National Emergency Magazine Volume 8 2015

Vol. 8 2015
www.emergencybulletin.com.au
The Importance Of First
Aid Training
Prepare Your Home

Contents
The Importance Of First Aid Training
Prepare Your Home
Drugs & The Law
Create Homeland Security Department
To Coordinate Agencies
What Being A Paramedic Involves
Protect Your Home From Fire
What To Do After The Fire
Pg4
Pg6
Pg8
Pg10
Pg11
Pg14
Pg17
Front Cover: www.bordermail.com.au
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The Importance Of
First Aid Training
Being on the spot and responding
quickly and effectively when faced
with an emergency situation at work
such as heart attacks, choking,
drowning or electrocution makes First
Aiders the heroes of the hour.
For the accident victim, having
someone nearby who is expertly
trained to administer basic first aid
is not only a legal requirement for
businesses of all kinds and sizes, it
also makes good community and
commercial sense.
Accidents happen, and having trained
staff on hand and a first aid kit (or
disaster preparedness kit) means
enhanced safety for all.
The history of first aid probably
started with the 11th century Knights
Hospitaller, who provided care to
pilgrims and knights and later began
to train other knights to treat common
battlefield injuries.
More recently, in 1863, four nations met
in Geneva and formed the organisation
that became the Red Cross, which
aimed to ‘aid sick and wounded
soldiers in the field’.
Not long after, in 1877, St John
Ambulance was formed to teach first
aid treatment and by 1878, UK civilian
ambulance services had created ‘first
aid’ - a combination of ‘first treatment’
and ‘national aid’ - in large railway
centres and mining districts as well as
in police forces.
From there, first aid never looked back,
with today’s generation of managed
first aid training providers including
alscotraining.com.au delivering
corporate training programs and kits
that equip employees in all industries
to save lives every day.
Today, the skills go far beyond the
basic ABCs of first aid - Airway,
Breathing and Circulation, where First
Aiders first ensure the victim’s airway

is clear, then that the person is able
to breathe and if not, they provide
‘rescue breathing’, applying chest
compressions (and thus providing
artificial circulation).
Once the ABCs are secured, First
Aiders then can begin additional
treatments as required, depending on
the accident or illness.
Today’s First Aider is likely to be
trained in dealing with injuries until the
next stage of definitive care (usually an
ambulance with paramedics on board)
arrives.
First Aider training is generally
provided by attending a course,
typically leading to certification. Due
to regular changes in procedures
and protocols-based updated clinical
knowledge – as well as to maintain
skills - attendance at regular refresher
courses or re-certification often is
necessary.
In Australia, nationally-recognised First
Aid certificates can only be issued
by registered training organisations
(RTOs) such as alscotraining, which
is accredited on the National Training
Information System (NTIS).
For more information on this topic visit:
www.alscotraining.com.au/first_aid_
importance.php

Preparing Your
Take time now to prepare for:
Home
2. General home preparations
Emergencies by:
• Preparing your Emergency Plan
• Preparing your Emergency Kit
• Preparing your home
• Tune into warnings.
These simple tasks can help you prepare
for, survive, and minimise the impact of
natural disasters.
The best time to take action to prepare
your home is before storm, cyclone and
monsoon season.
1. General home maintenance
• Check the condition of the roof and
repair loose tiles, eaves and roof screws;
• Clean gutters and downpipes so water
can drain away as quickly as possible;
• Trim trees and overhanging branches
• Secure loose items around your
property and garden that could cause
damage if blown around in high winds
(such as garden furniture and toys).
• Ensure your home, contents and car
insurance is current and covers your
assets adequately – check your policy
includes debris clean up and disposal;
• Identify which room is the strongest
part of the house, in case you need to
shelter in your home during severe storm
or cyclone. Usually this would be the
smallest room in the house, with the least
windows;
• Identify where and how to turn off the
mains supply for water, power and gas;
and
• Purchase emergency essentials to have
on hand.
3. If you live in a flood-prone
area:
• Store all poisons well above ground
level in case of flash flooding
• Identify which indoor items you will need
to raise or empty if flooding threatens
your home; and
• Consider the following:
alternatives to carpet floor coverings,

elocating electrical sockets and powerpoints
to well above floor level. Fill
buckets and bath with clean water in case
of interruptions to main water supply.
4. If you live in an area prone
to cyclone or severe storm:
• Fit windows with shutters or metal
screens for added protection during high
winds; and
• Arrange a professional builder to check
your building and identify measures to
increase the structural security of your
home to withstand high winds.
5. When weather warnings for
cyclone or severe storm are
issued:
• Close windows with shutters or tape
windows in a criss-crossing pattern using
strong tape and draw curtains;
updates on the event and further warnings
and safety messages.
• containers to store drinking water
supplies,
• spare supply of fuel for use in your
• vehicle (ensure you store safely),
• wide masking tape for windows,
and Disconnect electrical appliances and
all external television and radio aerials;
Turn off electricity and gas main supplies
if instructed by emergency authorities;
Secure outdoor furniture and other
garden items;
• hessian bags and sand for sandbagging
indoor drains to prevent sewerage
backwash from flooding.
For more information on this topic visit:
www.emergency.qld.gov.au
• Park vehicles under cover, away from
trees, powerlines and waterways;
• If you cannot access undercover shelter
for your vehicles, secure with firmly tied
blankets to minimise hail damage;
• Check all household members are safe
and are sheltering in the strongest room in
the house;
• Take your Emergency Kit in with you
whilst sheltering from the storm or
cyclone
s• Listen to your local radio station for

Drugs and
the law
Penalties for drug use in the ACT
The severity of penalties is ultimately at
the discretion of the courts, however the
following is a guide to the penalties that
may be handed down. Life sentences can
be given for the most serious offences.
Cannabis
With respect to cannabis in the ACT, it is
illegal to:
administer it to someone else
possess any quantity of it
cultivate or be involved in cultivating any
quantity of it
sell or supply any quantity of it.
Penalties start at $100 fines for simple
cannabis offences, and range up to
$250,000 fines and life imprisonment for
more serious cannabis offences.
Ecstasy, Heroin,
Amphetamines and Cocaine
There are $5,000 fines and/or two years
imprisonment penalties for possession
offences. Trafficking offence penalties
range from $100 000 fines and /or 10
years imprisonment.
ACT Drug Law Reform
The ACT currently uses several legislative
instruments for drug offences including
the Drugs of Dependence Act 1989,
the ACT Criminal Code 2002 and the
Medicines, Poisons and Therapeutic
Goods Act.
Under these legislative instruments there
are offence provisions for a range of
drugs including modern synthetic types.
The ACT is always updating legislation to
keep pace with changes in drug markets.
Drug offences amendments
Precursors/manufacturing
One of the more significant improvements
the Act makes to the drug laws in the
ACT is the inclusion of offences relating
to "precursors". Essentially, "precursors"
are the raw chemical components of
a controlled drug. Many precursors
are present in products that are readily
available off the shelf in pharmacies,
supermarkets and hardware stores and
are commonly extracted in backyard
laboratories to manufacture controlled
drugs, particularly amphetamine type
stimulants.
The problem with the use of "precursors"
and controlled drug manufacture has
become particularly acute over recent
years and accordingly the Act includes a
range of offences to deal with those who
manufacture, sell or possess "controlled
precursors" to manufacture controlled
drugs, and also includes possession
of equipment for manufacture and pill
presses.

Penalties relating to these types of
offences can range from $100 000 fines
and/or 10 years imprisonment up to life.
Child protection
A number of offences included in the
legislation are for the protection of
children. These include offences for
procuring a child to traffic drugs and
supplying drugs to a child for the child to
sell.
Penalties relating to these types of
offences can range from $5 000 fines
and/or 5 years imprisonment up to life.
Cannabis offence notice
The Act also includes some additional
changes to the Drugs of Dependence Act
1989 (DoDA). The Drugs of Dependence
Act 1989 has been amended to reduce
the number of cannabis plants which can
be dealt with by way of a Simple Cannabis
Offence Notice (SCON) from five to two,
and exclude all hydroponically or artificially
cultivated cannabis plants from the SCON
scheme.
The decision was made to exclude
hydroponically grown cannabis plants
from the SCON scheme as the trend
towards hydroponic methods of cannabis
cultivation indicates that the quantities of
cannabis now able to be produced, and
potentially the potency of that cannabis,
are no longer in line with the original
intentions of the scheme.
The SCON scheme allows for a person
to possess up to 50 grams of dried
cannabis, or two cannabis plants
(excluding all hydroponically or artificially
cultivated cannabis plants) where it is
deemed by police to be for personal use
only, they can be issued a penalty order
fine. If the fine is paid within 60 days, no
criminal record will be recorded. However
failure to pay the penalty order may result
in criminal proceedings before the court. It
must be remembered, that possession of
any amount of cannabis in the ACT is NOT
legal, it is only decriminalised.
Police have discretion to issue a SCON
or charge an offender with a criminal
offence.
For more information on this tpoic visit:
www.police.act.gov.au

Create homeland security
department to coordinate
agencies
Appointing a new minister for
Australian homeland security would
free up the attorney general to take
an “unimpeded view” on the merits of
counter-terrorism law reform, senior
bureaucrats have suggested in a
report.
The prime minister, Tony Abbott,
released the findings of a review of
the nation’s security architecture on
Monday, coinciding with a speech
in which he flagged changes to
immigration laws to strip dual nationals
involved in terrorism of their Australian
citizenship.
The report stopped short of calling for
a department of homeland security
but made clear that a new “flexible”
department could have benefits.
The formal recommendations outlined
limited changes including appointing
an official to serve as national counterterrorism
coordinator and ensure all
agencies were working in harmony.
Abbott voiced his support for this
measure, along with a review of the
system for public terrorism alerts
and a new strategy to counter violent
extremism.
But the report indicated that a broader
overhaul of responsibilities could
address tension between the duties of
the attorney general, George Brandis,
who oversees the Australian Security
Intelligence Organisation (Asio) and is
also tasked with safeguarding citizens’
civil rights.
“Currently, the attorney general must
balance his duties as first law officer
of the commonwealth with his national
security responsibilities, including
bringing forward measures restricting
or even removing the rights of certain
individuals,” said the report by the
Department of the Prime Minister and
Cabinet.
“Appointing a separate minister
responsible for a department of
homeland security could free the
attorney general to take a more
unimpeded view of the legal

amifications and consequences of
national security proposals.”
The report said two models for a
national security department included
a large “super-agency” modelled
on the US Department of Homeland
Security or a small, coordinating
department of home affairs based on
the UK Home Office.
A big new agency “would likely be
less, not more, responsive” to counterterrorism
issues because large
bodies tended to be “less agile, less
adaptable and more inward looking
than smaller departments”.
The report was more favourable
towards “a small, flexible” body
drawing on the UK model because it
could “avoid many of the drawbacks
associated with bureaucratic
gigantism”.
Such a department could oversee all
relevant domestic intelligence and law
enforcement agencies, including Asio,
the Australian federal police (AFP) and
the Australian Crime Commission.
The review did not consider “the
broader merits of such a proposal”
because they sat “outside the scope
of this report”.
Speculation about changes to security
responsibilities, including a potential
homeland security portfolio headed
by Scott Morrison, sparked tensions
among affected ministers last year.
In October, Brandis said the existing
national security arrangements were
working. “I agree with my colleague
Julie Bishop who was reported
yesterday as saying that if the
institutional arrangements were to be
changed then obviously those who
would seek to change them would
need to persuade, to demonstrate that
they’re not working,” Brandis said at
the time.
The report released on Monday said
the commonwealth had “strong,
well coordinated counter-terrorism
arrangements” but the rising threat of
terrorism in Australia was becoming
harder to combat.
The reasons included the increasing
number of Australians joining extremist
groups overseas, the trend towards
“low-tech, lone actor” attacks which
are harder to predict and disrupt,
and the exploitation of social media
“to distribute published propaganda
products”.
The report said the disclosures by the
former US National Security Agency
contractor Edward Snowden about
the extent of western surveillance
on citizens were “making the task of
maintaining a technological ‘edge’ over
terrorists more difficult”.
“It is worth noting that post-Snowden,
relationships between intelligence and
business have been strained, making
it harder to access key data without
legal compulsion,” the report said.

“Terrorist groups also have a greater
knowledge of the technological
capabilities of national security
agencies, making it easier to evade
surveillance and monitoring efforts.
Agencies need to use increasingly
intrusive and sophisticated monitoring
measures.”
The report also stressed the
importance of working with at-risk
communities to counter violent
extremism and promote social
cohesion.
On Monday Abbott angered Muslim
groups by calling on leaders to
proclaim Islam as a religion of peace
“more often, and mean it”.
The Liberal MP for Reid, Craig Laundy,
distanced himself from the comment,
telling Sky News: “The Muslim leaders
in my electorate are saying it every
day and they do mean it.”
Laundy said those leaders were
“on the front foot engaging with
congregations day in and day out
and preaching the Koran the way the
Koran should be interpreted in modern
Australia”.
Bishop, the foreign affairs minister, told
parliament the government was intent
on protecting those who were most
vulnerable to the terrorist narrative,
and she applauded members of
the Muslim community in Australia
who were “taking a stand against
extremism”.
The report said more must be
done to strengthen cross-agency
coordination and leadership, using
Operation Sovereign Borders as a
model. The new national counterterrorism
coordinator could be filled
by the Asio chief, Duncan Lewis, or
a new senior position in either the
Attorney General’s Department or the
Department of the Prime Minister and
Cabinet.
Source, The Guardian

WHAT BEING A
PARAMEDIC INVOLVES
Being a paramedic is about a lot more
than lights and sirens and rushing to
help someone in need. Paramedics
perform clinical procedures, administer
drugs, maintain patient records and
decide the most appropriate medical
facility to take someone to.
Paramedics help people in nonlife
threatening situations too, from
sporting injuries to routine transport
between hospitals and health services.
On any given day, a paramedic may:
Attend medical emergencies and
accidents which may require the
administration of advanced life support.
Assess, treat and manage the patient’s
treatment en-route to hospital
Perform invasive techniques such as
intravenous canulation, administration
of pain-relieving drugs, fluid
resuscitation in the trauma setting and
advanced airway management.
Lift and place patients on stretchers,
load the stretchers into ambulances
and transport patients to hospital.
Prepare patient care records and
other written reports on the state of
a patient’s injuries and the treatment
provided. Triage patients to the most
appropriate medical facility.
Provide routine transport for patients
from home to hospital and return,
e.g. for patients requiring further
treatment or specialised treatment
such as occupational therapy and
chemotherapy.
Perform daily vehicle and equipment
checks, making sure that ambulances
and medical supplies (including drugs)
are accounted for, and that equipment
is in good working conditions.
Attend public gatherings such as large
sporting events, where accidents or
other health emergencies may occur.
Ambulance paramedics work on a
rotating roster. The roster covers
seven days a week, 24 hours a day.
Rosters are provided at least four
weeks in advance to ensure adequate
planning time.
Source, www.ambulance.vic.gov.au

Protect Your
Home From Fire
Are you fire safe in the
home?
- The fire services recommend this
simple safety checklist to assist in
keeping your home fire safe.
- Installing an adequate number of suitable
smoke alarms and testing them regularly
is the first step in your home fire safety
plan.
- Having a written escape plan in case of
fire and practicing it regularly.
Make sure keys to all locked doors are
readily accessible in case you need to
escape.
- Never leave cooking or any other open
flame including candles or oil burners
unattended.
- Clean the lint filter of your clothes dryer
each and every time you use it.
Never smoke in bed and take extra care if
consuming alcohol whilst smoking.
- In Winter take extra care when using
heaters, electric blankets or open fires.
Don’t overload power points and
- switch off appliances when not in use.
- Always keep lighters and matches away
from children and educate them that they
are “tools not toys” to only be used by
responsible adults.
- If you have a garage or shed remember
to take extra care with any stored
chemicals and fuels and always refuel
mowers, edgers etc when they are cold
and in the open.
- If you have a gas, electric or wood BBQ
always check that it is in safe working
order before lighting and that it is always
in the care of a responsible adult when in
use.
- If you live in a bushfire prone area keep
the ground around your home clear of
leaves and other litter and remember to
clean your gutters regularly.
Fire safety tips
- Remember that smoke from a fire will
make you confused and that you cannot
see in smoke.
- When asleep you will not smell smoke
and it will in fact put you into a deeper
sleep.
- If you have escaped from a home fire,
remember once you get out stay out and
dial Triple Zero (000).
- Oil, gas or wood heating units may
require a yearly maintenance check.
- Only ever use fuses of recommended
rating and install an electrical safety
switch.

Smoke alarms
If you have a working smoke alarm you
are reducing the fire risk to yourself and
your family.
Legislation requires all NSW residents
must have at least one working smoke
alarm installed on each level of their home.
This includes owner occupied, rental
properties, relocatable homes, caravans
and campervans or any other residential
building where people sleep.
Smoke alarms are life-saving devices
that provide benefits for occupants. They
detect smoke well before any sleeping
occupant would and provide critical
seconds to implement actions to save life
and property. Smoke alarms are designed
to detect fire smoke and emit a loud and
distinctive sound to alert occupants of
potential danger.
Information from Fire & Rescue NSW
Facts About Fire
Working smoke alarms provide vital early
warning in the event of a fire. When you
go to sleep, your sense of smell also goes
to sleep. Smoke alarms are essential to
wake people if a fire breaks out, they
give occupants early warning and time to
evacuate safely.
There are about 11,000 house fires in
Australia each year. One in five Australians
will experience a house fire in their
lifetime.
House fires are more common in winter
months, when people are using fires and
heaters.
Approximately 800,000 Australians never
replace their smoke alarm batteries,
risking their home and family’s lives
9% of the people surveyed are
simply not concerned about replacing
smoke alarm batteries
Nearly half of the people surveyed
(46%) do not have a home fire escape or
evacuation plan for their home
Of those surveyed, 66% are more
likely to be concerned with installing
pool fences than replacing smoke alarm
batteries
36% of people surveyed say they have an
elderly relative, friend or neighbour who
would benefit from assistance in changing
their smoke alarm battery because the
person is not able to reach it, does not
have access to it or doesn’t know how to
change it
A sleeping person is unable to smell
smoke and therefore cannot detect a fire
Smoke alarms are available for the deaf
and hearing impaired
Battery powered smoke alarms are best
fitted with long-lasting 9V alkaline batteries
Smoke alarm safety tips
Only purchase smoke alarms that carry
the Australian Standards symbol
Interconnect all smoke alarms so
that regardless of where a fire starts, all
smoke alarms in the home will sound to
alert occupants at the earliest possible
time test smoke alarms monthly and
replace batteries yearly. Clean smoke
alarms regularly (at least once a year) by
vacuuming the sensing chamber

For those in newly built houses, it is worth
remembering that mains power smoke
alarms have back-up batteries that should
be checked and replaced annually
Try to avoid locating smoke alarms near
cooking appliances and bathrooms.
Smoke alarms are very sensitive and
will activate with the smallest amount of
smoke or steam i.e. smoke from burning
toast and steam from a shower
A fire doubles in size every minute
3 to 4 minutes - a fire can totally
involve a house
5 to 10 minutes - a mobile home can
burn to the ground
4 to 20 minutes - range of 000
response times
Leading causes of fire in the home
29% Appliances, Electrical, etc.
21% Heating
19% Cooking
18% Unknown
13% Arson (includes fires started
by children)
Areas of the home where fires commonly
start
23.7% Cooking Area (includes grilling
areas)
12.2% Sleeping Area
8.1% Lounge Area
4.9% Unknown
4.4% Laundry Room
Information From The Smoke Detective

What To Do After
The Fire
Now that the fire is out, there are a
few things you need to know. Here
is a check list to follow:
Step 1 - Securing the site
- Protect the fire site from any further
damage by weather, theft or vandalism.
Do not leave the site unsecured.
- If you are the owner it is your
responsibility to see that openings are
covered against rain and entry. Make
sure outside doors to the property can
be locked and secured. The Fire Brigade
will help secure the premises until
responsibility can be handed over to the
occupier or insurance company.
- If you are the occupier contact your real
estate agent or landlord and inform them
of the fire. If you cannot contact them
and you need professional assistance
in boarding the premises, a general
contractor for or fire damage restoration
firm can help. Check your telephone
directory.
- If you plan to leave the site, try to remove
any valuable remaining in the building.
Contact your own insurance agent to
report the loss.
Step 2- Cautions
- Household wiring which may have been
water damaged should be checked by
a licensed electrician before power is
turned back on.
- Check for structural damage caused
by the fire. Roofs and floors may be
weakened. The local Council’s Building
Inspector may be able to help.
- Food, drink and medicines exposed to
heat, smoke or soot may be discarded
in the appropriate manner. Refrigerators
and freezers left unopened will hold their
temperature for a short time. However do
not attempt to refreeze thawed items.
- The Fire Brigades will call for the
services of the local gas, fuel and
electricity suppliers to disconnect
services before they leave the site.
If a utility (gas, electricity or water) is
disconnected, it is your responsibility
to have the services checked and
reconnected by a licensed trade person.
Do not attempt to reconnect the service
yourself.
Start collecting receipts for any money
you spend. These are important because
you can use them to show the insurance

company what money you have spent
relating to your fire loss and also verifying
losses claimed.
Step 3 - Insurance Claims
Make personal contact with the insurance
claims manager.
- Advise the claims manager of loss or
damage and give him, or her, a forwarding
address and telephone number if the
circumstances have forced you to leave
the damaged fire building. The sooner the
insurance company is alerted, the quicker
the insurance claim can be processed, as
the company has to alert the insurance
assessor to carry out the inspection.
- Try to form an inventory, as soon as
possible, of household items either inside
or outside the buildings which have
been damaged by fire. The inventory of
damaged items will further speed the
claim when the loss assessor makes
contact. Do not throw away any damaged
goods until after the inventory is made
by the insurance assessor. Should you
be unable to recall the name of your
insurance company, contact the Insurance
Council of Australia.
Step 4 - Leaving your home
or how soon you might get an advance on
your eventual insurance claim settlement.
Provided it is safe to do so,
try to locate the following to
take with you:
Identification Vital medicines, such as
blood pressure regulating drugs or insulin.
Eyeglasses, hearing aids, prosthetic
devices or personal aids.
Valuables such as credit cards, chequebooks,
insurance policies, savings
account books, money and jewellery.
Notify these people of your new address
Your employer, Family and friends, Your
children’s schools, Your Post Office.
Have them either hold or forward your
mail, depending on the length of time you
expect to be relocated.
Delivery services like newspapers and
milk, Telecom and the suppliers of gas,
electricity and water.
The Police, if the fire is under investigation.
Meanwhile, do not contract for estimating,
making inventories or repair services
without first contacting your insurance
company.
Information from Fire & Rescue NSW
If you have to leave your home because
the fire has left it unsafe, contact the local
police. They can keep an eye on the
property in your absence. Check with your
insurance company to find out whether
you are entitled to stay in hotel as part of
a temporary housing clause in your policy,