor areas ol highconcern, eg: unrestrained passengersin rear of open vehicles.

Mr Weeks said "Through thescheme, Territorians are better offthan their interstate counterparts. Ourpremiums are lower andcompensation payments and benefitsare more suited to the long termneeds of road accident victims."


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Aboard the )rient ExplorerWhen Tony Oxford recentlypresented me with the

opportunity to spend a period

ol time aboard the ship,"Orient Erplorer" as medic

I jumped at the chance. Never

having been to sea before

I decided, it would be an

interesting change from my

usual staple diet ol airportsand ANR's. Ambos who had

previously been on the ships

advised me to take plenty olbooks as you had a lot of timeto yourself , so armed withplenty of books I set off.

he Motor Vessel Orient Explorerisa converted Russian spy ship ofapproximately 4500 tonnes,

owned by a Russian/Norwegian jointventure involVed in oil and gasexploration. The ship carries out whatis termed seismic survey over areas ofocean, in this case, 700 squarekllometres, leased by the AustralianGovernment to oil companies forexploration work.

Seismic survey involves a charge ofcompressed air being fired into theocean floor by'guns' arranged onpontoon floats either side of the ship.The'charge' measures 2000 psi andresonates through the whole ship everynine seconds, day and night! Thesound waves are capable of penetratingthe ocean floor to a depth of 12kilometres. Some of the sound wavesare then reflected back to the surface indifferent strengths dependent upon thegeographical structure it hits, e.g.sandstone, limestone, sand or otherrock formation. The reflected charge ispicked up by 4 trailing sonar'tails'measuring up to four kilometres long,which accurately measure the strengthand the time it has taken the soundwave to travel to the earth's crust andback to the surface. Computers analysethe reflected sound waves to draw a'map' of the make-up of the ocean sub-floor. Geophysicists then analyse thedata to determine if the mapped

geographical structures match thesame type of structures where depositsof oil are normally found. The clients forwhom the survey is being done - in thiscase, BHP - may then decide to drill inthat location for oil.

At the present time, there are threeships being operated by PGS inAustralian waters. Two of them are inthe Timor Sea for which St John issupplying ambulance officers on acontract basis to fulfil the role of ship'smedic. This had previously beencarried out by paramedics from aBritish firm, but Australian maritimeunions maintain that, whilst a ship isoperating in Australian waters it mustemploy Australian labour.

Originally, the plan was to chopperme out to the ship, so I had tocomplete a HUET (HelicopterUnderwater Escape Training). Havingbarely survived this (luckily, because I

told Lester he could have my car if I

didn't), Tony informed me that insteadI would sail out on a supply ship tomeet the Orient Explorer. Good! Anearly chance to test the sea legs.

As the trip out was done at '12 knotsin quite a big swell, the sea legs tooksome time to get going with the earlypart of the 12-hour journey seeing mecannoning off walls and various typesof equipment as I vainly tried to walk astraight line! Somewhat overconfident, I

even offered to make everyone acoffee. As everyone on my shift knows,I have trouble navigating the commsroom without spilling coffee, let alone aship. After spilling about a litre of coffeeand breaking two cups the crew offeredto make me coffee instead!

At least I didn't get seasick.Upon rendezvousing with the

Explorel we transferred over by smallboat, no mean feat in the swell andcompleted an induction tour of the ship,taking in such things as location of workareas and lffeboats and life jackets(VERY important to a non-swimmer). ltwas pleasing to note there were morelifejackets than crew. I was then shownthe hospital and my cabin - which wasconveniently located near the lifeboat('queue starts behind me') - the cabinbeing roomier than I had expected, iteven had a bath! After packing myclothes and belongings away, the nextthing to do was check out the sick bay.Not knowing what to expect, I was quitesurprised to find it well-stocked, not onlywith first aid-type items, but an extensivearray of lotions and potions for everyailment from tinea to tuberculosis. Therewas even a defibrillator in the form of aHeartstart 3000.

It was quite interesting to note thedifferences in some of the equipmentsuch as the oxygen cylinders being

WiNtCr 1997 - OUTBACK AMBUTANCE - 21

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coloured a bright green, also the lVcannulas all had built-in injection portsand came complete with bungsattached.

I had thought I might have tocompile an inventory of all stock but thishad already been done so my first jobwas to go through stocks, checkingexpiry dates and destroying those drugswhich had expired. As the ship hadbeen operating in waters aroundSingapore, there was a huge amount ofanti-malaria medication on board aswell as vaccines lor measles and HepB. Other drugs kept were mainlyantibiotics as well as the normal rangeof drugs we, as ambulance officers, uselike adrenaline and narcan plus fluidslike haemmaccel, hartmanns andsodium chloride.

Treatments during my time weremainly for minor ailments such as tineaand sprains and strains, although I

believe ambos on other ships havehad to treat some nasty lacerations. Allinjuries arising from work-relatedaccidents required an incident form tobe filled out. Overall, not unlike myprevious job as an emergency servicesofficer for an iron ore company in WA.

The ships complement comprisedthree separate crew. The originalRussian officers of the ship, an inter-national seismic crew and the Australianmarine crew, who, as it turned out weremainly from WA and therefore, WestCoast Eagles supporters. I don't thinkCollingwood was mentioned at all. All inall probably the closest you could get toa perfect world!

The marine crew's job is to look afterthe day-to-day running of the ship,carrying out all maintenance andhouse-keeping tasks. The seismic creware responsible for all the seismicequipment such as the guns, floats and

streamers. This crew was made uP ofNorwegians, Americans, NewZealanders (they're bloody everywhere)and English. Also on board were clientrepresentatives from the companies forwhom the survey is being done...thesereps ensure the data being collectedmeets the contractual standard, if notthey can request the run be done again.Finally, as it is a Russian ship,everything was, naturally, in Russian sothere was a crew of eight Russianseaman aboard to oversee running ofthe ship. Total crew of 50.

Everyone was very friendly andwent to great lengths to explain allfacets of the ship to me. I was greatlyimpressed by the safetyconsciousness of the crew and Bob,the master of the ship, described howAustralian ships have some of thehighest safety standards in the world.However, maritime unions fight aconstant battle over increasingworkloads being given to Flag OfConvenience (FOC) vessels inAustralian waters. FOC ships are shipsowned by a company in one countrybut registered in a different country.Usually that country has lar cheaperregistration costs and safety standardsfar below that of the country of the shipowner. Bob explained that he has seenmany FOC ships that do not evencarry enough life jackets for the crewl

On board, there are many booksand videos that are always accessible,or you may want to while away the timejust looking out at the kilometres andkilometres of unbroken ocean.Fantastic under a full moon or atsunset. You haven't seen anything untilyou've seen an electrical storm at sea.There are also several computersthroughout the ship, which allowed meto run the new CD-ROM first aid coursefor several of the employees. One ofthe more challenging courses I haverun was an accident action course forthe Russian seamen. The wholecourse was taught through the Russianinterpreter, Julian, who, during thewhole cruise wore several jokes aboutbeing a KGB spy! lt didn't help hiscause that he walked around with avideo camera! The Russians were veryenthusiastic students and put a lot ofinput into the lessons. At least I thinkthey did! However, they had veryadamant ideas on first aid and I wasjust about at wits end explaining thestable side position, they having beentaught to still nurse unconscious peopleon their back. ln the end I got the pointacross with the aid of a tin of two fruitsbut that's another story. The final examalso consisted of a scenario testingtheir ability to remove someone from

the engine room to the deck, using aParaguard stretcher. This course wouldnot have been possible without thehelp and patience of Julian and I thankhim immensely, Julian himselfcompleting the senior first aid course.

During the third week bad weatherhit us in the form of several rain andwind squalls, causing the ship to rolland pitch in the eight-metre swells. Atnight it was like trying to sleep on aroller coaster as the ship would rise upcrests and then plunge down into deeptroughs. There was a small increase in

the number of people seen withinjuries sustained from crashing intobulkheads, etc and for a while it lookedlike the crew-change choppers wouldnot be able to land in order to transportus back to Darwin. However, land theydid, the pilots showing incredible skillin matching their helicoptersmovements to the pitching deck. Eventhe slightest miscalculation meaningthe rotors coming into contact withparts of the ship's structure. Talking tothe pilots, I learnt they all have awealth of experience, most being ex-navy pilots and have flown off shipsand oil rigs - here and in the North Sea- for years.

Upon arrival in Darwin, it was time tosay good-bye to some new friends andagain get used to the dreadful humidity.It was a fascinating insight into a hugeindustry, which previously I had littleidea about and a chance to work in anenvironment far different from the one I

normally work in. I can recommend it toanyone else who has the opportunity.

However, with three meals a day,all being 3 course, and chocolate,nuts, chips and ice-cream all being inabundant supply be prepared to gaina few kilos!!

Bruce ANDERS


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OPEN Z DAYS A WEEK AND FOR ALLINTERNATIONAL DEPARTURES AND ARRIVALS

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Telephone:

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Join Council On The Ageing (NT)

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24 _ OUTBACK AMBULANCE - Winter 1997

Education and the ContinuousQuality I mprovement Programin St John Ambulance (NT)Since commencing service

with St John Ambulance(NT) in late 0ctober 1996,

I have been impressed

with the level ol profes-

sionalism and dedication

lrom all officers in St John

Ambulance (NT). I look

lorward to my time with

St John (NT) and thought itwas about time to put pen

to paper about the

programs I am involved with.

Ambulance EducationSt John Ambulance (NT) provides anumber of High Quality programs, inrelation to skills and qualifications inthe provision of pre-hospital care,these programs include:. Certificate of Ambulance Studies -

lnternal Mode. Certificate of Ambulance Studies -

Distance Education Mode. Mines Rescue Medical lntervention- lnternal Mode. Mines Rescue Medical lntervention- Distance Education Mode

. Associate Diploma in AppliedScience (Emergency Care)

. Paramedic StudiesSt John Ambulance (NT) is a

registered provider of VocationalEducation and Training and providestraining to its own staff and staff ofother services, the mining industry andoverseas services (via NT University)

We are currently undertaking re-accreditation of our courses and lookto expand the programs, with theAssociate Diploma being most likelyupgraded to an Advanced Diploma.As well, the Degree conversion coursewill commence in 1998 through the NTUniversity, offering recognition of ourcourses and the interstate equivalentsas part credit towards the degree.Participants will be able to choose a

Martin Kelly, Quality

wide range of subject areas toundertake the degree conversion in.

Continuous Qualitylmprovement in St JohnAmbulance Australia - (NT)St John Ambulance (NT) has alwaysbeen at the forefront of the provision ofquality patient care and to ensure itcontinues to do so, St John (NT) isintroducing a Continuous Qualitylmprovement (CQl) process to becalled the St John Ambulance (NT)CQI Program. Continuous Qualitylmprovement is about providingcontinuous professional developmentof an Ambulance Officer whilst allowingmaintenance of basic and advancedcompetencies. The Continuous Qualitylmprovement Program will be tailoredto suit every arm of the operationalbranches of the organisation.

All levels of the organisation areembracing this process, so as toprovide for the highest standards ofpre-hospital patient care and transport.Ambulance Officers have long wishedto be recognised as professional.Professional recognition results fromcontinuous adherence to professionalstandards. The CQI Program willassist in Officers becoming, remainingand continuing to develop as true

professionals. The potentialoutcomes from such a processinclude the best possible patientcare, professional recognition,and increased job satisfaction.

The Northern Tenitory pre-sents a number of challenges forthe introduction of the CQI Pro-gram, the demographics of theNT, the special needs of the var-ious groups, the challenges ol thevarying community needs in res-ponse needs and methodologies.

The Northern Territoryincludes population densitiesfrom high urban to sparseremote areas. Darwin is a majorcity with high volume ambulanceresponses across a broad rangeof case types. There are also anumber of medium-sized townssuch as Katherine, Gove and

Tennant Creek with medium caseloads, and small settlements and cattlestations with low case loads, but highresponse and transport times. As well,lsland communities also exisl such asBathurst lsland and the various otherislands off the north coast. The effectsof such demography need to beconsidered in the implementation of theCQI process in the Northern Territory.

The process will be sponsored bythe General Manager for the St JohnAmbulance Australia - Northern Terr-itory, David Baker, and as such hasindicated his eagerness to providethe corporate commitment,resources and direction to facilitatethe overall Continuous Qualitylmprovement Program.

The process will include:. lntroduction and education. Establishment of Moderation Panel. Development of mentors. Development and facilitation of

educational opportunities. Development of case auditing

procedures. Development of skills validation

processes.

Martin KELLYQuality Co-ordinator/AmbulanceEducation Officer

winter|997 - oUTBACK AMBUTANCE - 25

rL'

Telephone (08) 8952 8611Fax (08) 89s3 2909

PO Box 3970, Alice Springs, NT 0871ACN 009 627 418

Millers of Quality Products since 1899Always on hand, a comprehensive range of:

Plain, Bakers, Wholemeal and Self-Raising Flourpacked in 1Okg Calico Bags and 15kg Drums;

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Even the law now recogniseselectronic documentation.Police, treasury and motorvehicle registry records arenow filed electronically.Convert your paper-based filesto CD-ROM now. PhoneNearline now to show you how.

NEARLINE IMAGING SOTUTIONSProviding up-to-date Records Management technology

TEL: (OB) 8981 71SsFAX: (OB) 8981 77s4

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Help put lives backtogether.

Please give generously t0 The Red Shield Appeal.You can make a donation by sending to Red Shield Appeal,

GP0 Box 9888, in your capitalcity or calll 800 818 215.

You can also donate at any branch of ufestpac

Thank@

God for the Salvos

26 - 0UTBACK AMBUTANCE - Winter 1997

Proudly SupportingSt John fNr/

-

wEXPLORATIONPTY. LIMITED

18km Post Stuart HighwayBerrimah NT

Telephone:(08) 8e32 2766

Fax:(08) 8e32 3286

Shell Bitumen Plant Exercise7 March, 1997

ln March this year,

St John Ambulance (NT)

was involved in an

exercise at the Shell

Bitumen Plant, which was

primarily aimed at

practising and evaluating

the emergencyprocedures at the Plant

located at Kitchener

Drive, Port of Darwin.

It also practised and

evaluated the operational

procedures of the NT Fire

and Rescue Service and

St John Ambulance (NT).

ShellAustralia had

organised the exercise to

test their procedures and

invited St John

Ambulance and the NT

Fire and Rescue Service to

be involved.

The lncidentA worker at the plant climbed aprocessing tower at the Plant toinvestigate a problem. The only otheroperator stayed in the control room asper Shell procedures. A pipe burst asthe operator was checking it and hewas splashed with hot bitumen overthe neck and face. The operator in thecontrol room realised something hadgone wrong and instigated theemergency procedures in place priorto investigating the incident. Atapproximately 1100 hours he raisedthe alarm with the NT Fire andRescue Service and St JohnAmbulance (NT) by the 000 network.

FormatThe call to 000 was prefixed by'this is

an emergency response exercise'. ln

tt the event of a real incidentoccurring, the call would havebeen prefixed by NO DUFF.Vehicles responded withoutsirens and lights from astaging point at Woolner Roadnear Tiger Brennan Drive. (Soas to simulate a normal codeone response from ParaP).The aim is to provide asituation as close to the realsituation without endangeringthe public, our officers oranyone else involved. The FireCommander had overallcontrol of the incident, and hecould have called off theexercise at any time due tosafety concerns. As well, if theunits involved in the exercisewere needed for actualincidents, they would haveresponded to lhose incidents.The exercise was held at1'l am which is generally aquieter time.

Any observers wore anarmband with observer Printedon it and had to remain in adesignated area.

ObjectivesThe objectives of the exercisefrom a St John Ambulance(NT) perspective were to:

n

Advanced Lifehis safe arrival.

The patient is loweredSupport Officer C

***St

fmli


CUSTOMISED TOTAL INJURY MANAGEMENT SERVICESNorthern Territory and East Kimberley

* Injury prevention training programs

- Manual handling

- Back care

- Stress prevention

* Return to work for injured employees

- Case management

- Individual assessments

- Job analysis and identification

- Job seeking and placement* Workplace management

- Policy development: OH&S/Return to work

- Ergonomic assessments

- Job analysis

Phone: 8946 3463 for your nearest office details

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28 - 0UTBACK AMBULANCE - Winter1997

. Provide an appropriate response inaccordance with Nationalstandards;

. Liaise with other respondingservices and Shell personnel toprovide a co-ordinated approach tothe incident;

. Provide treatment to the injured, inaccordance with St JohnAmbulance Protocols; and. Practise and evaluate the aboveobjectives, with a view to identifyingany training needs or amendmentsto procedures and protocols.

The OutcomeThe exercise went well, the NT Fire andRescue Service utilised the Brontotower for the first time and the locationproved a real test of its capabilities.There were a number of hazards theyhad to contend with, including towersupport wires and the amount of pipesand support poles in the way. TheBronto would have normally been ableto remove the patient on a platformfixed to the front of the cradle. Thiswould allow for Ambulance Officers tocontinue to treating the patient whilstthey were lowered to the ground. The Stokes litter being lowered to the tower platform, where the patient has been stabilised

by St John Paramedic, Wayne Hunter

,: \l

The Tower has the ability toreach the top of many of thetall buildings around Darwin.The specially modifiedsafety straps had not beenpassed by NT Fire andRescue ServiceEngineering so they werenot used in this situation soas to ensure safety. Oncethis has taken place, we willbe involved in anothertraining exercise to practiseand evaluate this aspect ofthe Bronto Tower.

Overall, the exerciseprovided an excellentopportunity to practise ourprocedures and inparticular, our manage-ment of bitumen burns. Allagencies worked togetherwell and the lessons learntwill be used to improveprocedures. Whilstexercises such as this taketime to organise andconduct, the potentialimprovement in effective-ness is extremely valuable,of course, we hope it neverhappens, but we realisethat sometimes it does,and being preparedlessens the effect andshortens the recovery.

\

The stokes litter on the Bronto platform as it will be used, once the modifications are complete

Winter 1997 _ OUTBACK AMBULANCE - 29

DRUG AND ALCOHOLSERVICES ASSOCIAIION

ALICE SPRINGS INC.Telephone: (08) 8952 84L2

This Happens AII Too Often!Most of it is Alcohol Related!

You Must Be Aware ofthe Consequences When You

Drink Too Much!

If You are a Drinker Then YouHave a Responsibility to Yourself

and Others to Drink Safely!

If You are Bothered by Your DrinkingHabits or Level of Consumption

then You May Call Dasa for Assistanceto Stop or Cut Down

Drrnk uD Ted! No Thanks Blll

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OYER 7OO YEARS

8981 6f',2t2 "ffi*ffiScales Resloulonl - Dorwin's Dinerct PeirodiseWhile visiting Darwin, don't miss wine and butter sauce served with a

out on the Northern Territory's warm salad of vegetables. Dessertsmost exciting restaurant, located on include "The Chocolate Hit fromthe waterfront on Cullen Bay. You Hell" which is white and dark

will enjoy sunset dining in a callebut chocolate marquis. Tostylish relaxing setting. round off your fine dining, you can

Gastronomers can feast on food indulge in a wide selection ofwith a distinctly Northern Territory dessert wines, ports and liqueur

flavour, such as Thai Tom Yum coffees until late.soup with Prawn, Squid and

scallops for entree. Mains will suitany paiate from beef and chicken to Remembet, your trip to DarwinsucCulent seafoods such as snapper is not complete without

with cauliflower puree, lemon, a meal at Scales.

Scofes on Cullen, 54-56llnrina Blvd lGullen Boyf Lorrokeyoh

DARWIN PRTVATE I{O SPITALaataaa

Fully accredited with the Australian Council on Healthcare StanclardsProviding excellence in Surgical, Obstetrical and Meclical CarePrivate or Shared Accomrnoclation24 Hour Ernergency ServiceModern motel accommoclation and Bistro for family membersHydrotherapy Pool and Gymnasium

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News trom Down the Track

Maria DeSousa at the 1996 Anzac Day Memoial

Creek officers). We would like tocongratulate them and the otherofficers who also qualified andwelcome Martin to the centre.

The Tennant Creek staff are nowAdmin OIC Paula Tropeano, AO'sJason Danbury, Shaun Daniel,Michelle O'Dea and Martin Scaife.A recent arrival is Andrew Wheeler

who joined us in March. Welcometo Tennant Creek, Andrew. However,we say goodbye to Rick Jones whois leaving St John Ambulance totake up a position with theVictorian Ambulance Service. All atTennant Creek wish Rick and hisgirlfriend, Marie, the best of luck inShepparton, Victoria.

The adult section of the combinedDivision now numbers eleven officers(not including the four service officers,who are also volunteer members),with five of these eleven now enrolledin the Distance Education Ambulancecourse. We think that is pretty good forTennant Creek. We also have twosenior cadets getting ready tograduate to the adult section in 1997.

Two of our volunteer membersAnnie Beilharz and Sarina White, areon maternity leave, and the goodnews is that both babies have arrivedsafely. Annie had a baby boy namedPerry Gavin Beilharz Smythe andSarina also had a boy namedAlexander Paul White.Congratulations to both mums, dadsand babies from the Tennanl CreekAmbulance staff, volunteers and theirfamilies.

Tennant Creek centre has finallymade it into the '80's. We have newblinds on the window, fresh paint on thewalls, a new fax machine, a satellitephone (for when the crews go bush),mobile phones (used to contact thecrew on call), a new vacuum cleaner, a

A lot has happened during1996 and we all hope that 1997

is as lullilling lor our olficers

as 1996 was.

NZAC Day 1996 saw our cadetunit marching in the ANZAC Dayparade and laying a wreath. The

cadets also competed in the Cadetcompetitions held in Darwin in October.Unfortunately, we were unable to get aplacing but we did make a few peoplewonder about our little unit.

The Tennant Creek CombinedDivision donated a first aid kitbackpack to the new Tennant CreekNorthern Territory Emergency ServiceUnit. The Emergency Services alsoheld their own fund-raising activitiesby holding a fancy dress party toassist them in purchasing much-needed equipment. Some of ourvolunteer members supported theNTES unit and they had a great time.The NTES reportedly made close to$2,000, not a bad effort.

Martin Scaife joined the fold, takingover from Peter Coon who left forKatherine centre late in 1996. RickJones qualified, as did Bruce Andersand Carmen Winter (two ex-Tennant Cadets Natasha Wilson and Daniel Snow laying a wreath on Anzac Day 1996

(R to L) OIC Jason Danbury, Cadet Leader Kirsty O'Shea and Adult Member

Winter 1997 - OUTBACK AMBULANCE - 31

I(nTIIEBTNEf'UNERALSnnvrCES

Bob MackieTel 8972 1186Mobile 018 896 158

(ALL HOURS)Fax 8972 1631

KNOTTS CROSSING ROADKATHERINE NT O85O

Kindly supporting St John in the Territory

BORROTOOTA BUIKDIICOUNTI PTY LTD

BORROTOOTAGeneral Store, Commonwealth Bank Agency,Tyre Changing & Tyre Equipment, also Liquor

Store. General Fuel & Oil Suppliers.Official Aviation Refuellers To Borroloola Airport

ROBINSON RD, BORROLOOLA 0854PHONE: BORROLOOLA 897 5 877 5

PMB 152 BORROLOOLA 0854

and the

BORROLOOLA INNROBTNSON RD, BORROLOOLA NT 0854

Fully Licensed - Extra ColdBeer, Takeaway BeerSales, Budget Accommodation, Meals Available

Swimming Pool, Lounge Bar

Borroloola Offers Some of the Territory'sBest Fishing

Come and Experience the Locals and"76e ?a/ i/,, t/e Scoc&"

relephone, (08) 8975 8766ra* (08) 8975 8773

Wefcomz to Darutin anf tfuTop En[ of Austrafin

It's festival time in the "Top End". The Festival of Darwin and the fabulous"Dry Season" wealher mean there are so many activities that Darwin is alivewith entertainment - things to see, places to go! Blue skies, beautiful sunnydays and a fresh environment signal it's time to "go bush" and discover th6wonders of the Northern Territory. Forget about the horrors of winter, you'reabout to enjoy the best that Australia has to offer. The holiday of a lifelime isyours lor the taking, so don't just dream about it - do it!Mike Nixon, PresidentDarwin Region Tourism Association

DARWIN REGIONTOURISM ASSOCIATION

wE HAuE.yS:,Y"Eo "'IN FO RMATIO N I BO O KING O F F IC E

Beagle House, Cnr Knuckey & Mitchell Streets, DarwinPh: (08) 8981 4300 - Fax: (08) 8981 0653

N)MINISTRHTON OFFICE1st Floor, 36 Mitchell Street, Damin

Ph: (08) 8981 4404-Fax: (08) 8981 7346

POSTAL ADDRESS: GPO Box 4392, Daruin, NT 0801

Aerial View ol

32 - OUTBACK AMBULANcE - Winter 1997

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new Christmas tree and decorations.We all wonder what the centre will getwhen we finally reach the '90s!!

1996, again, saw a Tennant CreekFirst Aid instructor teaching at one ofthe outstations of Tennant Creek.Jason Danbury went to Ali Curung toteach an Accident Action First Aidcourse to the Council workers.

This year, the Tennant Creek staffjoined forces with the Adult volunteersincluding partners and family tocelebrate Christmas with a dinnerparty. As you can see from the photos,everyone enjoyed themselves. ShaunDaniel received the Tennant Creekannual Doctor'D' award. (lf you wantto know what the Doctor'D' awardwas awarded for, then send yourbribes, I mean donations to the

r gr*..r--*r$

Wr::'re4nt3;

.{8VLat4a2

Tennant Creek social club and we willlet you know.) Everyone had a greattime at the party.

On Saturday, S March, 1997,nine cadets and two adults went tothe Mary Ann Dam for canoeingtraining with the Tennant CreekScout unit. As you can see from thephotos, a great time was had byeveryone. Yes, Tennant Creek doeshave water!!

STOP PRESS: On a sad note, TennantCreek Ambulance Centre is losing oneof its long-serving staff members. Afterseven years, Paula Tropeano hasdecided to resign from her position ofOfficer in Charge Admin, to take up theposition of Coordinator at the TennantCreek Women's Refuge. Paula has seen21 Ambulance Officers through TennantCreek, 17 of them qualifying at Tennant.Paula's job at the centre wasn\ just OICAdmin, she was counsellor, boss,Public Relations officer, Public Duty Co-ordinator, First Aid course organiser,

Receptionist, computer operator and themost cheerful telephone answerer I haveever heard. But best of all, Paula wasand will continue to be a very closefriend and confidante and sometimes amum, not just to the service officers, butalso to the volunteers. Paula was andwill continue to be a very close friend toall officers past and present of TennantCreek Ambulance centre.

We all wish you well Paula, obviouslywe will see you around town in the tojo!!Welcome to Stephanie Pedersen whohas now joined the team.

That's all from Tennant Creek, if youare ever driving through town, pop infor a cuppa, you are always welcome.

Jason DANBURY

Canoeing in Mary Ann Dam at Tennant Creek

Staff , Volunteers and family at the TennantCreek Christmas party

Barkly Region's Ambulance Vehicles


rcMPorts

ACN 000 049 301

I Kitchener Road, Darwin, IrIT 0800PO Box 775, Da::vrrin,IrII0801

Stevedoring, ContoinerTerminol qnd Mqteriol

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Telephone: (08) 8981 8533Facsimile: (08) 8941 0604

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Tel: 8927 1050 lox: 8927 7452hr Brodshsw fce & frower Rd. hsuorina (Nexl lo Big Crow)

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THE BEAUFORT DARWIN

looks forward to welcoming delegates tothe Northern Territory's best deluxe hotel,

for the

St. John NT Priory C-onference

THE BEAUFORTDARWIN

on the Esplanade, Darwin. Phone: (08) 89 800 800 Fax: (08) 89 800 888

DARWIN CROCODILE FAR]VIHOME TO OVER SOOO CROCODILES

OPEN 7 DAYS FEEDING DAILYRelox in oir-conditioned comt'ort ond enjoy a tosty crocodile burger

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34 _ OUTBACK AMBULANCE - Winter 1997

SUPPORTTHE RED CROSS

+THE LIFE YOU SAVEMAY BE YOUR OWN

1996 Honda MastersGames

t

$$w

(Left to Right) Kevin Heintze, Pat McQuillen and Mark Cullenene

The 1996 Honda Masters

Games were, once again, held

in Alice Springs. Amongst the

5000 competitors were Kevin

Heintze and Mark Cullenene,

Ambulance ollicers lrom Alice

Springs and "Lethal" Lee

Walling from Admin in Darwin.

evin won eight medals in two verydifferent events. He won two goldmedals, one silver and two bronze

in Tenpin Bowling and a bronze in theDiscus, the Javelin and also the TripleJump. Kevin has many hobbies that hepursues during his time off but none ofthem are in the sporting fields. Wewonder what the result would havebeen if Kevin had done any training.

"Lethal" Lee Walling from Darwin

also made her mark at the games inthe pool. She won two Gold, oneSilver and one Bronze. And if thatwasn't enough the Mixed Relayteam, set a new record.

Mark Cullenene, we all know isa very keen shooter, but with only athree hour time off to participate inthe Games, his two bronze medalswere a credit to him. Mark hascompeted in previous games withmany medals in all sections. Wehear Mark has already applied forleave for the 1998 HondaMasters Games.

Another participant in theGames from the St John leam wasPat McQuillen. Pat took leave fromher teaching job to be a full-timeAmbassador during the Games.

But one member of staff in Alicethought he'd found a quick andeasy way to obtain a few medalsand become an Ambassador, all atthe same time.


llorthern lerritory,^C1.-lnterpreter & ><K'

lronslotor Service -'-'JOffice on €thnic llffoirs

FBCC ON.SIIC IN|CNPN€nINO & IBNNSLNIINO SCNWCC. Fll NT Government Flgencies . Stotutorv Bodios ' Locol

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R FCC tS CHRROCD FOfi: . Privote Businassesr Commonutaolth Deportmenls ' Privota lndividuols

lntcrpretcrs &.lronrlotcrr in 15 fonguoges

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Katherine ThxrsPhone 8972 L999

8972 L777Fax 8972 L267

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As advertised

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All other areas

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NORTHERN TERRITORYCOLIN HINTON & ASSOCIATES

STATIC GUARD SECURITY SERVICE24 HOUR SERVICE

COVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS AND COUNCILS. Entertainment Industry ' g"o*U Control. Body Guard Work ' Construction Sites

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Phone/Fax 8927 6744 - Darwin

36 - 0UTBACK AMBULANCE - Wlnter 1997

Mr Tony OxfordRegional ManagerSt John's AmbulanceCasuarina

Dear Mr Oxford

Australia's Breast Cancer Day this year was very successful. The launch of the

day at Parliament House was well attended. The highlight for me was the release

of the 184 pink balloons that symbolised the number of women in the NT

diagnosed with breast cancer between 1987-1993. The balloons lookedspectacular drifting out over Darwin Harbour.

This would not have been possible without the invaluable assistance of your staff

who not only inflated all the balloons but also managed to stop them from

escaping from the net.

Thank you for supporting ABCD 1996 and the Cancer Council of the Northern

Territory.

I look forward to working with you again in the future.

Kind regards

Janice BarrHealth Promotion Coordinator

national

wEWAC:J#i#COUNCIL

@t:ffir*Winter 1997 - 0UTBACK AMBULANCE - 37

NORTHEBIII TEBRITORYSEGONDARY

CORN^E SPOI\IDENCE SCHOOL

DO YOU WANT. A Julor Seconduy Studles Certlficate

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or promotlon prospects?. To lmprove your conunulcatlo|tr skills?

If you do conta,ct:Ereecall: laOO o62 2A6Phone: (Oal AS22 22s2Facsirnile: (Oa) a922 2258

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33 Paul Street North Ryde NSWTelephone: (02) 9887 6300

NORTHERN AUSTRALIAREGIONAL OFFICES

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DIIyISTON OFSIMON ENGINEERING

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Supplying qualityblochs and pavers

for all types ofbuilding purposes

Specialising in supply toremote areAs o/N.I

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. Confetence and Convention Room r 22 Motel Unitso DininEl Room . Bars and Swimming Pool

Phone: (O8) 8976 OL23 Fax: (08) 8976 0230ln Support of St lohn NT

Proud to sponsor St John Ambulance

PANDION HAUI,AGE PTY TTDI Regular Darwin - Katherine Service

I Weekly service Lajamanu and KalkaringiI General Cartage - Hay, Fencing Gear, Building Materials, etc

ZIMIN DRME - KATHERINE

Phone=8972 lZ36A./Hrs: 89?l 0?64 . Fax: 8972 2966

HIDDEN TREASURESjust woiting to be discovered!The Northern Tenitory is home to some ofnoture's most exquisite gems ond minerolsincluding gold, ogote, quortz omethyst,gornet, zircon ond pyrite,

Why not discover the undiscovered whilstvisiting some of the Tenitory's most scenic sites? All you needis o Fossicker's Permit, informotion on the best digging spotsond o good sense of odventurelFor tosslcking detoils tqlk wiih Cheryl Fynn on (08) 8951 5658or coll into Minerols House 58 Horlley Sireet Alice Spilngs.

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TOWNIIES TAMBERTlnternaiional lnsurance Brokers and Consultanls

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Cadet National Camp -Perth, Western Austral ia

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Joan Hunt, Dawn Bat, Mary Simonato, Renee Watts, Andrew Castillo, Daryl MacPherson, Kelly Hickey, Ben Leader, Simone Outred, PauloFernandes, Adrian Skewes, Tony lliou, Samantha Martin, Sherine Lauverjon, Kylie Smith, Holly Hawood, Benjamin Farkas, Chris Wilson.

On 9 January, 1997, 1 8 cadetmembers and cadet officers from theNorthern Territory attended the 1997National Cadet Camp in Perth. MrsDawn Bat (Divisional SuperintendentPalmerston Cadets) was theContingent Leader and Miss MarySimonato (Divisional Officer DarwinCadets) was the District TeamManager. The 1O-day camp wasattended by cadets from all overAustralia who came to (primarily)compete in the cadet first aidchampionship. The winners of thecompetitions were:

Team Event - Western AustraliaCadet Leader Event- NSWlndividual Event - South AustraliaA good effort was made by our

Territory competitors (Renee Watts,

Andrew Castillo, Daryl MacPherson,

ffeam members), Kelly Hickey(lndividual) and Ben Mooney (CadetLeader) who were placed 8th, 3rd and5th respectively.

The non-competition days werespent doing the touristy things. Whilein Perth, we visited:. Rottnest lsland;. Adventure World Park;. Yanchep National Park;. Fremantle and Fremantle Prison;. Cable Ski Park; and. The city of Perth.

I am proud to say that the NorthernTerritory was the most 'loved'contingent at the camp with commentsfrom other states like "if it wasn't forthe NT guys, this camp would havebeen boring!" The NT also managed

to win the State Challenge. To win thiswe had to:. answer general knowledge

questions (no other state cameclose to us on this one);

. compete in the aqua challenge; and

. perform a camp concert.Everyone had fun and thoroughly

enjoyed themselves. Next camp willbe held in Sydney in January 1998,and is not just the National but alsothe lnternational competition withcompetitors from all over the worldattending. Certainly a camp not tomiss - so start saving!!

Congratulations to all Cadets at theCamp-agreateffortPaulo FernandesCadet LeaderDarwin Cadet Division

.1$o rrln'q

f

""\.


Officer's Mess Dinner -Farewell for Barbara Henderson and Wayne Dillon

A larewell dinner for Barbara Henderson (Gorps

Ollicer Gadets) and Wayne Dillon (Corps

Superintendent) was held on March 22,1997 .

An enioyable night was had by all inattendance. Gollectively, Barbara and Wayne

have given St John over 50 years of voluntary

service. Both members began their involvement

with St John as cadets.

I take this opportunity to express our thanks to both WayneI and Barbara for their valued contributions whilstI members. Barbara is transferring her interest to theQueensland area and we wish her well with her futureendeavours. Their years of experience and expertise will bemissed by all.

Cadet BandThe Gadet Band Division has

commenced training for 1997.

Mr Glen Denmeade is standing

in for Divisional Superintendent

Frank Haydock for the firstsemester, due to the ill health

of Frank, who is recovering

lrom major surgery.

I rank's progress to date has beenF qood, if somewhat slow, as couldI 6e anticipated, and he wishes tothank all those of you who haveenquired after his well being. TheBand Cadets look forward to havingtheir'Leader' back and in good healthduring the second half of the year.(There are whispers that a PARTY maybe in order.)

Left: Darwin Adult Division members (Jan Rowell and Karen Joyner) playing with tanks at aPublic Duty at the Speedway!!!!

*nwNnNR.s

Cadet Band Members during recent lnspection.


Palmerston Cadet Division on Camp at Talc Head

ryw.Y*:ffi &',,

a'lt!

%.&

a

I

I

Easter Long Weekend

The journey'overseas' to Talc Heads

&,

trlrJii

found the bulls eye. Carmen Smith wasone of the fortunate few

ff[f,)N

Great fishing was one of the many enjoyments of the weekend


Natu re Ve rs u s Twe nti ethCentury Syndrome

Jeanie. Kiwirrkuna 1996

Jeanie had been seen to

weaken ouer several days.

Her presence alound our com-

munity was always a pleasure

to behold, and her gradual

absence from card games and

store visitalions was

noticeable. Her antics capture

the attention ol everyone who

visited "the jewel ol the west."

eeing Jeanie lying helplessly in thedirt and obviously in pain wasunbearable. She was unable to

stand, was grossly distended,excessively thirsty and hadn't toiletedfor several days. Her size and feasibilityprevented evacuation, so treatment wasto be confined to her dusty bed.

Following expert advice, welavaged her orally with vegetable oiland pushed fluids, some of which she

seemed to inhale. She keenly drankall water offered her.

Even the untrained eye could see shewas dying and within the parameters ofour animal-loving culture, euthanasiaunder these pitiful circumstances wasthe only humane option.

Jeanie was a gentle-natured, youngfemale orphaned camel who, to theamusement of her audiences, couldraise her head, swallow and empty acan or bottle of drink without assistance.

Unfortunately, unaware of her ownfree unburdened kind grazing withinkilometres, she roamed our community,unheeding boundaries, feeding onsparse vegetation and, to her demise,the contents of rubbish bins.

On the ninth day in a desperate bidto ease her suffering, we againnegotiated at length with her adoptedowner. Following his consent, poor littleJeanie, blindfolded and unresisting,was gently relocated, cradled in thetractor bucket to her final resting place.

After her death we bore witness toa horrible scene. As suspected she

had a gut obstruction, her bloatedstomach straining under masses ofplastic bags, Kimbies nappies, string,and cassette tape. Many litres of waterpurged from her gut, and a predictedperforation revealed litres of pus anddiscoloured blood.

Missed will be her incessantmunching, her'dumb' defiant stares,her legendary clever tricks, her trustinginnocence, her cheeky raiding ofshopping bags and her frequent visits.

lndelibly etched in our minds is thesad nature of her death, the tragicman-made cause, and themonumental rising column ol billowingmorbid black smoke, distinct anddeadly against the azure desert sky.

From a distance, as we watched insaddened silence, there wasn't a soundto be heard. No breeze, and no move-ment disturbed the red desert sand.

It was as if the whole world seemedto know, and was pausing to paytribute to a lost treasure.

Stephanie Winter, RNKiwirrkurra Community WA


AD

Letter from AvonOWNS

Alter training as a volunteer

with the Alice Springs Brigade

and completing my Certilicate

in Ambulance Studies, my

husband was transferred to

Avon Downs Police Station(50kms west of the Old/NT

border on the Barkly Highway).

I aooroached the staff at Alice

I sfrings Centre and begged asI much gear and First Aid supplies asI could possibly get and set off intothe wild blue yonder; never reallyrealising that the equipment I hadreceived would become invaluableout here in all manner ofemergencies from vehicle accidentsto station accidents and a multitudeof other cases.

Avon Downs currently has apopulation of 17 people - five live atthe Police Station and the other 12 areat the cattle station, approximately twokilometres away. Our nearestneighbours are 70kms away in eitherdirection. My husband's districtincludes 270kms of the Barkly Highwaywhich, during the tourist season, isextremely busy with cars and caravans,as well as numerous tourist buses andthen there is the usual traffic of roadtrains carrying general freight, cyanide,cattle and large machinery.

Our closest ambulance andmedical facilities are situated at theCamooweal Base Hospital. These arestaffed by a Matron, Sister andWardsman, who also acts as theAmbulance Driver. We also haveback-up from the Royal Flying DoctorBase in Mt lsa.

Since being out here for a few years,I've had to deal with a variety of cases,with limited facilities. However, on thewhole, we have had an extremelypositive outcome. Some of the cases I

have had to deal with include stationaccidents, where the staff have come offhorses or motorbikes, been kicked bycattle or been in a small aftercation withbarbed wire and lost, as well as a few

weld flash injuries. We have had heartattacks, either where the patient hasbeen driving or been a passenger orone gentleman came to the gate andmanaged to say he wasn't feeling wellbefore collapsing on the ground. I hadone woman suffer a brain haemorrhageand we have had psychiatric patientswho seem to think the Barkly Highway isa good place for a holiday!

Some of the more notable caseshave been a psychiatric patient whowas reasonably well behaved and hadescaped from Brisbane. She had beenreceptive to most ideas about going toMt lsa for a check-up after having beenout in the elements for a few days, butshe suddenly got violent when theSister from Camooweal, on advice fromher psychiatrist, tried to give hermedication which hadn't been taken forsome time. The upshot of this was fourof us had to restrain her on our kitchenfloor on New Year's Eve waiting forR.F.D.S. to fly in and evacuate her out.

Another time, I was just about dueto give birth to our second child (wehave two children aged three and one)and the manager's wife from SoudanStation called to advise there hadbeen a serious rollover 2kms fromtheir front gate, with one person beingscalped and the other with seriousinternal injuries. After advising her onwhat to do until I got there, I then rangCamooweal Hospital and requestedthe Ambulance meet me out at thesite and I also placed R.F.D.S. onstandby to do the evacuate from AvonDowns, as Soudan's strip was underwater at the time. I arrived at thescene, which was 70kms west of us,to find the patients starting to sufferfrom the heat on top of everything else(the day was a lovely 40"+ in theshade), the people who had stoppedto assist were more concerned aboutmy state of health at the time than thepoor patients. We eventually got themstable and moved them into theAmbulance and proceeded back toAvon Downs for the transfer toR.F.D.S. When the Flying Doctorarrived and checked the patients out,he then insisted on checking me alsoto ensure that they weren't going to be

doing another trip out that afternoon topick me up!

We are very lucky out here, with anexcellent across-the-border localstrategy with the Camooweal Hospitaland also with R.F.D.S., who bothrecognise my knowledge andappreciate that I will deal with minorcases and consult and transfer themore serious ones.

I work constantly with CamoowealHospital, assisting when necessary atfunctions in Camooweal and we workextremely well out on the road together,with the Ambulance agreeing to comeall the way to Barkly Homestead, ifnecessary and R.F.D.S. Mt lsa will alsogo to the Barkly Homestead, if required.They give me feedback on my patientsand advise if my provisional diagnosiswas correct and the final outcome ofinjuries. The Matron also updates mySkills Maintenance Record and whenthey are doing training in there onvarious apparatuses, l'm also invited togo in and attend the sessions.

I am now an Assistant lnstructorand hold First Aid courses for peopleon the Barkly as required.

Recently, I have been very lucky inhaving a satellite telephone portablesystem donated to me from the LionsClub in Tennant Creek and the RotaryClubs of Mt lsa, as they recognisedthe difficulty out here withcommunication (the Police U.F.system rarely works due to theatmospheric and telephones are fewand far between). I will now be able todo consults directly with R.F.D.S. fromthe scene and while they are flyingout give them updated observationsas required by the Doctor and carryout further instructions without thedelay of up to 1.5 hours.

I appreciate the assistance andongoing support of the CamoowealHospital and Ambulance Service,Royal Flying Doctor Service Mt lsaand the St John Ambulance Australia,(NT) Alice Springs Centre. lt makesbeing out somewhere so remote a biteasier to deal with, knowing you havethis support system here.

Denise JEFFRIES


ST JOHN AMBULANCE AUSTRALIA

Northern Temitorg

An Invitation to the 'Friday Sessions'...

St John Ambulance Australia (NT) Inc. invites registrations frompeople interested in attending the 'Friday Sessions'.

The day will feature presentations from a variety of speakers:

EnvenomationBox Jellyfish (Dr Phil Alderslade)

Snakes (Mr Graeme Gow)

Hearing lmpaired students(Mr Tony Neale)

Public Access Cardiac Defibrillation(Mr Tim Bowen)

Tropical Diseases(Dr Antje Haase)

Cost: $40.00 (includes morning/afternoon tea and lunch).

Date: Friday 20 June. Time: 9.00am-4.30pm.

Venue: Bul Bul Room, Mirambeena Resort,64 Cavenagh St, Darwin City.

Registration: Please phone Jenny Cronin at St John Ambulance on 8922 6202 duringbusiness hours to request a registration form.

44 - 0UTBACK AMBUTANCE - Winter 1997

Coururnvurux is the Commonwealth Government's information access service for country people.

CouNrRvltttr offers five major services:. A 1800 telePhone Answer Line. The Rural Book - an up-to-date guide to Commonwealth services and programs. ShopfronVdisplays that visit shows and field days. CounrRy1rux bommunity lnformation Stands located with community groups as a local source of

information and pamPhlets. CoururnvLrltx video lending library that lends, free of charge, videos covering a wide variety of

topics of interest to country peopleCoururnyhrux gives you the opportunity to gain free access to information on Commonwealth

Government sLrvices including: Education and Training, Social Security, Business and Trade,

Assistance for Farmers and many other Commonwealth benefits and services.

l.aoo ('.26^ 222(Freecall)

lf you would like more information, please call Coururnvl-trux orwrite to Manager, Couu-rnvLtnx,

GPO Box 858 Canberra ACT 2601

0

More than $50 000 in prize money, ant exotic outback setting, l0 different games -Lasseters lndoor Challenge (4- 10 fanuary | 998) is an

adventure not to be missed!

Experienced, recreational and iunior players will have the chance tocompete for record prize money playing Magic, Bridge, 500, Darts'Scrabbleo, Backgammon, Chess, Euchre, Cribbage and 8'Ball inAustralia's premier indoor recreational games.

With spectacular Alice Springs hosting the Challenge, when you're notplaying, you'll most probably be exploring the fantastic sights of centralAustralia - Ayers Rock (Uluru), the MacDonnell Ranges, Kings Canyonand The Olgas (Kata Tjuta).

To register call | 800 658 951 (toll free) and go into the draw for a returnairfare from any QAMAIS port in Australia to Alice Springs.

Northcrn Terrilory Government: sPoRT&REcnEAnoN:

f,oarzAsTHEALETRALIAN AIRUNE

The Natural Gas Pipeline transports gas from the AmadeusBasin in Central Australia to provide fuel for most of theTerritoryt s power, stations.

Damage to the buried pipeline could not only interrupt that vital energysupply but could cause severe injury, so please take care when working nearthe gas pipeline

For your own Safety do.... contact NT Gas when planning work on

or near the pipeline

. get approval from NT Gas before work-ing near the pipeline

. notify NT Gas if you see others workingnear the pipeline

. ask NT Gas for any information orassistance regarding the pipeline

. inform NT Gas of any damages, orerosion which you observe

and don't.... cross pipelines with heavy loads

. blast within 50 metres

. excavate, dig holes or erect fences

. sink wells or bore holes

. don't erect structures on.the easement

CONTACT NT GAS PRIOR TO CARRYING OUT ANY WORKNEAR THE GAS PIPELINE

Phone: (08) 8935 1611 Fax: (08) 89321663

NEWCASTLE WATERS

ELLIOTT

r GasPipeline_ Road

I OpenlionalBae

I GasDdiverySbtion

ALICE SPRINGS

.2OO km'

--l

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