The Queensland Police Service called in a favour in 2004 by asking CapRescue to keep a lookout after two men failed to pay for fuel at a Raglan service station. As it turned out, our crew, who were returning from a Gladstone task, pinpointed the fugitives hiding in bushland near Raglan. Police quickly responded, finding drugs and stolen property in the car. The CapRescue crew were quite chuffed to have assisted with nabbing the suspects.
Launching into September, the crew flew west to a property in the Blackdown Tableland area, where a stockman had suffered a serious laceration to his leg after a bull charged at him and pinned him against a marshalling yard fence. The beast tore open the man’s leg with its horn as it threw him into the air. Fortunately, there was no major blood loss, and the stockman was stabilised before being airlifted to Rockhampton.
A rock fishing expedition hit a snag in October when a 12-year-old boy fell at Tanby Point. Paramedics from Yeppoon were able to reach the boy; however, they were not able to safely move him. The paramedic on board the CapRescue helicopter was winched into position, and for the first time, the crew were able put the new rescue cradle (strop) into action. The lifting strop enabled the crew to safely lift the boy 30 m to a clear area on the front lawn of a nearby home. He was then transferred by road with a broken ankle to Yeppoon Hospital.
During September and October, CapRescue ran a two-day crew resource management course with intensive care paramedics from QAS. The course was designed to improve inter-crew cooperation and provide the paramedics with an understanding of CapRescue. Both teams acquired a greater understanding of the role that each service plays, learning incredibly important skills that are still required today to ensure the best outcome for each and every patient rescued.
Image: 2004 QAS and the CapRescue crew participate in a two-day course.