QAS INSIGHT | Summer 2017-18 edition

Station profile: Gladstone

Above ■ Navigating the tricky confines of one of Gladstone’s busy wharves is all in a day’s work.

“After assessing the patient and giving him pain relief he was lowered down from the top level in a basket stretcher by QFES.”

The Gladstone crew often responds to high speed incidents on the highway. One incident included a serious three-vehicle crash on the Bruce Highway where there were eight patient transports, five of whom were critical. The patients were transported to hospital via road or helicopter. Then there are the callouts to injured climbers who require the services of QAS at Mount Larcom. “If someone is injured and we need to walk to the top of the mountain to treat them, it involves a very steep ascent,’’ Leia said. “At times when we are assisting a patient down the mountain, we need to sit on our haunches and slide down.” Leia said her crew is also kept fit attending incidents on farming properties at rural and industrial areas around Gladstone. “At one incident, we had to climb up a large silo located on one of the industrial areas, with lots of steps and metal ramps to assess a patient who had a fractured leg and a head injury. We were out of breath by the time we got up there,’’ Leia laughed.

Left ■ The range of heavy industry around Gladstone means that multi-agency HAZMAT exercises are regular events.

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Apart from the variety of jobs they respond to, Leia said another highlight of working at Gladstone station is being surrounded by her staff who are ‘my teal family’. “I love working here, the staff are so enthusiastic and fun,” she said. “It is really nice being surrounded by such an amazing crew. As a CCP I also enjoy getting to go out and work with them on jobs too.” Leia said Gladstone station currently has 32 paramedics in various stages of their careers. “Our crew is quite social and we will go out and have a coffee or a barbecue with the LAC when possible. We all get along and everyone has a lot of respect for one another.”

Photo: Adobe Stock / John Casey

Summer 2017–18