Marine Rescue Wooli joins Christmas Eve rescue mission
by Ken McManus on 24 Dec 2014
Patient with suspected spinal injury and paramedics on Wooli 30 - Marine Rescue Wooli joins Christmas Eve rescue mission. Marine Rescue NSW
http://www.marinerescuensw.com,.au
Volunteers from Marine Rescue Wooli today took part in a joint rescue operation for a young girl who had suffered suspected spinal injuries after falling down a sand slide on the Wooli River.
The crew of Wooli 30, Richard Taffs, Marten Hutchings and Marine Rescue NSW Northern Rivers Regional Controller Stephen Reading, worked with the State Emergency Service in the evacuation operation.
The Wooli 30 crew ferried NSW Ambulance paramedics and a Westpac Lifesaver doctor and paramedic to the scene on the south side of the river.
The crew made several trips to transport personnel and equipment to the scene, while unit radio operator Jackie Taffs maintained communications with WI 30 throughout the course of the operation.
Mr Reading said the doctor and paramedics had worked to stabilize the patient for transport, administering pain relief and managing her body temperature by using thermal blankets.
'In a tricky manoeuvre, WI 30 was slipped sideways up against a rock shelf to allow the patient to be loaded on to the vessel, secured and transported to the main wharf at Wooli, where waiting NSW Ambulance paramedics and MRNSW crew assisted in transferring the patient to shore,' he said.
'The patient was transported to Grafton Base Hospital for assessment, leaving the Westpac helicopter to respond to another tasking.'
Mr Reading said the operation again highlighted the value of cross-agency training to ensure that various rescue services could work seamlessly together in emergency operations.
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