Garrett Parkes has joined the crew recently from the sandy shores of Byron Bay. From his life in the ocean as a professional surfer and consequent lifeguard, his passion for helping people led to him enlisting in the Army Reserves.
Garrett then set his sights on the role of Rescue Crew Officer (RCO), with the hopes of joining a great team that makes a real difference to the community. And that’s where he landed – RACQ CapRescue.
“When I first saw the statistics on the amount of jobs conducted annually it really drove home how many people rely on the service and how important it is to be ready for any job at any time. What the team achieves every year really is amazing!”
On May 24th after weeks of training, Garrett was called upon for his first task. It was late on May 23rd when RACQ CapRescue was tasked by Queensland Health to a vessel off Port Alma. With the patient in a stable condition the decision was made to wait until first light to retrieve the man who was suffering heart complications.
First thing that Tuesday morning, Rescue300 took to the skies, and launched the new RCO into his maiden winch retrieval.
With the patient secured in an Air Rescue Vest he was winched into the helicopter where he was assessed and monitored by the on-board Critical Care Paramedic.
He was then transported to the Rockhampton Hospital for further observation.
With the first task down for Garrett, we can officially welcome him to the team that continues to make a real difference.