QAS INSIGHT | Summer 2017-18 edition

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Department title / section / topic A look back over 2017

Selected highlights

QAS and first responders multi-casualty joint training exercise at Tully …

In October, QAS joined with other emergency services and community organisations at Tully to prepare and build capability to respond to multi-casualty incidents. The joint training exercise mimicked a major traffic crash in the Tully Gorge involving a car and a bus, and tested the effectiveness of how emergency services would expect to respond to a multi-casualty incident. QAS Officer-in-Charge of Mission Beach Station Adrian House said the objective was to create a realistic scenario to provide real time training to professional emergency services crews. “We had five crews responding to this mock incident and our paramedics needed to assess, triage and treat 11 patients before transporting them to hospital,” Mr House said. “This is a rural setting which has a different set of requirements to other urban areas so this sort of training provides the opportunity to fine-tune our response and our interactions with other agencies to ensure the best outcomes for our patients. “Rafting is very popular in the Tully Gorge and a scenario like this would not be out of the ordinary, “ he said. “Our region is set to host the 2019 IRF World Rafting Championships, which will bring up to 700 athletes and thousands of spectators to the area, so planning and training is vital in the lead up to this major international event.”

… and on the Gold Coast Another training exercise, on the Gold Coast in August, involved QAS teaming up with Gold Coast Health to prepare and build capability to respond to multi-casualty incidents. The ‘Trauma on the Green’ joint training exercise at the Gold Coast University Hospital was to test the effectiveness of how QAS and Gold Coast Health would expect to respond to a multi-casualty incident. Griffith University School of Paramedicine students acted as patients during the training exercise which was developed following a review into the 2016 Ravenshoe explosion. QAS Assistant Commissioner John Hammond said a multi-casualty incident would typically include a major traffic crash, an explosion or a chemical spill. “Our training exercise mimicked a major traffic crash involving multiple vehicles and patients,” Mr Hammond said. “We had four crews responding to this mock incident and our paramedics needed to assess, triage and treat 17 patients before transporting them to the emergency department via stretchers.” A debrief was held following the exercise to evaluate and review the execution of processes, procedures and operations.

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Summer 2017–18