Unfortunately, it was Christmas Day that kickstarted the tasks of the holiday period and the first of the Motor Vehicle Accidents that Rescue300 was called to.
At approximately 11 am, they attended a single-vehicle rollover on the Dawson Highway at Mt Alma.
Upon arrival at the scene, the onboard medical team assisted Queensland Ambulance staff with the three occupants, two of whom sustained only minor injuries. The third, a teenage girl, remained entrapped in the vehicle.
After a short period of time, the girl was extricated from the vehicle and treated for possible spinal injuries. She was then stabilised and flown to the Rockhampton Hospital for further treatment.
The crew were not kicking back and watching the cricket on Boxing Day; instead, that afternoon, they were alerted to a woman in her 50s requiring assistance after encountering trouble with her vessel.
Whilst travelling from Airlie Beach, the engine ceased working, and the boat was stranded in rough conditions.
Rescue300 located the woman near Townshend Island in the Shoalwater Bay area. Unable to winch from the vessel, she was required to enter the water, where the Rescue Crew Officer was then lowered to perform the retrieval.
The patient was then transported back to the Rockhampton Hangar with no necessary medical follow-up.
From the road to the water and then onto a property, CapRescue travelled West to attend to a patient who had sustained burns whilst attempting to incinerate a pile of logs on a farm.
Rescue300 transported the man in his 50s to Emerald, where he was flown to the Royal Brisbane Hospital.
At 8:30 pm on New Year’s Eve, the crew performed an inter-hospital transfer from Emerald for a woman in her 30s that required immediate, advanced care in the Rockhampton Hospital. This was the first of 7 tasks of this kind, completing on average one a day for the next week, bridging the gap for residents living in the outer areas of our 350,000km radius.
Shortly after returning to base, CapRescue travelled early New Years’ morning to the North Keppel Island area following reports of marine flares being sighted.
The first of the tasks for the year, Rescue300 reconfigured and conducted an extensive overwater search utilising night vision goggles. However, there were no signs of a vessel or people in distress.
The inter-facility transfers kept the crew busy for the first few days of 2023. However, late in the afternoon on the 5th, a male patient in his late twenties suffering from a medical condition required immediate retrieval from the onboard the ‘Pan Horizon’ Bulk Carrier. The vessel was anchored within Gladstone Harbour at the time of the tasking.
Upon landing on the Bulk Carrier, the onboard medical team provided treatment to stabilise the patient before being flown to Rockhampton Hospital, where he received further treatment.
The final task before most returned to work was in the afternoon on Sunday, 8th January.
RACQ CapRescue was called to a beach on the Capricorn Coast, where it was reported that a male in his mid-teens had fallen from his motorcycle at speed while riding with family and friends.
Upon arrival, Queensland Ambulance, Queensland Fire and Rescue and Queensland Police were already in attendance and applying first aid to the boy.
The onboard Doctor and Paramedic took over and prepared him for flight. He required life-saving procedures before he was stable enough for the 12-minute flight back to Rockhampton Hospital.
The crew were made aware that the patient was wearing a helmet and entire body protective equipment, which certainly prevented a very different outcome for the rider.
As we head into 2023, we appeal to the public to be safe, look out for each other, and we hope to see you at our fundraising and community events throughout the year!