New South Wales | Multi-agency patient rescue on Australia Day due to flooding

Glenreagh | 28 Jan 2012

Paramedics were called to Glenreagh at 1200hrs yesterday to a 15 year old girl who was becoming increasingly breathless with asthma and an 8 year old boy with an arm laceration. Both children were in need of medical attention along with transportation to Coffs Harbour Base Hospital.

Due to the rising flood waters ambulance was unable to gain access to the patients by road.

An Ambulance Community First Responder (CFR) used a tractor to cross flooded creeks to deliver oxygen and medication and initiate treatment. CFR Ambulance volunteers from some smaller local communities are an important part of the ambulance team, which allows an earlier intervention of treatment until an ambulance crew arrives on scene.

Ambulance maintained contact with the girl’s mother, a Registered Nurse, by periodically calling her back for several hours to monitor her daughter’s progress. This monitoring included phone discussions with a doctor from the Ambulance Medical Retrieval Unit.

Due to the girl’s condition worsening arrangements were made to evacuate her and the 8yo boy with their parents via a Rural Fire Service Fire Truck. The RFS team drove through rising flood waters to a railway crossing at Glenreagh where they were met by
Paramedics, who had been transported there by a Crew Cab Truck on the train tracks provided by Australian Rail Track Corporation.

Approximately 45min later whilst the patients received treatment from the Paramedics on scene a Country Link XPT was the only way to get the patients to Coffs Harbour Base Hospital. Both the parents, patients and Paramedics travelled on the XPT.

A road ambulance met the XPT at Coffs Harbour railway station and the patients were transported to Coffs Harbour Base Hospital in a stable condition.

Ambulance was assisted by the NSW Rural Fire Service, State Emergency Service, NSW Police, Australian Rail Track Corporation and Railcorp Countrylink during the evacuation and transport to hospital.

Ambulance has coordinated ambulance responses and transports in and around flood waters in several mid North Coast communities during the past 48 hours.

Remember, in a medical emergency dial triple zero “000” and ask for Ambulance.