QAS INSIGHT | Summer 2017-18 edition

Station profile: Gladstone

Gladstone paramedics respond to incidents from the steep sides of a ship to the summit of Mount Larcom – OIC Leia Spencer said one of the highlights of working in the region is the variety of callouts.

Sometimes, they are exposed to choppy conditions on the way to the vessel and if they have to climb up and down the large ships ‘it can be very physically demanding’ as the ships’ sides are so high. “As the ships are coming from all over the world, generally those on board do not speak English – so we are often confronted with a language barrier,’’ Leia said. “Some of the ships also come from locations where there are high levels of infectious disease, such as tuberculosis, so we have to be extra vigilant when dealing with international medical issues. “In addition, if a patient requires transport to the mainland, crews need to take into account immigration, so we routinely liaise with Australian Border Force and Customs.” Leia said a recent ‘challenging’ job included a call out to a massive ship out in the harbour for a crew member experiencing abdominal pain and fever. “After climbing to the top of the ship and finally finding and speaking to the captain – the only person on board who spoke some broken English – my partner and I then assessed the patient, placed him on a stretcher and attempted to get him off the ship through tiny holes they had for doors.’’

Gladstone has Queensland’s largest multi- commodity port – the fifth largest in Australia. There are also several large industries located in and around the Gladstone area. A normal working day can result in the Gladstone team attending incidents on ships in the harbour, responding to high speed road traffic crashes on the nearby Bruce Highway and climbing neighbouring Mount Larcom and silos on rural and remote properties when a patient requires QAS assistance. Leia said the Port of Gladstone has eight main wharf centres comprising 20 wharves, with 70 per cent of those used for coal. “As Gladstone is the world’s fourth largest coal exporting terminal, the vessels coming to the port are extremely large and sit off the coast awaiting loading and unloading times,’’ Leia said. “When someone requires our assistance due to a medical incident on a ship, or if someone goes overboard, we mostly head out on the water with Volunteer Marine Rescue.” While it is interesting work, Leia said the task of attending to patients on ships can make even the simplest jobs become quite challenging.

Above ■ Gladstone OIC Leia Spencer.

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Summer 2017–18