Vol. 11 Issue 1. 2019

Vol 11 2019 

Inside a 

Hospital 

Trauma 

Unit 

SharkSpotter 

Drones 

& AI 

State of the Climate 2018

CONTENTS 

3 

Editor’s Note 

Latest Events 

4 

5 

6 

10 

14 

18 

21 

23 

25 

29 

32 

• 2019 Australian of the Year 

• 10 yr Anniversary of 2009 

Victorian Bushfires 

2018 Weather Wrap up 

State of the Climate - CSIRO & 

Bureau of Meteorology 

Doctors Support Pill Testing at 

Music Festivals 

Sharkspotter aids Swimmers 

Inside a Hospital Trauma Unit 

Paramedics Need More Support to 

Deal with Trauma 

Disease through the Decades 

Advances in Forensics 

Emergency Contact Information 

Cover Image: 

Great Ocean Road 

Victoria Australia 

Island Arch

EDITORS NOTE 

FROM THE EDITOR 

Happy New Year to all! 

A busy start for all our emergency services workers 

and volunteers. The incredible heatwaves that 

have swept thoughout most of the country kept us 

sweltering over the Christmas period and continue 

to keep us seeking any way to stay cool. This has had 

an effect on our energy usage with Victoria seeing 

staggered blackouts to prevent total energy shutdown. 

These outages put pressure on older people, business 

and care providers such as hospitals and care centres. 

The topic of electricity usage, cost and provision 

is certainly on the political agenda as it affects our 

community and the environment. Lets hope we see 

some changes in this arena in the near future. 

Congratulations to Dr Richard Harris and Dr 

Craig Challen on their shared honour of winning 

Australian of the year! A well deserved accolade that 

acknowledges the remarkable courage these two men 

demonstrated in order to save the lives of others. If 

only we could give awards to all of our emergency 

service personnel and volunteers who work daily to 

protect and care for others in our communities. 

Happy Reading! 

Emma Parker 

Editor 

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Australian Emergency Services Magazine 

3

LATEST EVENTS 

CAVE HEROES SHARE AUSTRALIAN OF THE 

The two Australian divers who 

gripped the public imagination for 

their part in the dramatic rescue of a 

Thai boys soccer team have shared the 

Australian of the Year award. 

Dr Richard Harris, an anaesthetist 

from Adelaide and Dr Craig Challen, 

a retired vet from Perth, long-time 

diving companions, worked as part 

of the international team that, against 

the odds, brought the 12 boys and 

their coach to safety. 

The members of the Wild Boars team 

entered the caves on June 23 last year, 

only to be trapped by floodwater. In 

the staged rescue, the last boys and 

the coach reached safety on July 10. 

The two Australians were preparing 

to go on a cave-diving holiday when 

their help was sought. 

“Richard’s medical experience was key 

in the plan to get the children out of 

the caves,” the Australia Day Council 

said. 

“After swimming through the narrow 

cave system to assess the health 

of those trapped and giving the 

medical all-clear for each evacuee, he 

administered an anaesthetic to each 

to enable their rescue. 

“Richard was key to the mission’s 

success, remaining in the cave system 

until the last evacuee was safe. 

“Craig’s technical expertise was 

critical to the rescue. He played a 

leading role, working 10 to 12 hours 

each day in extremely dangerous 

conditions to swim the children oneby-one 

through the dark and narrow 

flooded caves”. 

Chair of the council, Danielle Roche, 

said that the two men “placed the 

safety of others above their own and 

inspired hope when hope seemed 

lost. Their selflessness, courage and 

willingness to help others in a time of 

need typifies the Australian spirit.” 

In other awards announced at a 

ceremony in Canberra on Friday 

evening: 

The senior Australian of the Year is Dr 

Suzanne Packer, 76, from Canberra, 

a retired paediatrician. Among her 

many activities promoting children’s 

health, safety and rights, she has been 

involved in child abuse prevention 

and an advocate for the importance of 

the creation of child-friendly spaces 

in hospitals. 

The Young Australian of the Year 

is Danzal Baker, 22, an Indigenous 

rapper, musician and dancer from the 

Northern Territory. 

“Working across rap, dance, acting 

and visual art, Danzal Baker is an 

inspiration to indigenous youth,” the 

Australian Emergency Services Magazine 4

LATEST EVENTS 

10 YR ANNIVERSARY OF 2009 

VICTORIAN BUSHFIRES 

YEAR 2019 

council said. “A multi-talented, 

multi-lingual indigenous artist, 

Danzal, otherwise known as 

Baker Boy, is the first Indigenous 

artist to achieve mainstream 

success rapping in the Yolngu 

Matha language”. 

The Local Hero award was 

presented to Kate and Tick 

Everett from Katherine in the 

Northern Territory. 

After the death of their teenage 

daughter Amy “Dolly” Everett 

a year ago, following extensive 

bullying, they founded Dolly’s 

Dream, to raise awareness about 

the devastating impact bullying 

can have on children and their 

families, The council said the 

Everetts’ “non-stop advocacy” had 

resulted in governments acting to 

prevent childhood bullying. 

Michelle Grattan 

University of Canberra 

First Published on ‘The Conversation’ 

A state commemoration service in 

February will mark ten years since the 

2009 Victorian Bushfires. 

The anniversary will be a time for 

reflection as Victorians remember 

the loss of 173 lives. Many more were 

injured and lost their homes, and 

there was significant damage to public 

and private property as a result of the 

fire. 

The state anniversary 

commemoration will be held on 

Monday 4 February at the Royal 

Exhibition Building in Carlton 

Gardens. The event is being held 

before the actual anniversary on 7 

February to allow for communities 

to hold their own events during the 

week or spend time together. 

Consultations have been undertaken 

with survivors and the bereaved 

community about the state 

anniversary commemoration, and full 

details about the event will be released 

shortly. 

Additional funding has been allocated 

to increase mental health and health 

support, through existing services, 

for bushfire-affected communities 

and first responders, and support the 

provision of psychological first aid at 


5 

commemorative events. 

The Department of Health and 

Human Services (DHHS) is providing 

extra support to existing, trusted, 

local service providers wherever 

possible to make sure communities 

have access to services which are 

tailored to their needs. 

These include counselling services; 

mental health, alcohol and other 

drugs counselling; community 

engagement activities; and GP 

locums. 

People can access these local services 

by speaking with their doctor or 

mental health professional. 

Anyone experiencing problems 

or changes in behaviour should 

contact their doctor, mental health 

professional, or Lifeline on 13 11 14 

for help and support. 

More support services and recovery 

advice is available on the DHHS 

website. 

For updates about the State 

anniversary event, please visit the 

Victorian Government website


AUSTRALIA’S 2018 IN WEATHER: 

drought, heat and fire 

Last year was a time of 

exceptional weather and 

record-breaking heat 

according to the Bureau of 

Meteorology’s annual climate 

statement, which was released in 

January. 

The Bureau issued four Special 

Climate Statements relating to 

“extreme” and “abnormal” heat, 

and reported a number of broken 

climate records. 

One of the headline stories for the 

year was drought across eastern 

Australia — centred on New South 

Wales, but also affecting Victoria, 

eastern South Australia and 

southern Queensland. 

With the whole of NSW declared 

in drought during the latter half of 

2018, this drought will be recorded 

as one of the more significant 

in Australia’s history, ranking 

alongside the Millennium, 1960s, 

World War Two and Federation 

Droughts. Of those historic 

droughts, only the Millennium 

Drought saw similar, accompanying 

high temperatures. 

The below-average rainfall has 

persisted for around two years 

across much of NSW and adjacent 

regions. The drought conditions 

were particularly severe in 

the recent spring period, with 

low rainfall, persistently high 


7

temperatures, and record high 

evaporation. 

This exceptionally dry period 

was influenced by sea surface 

temperatures to the west of the 

continent. Perhaps fortuitously, a 

developing El Niño in the Pacific 

Ocean failed to mature in the second 

half of the year. An El Niño would 

have typically exerted a further drying 

influence on eastern Australia. 

The dry conditions in eastern states 

were severe enough to see Australia 

record its lowest September rainfall 

on record, and the second-lowest 

on record for any month — behind 

April 1902, during the prolonged 

Federation Drought. Over 2018, 

Australia’s annual rainfall was 

11% below average, and the lowest 

recorded since 2005, during the 

Millennium Drought. 

In contrast, above-average rainfall was 

recorded across parts of the tropical 

north, and most significantly in the 

Kimberley, consistent with recent 

trends of increasing rainfall in that 

region. 

The drought conditions were 

exacerbated by record or near-record 

temperatures across many parts of 

the country. It was Australia’s third 

warmest year on record, behind 

2013 and 2005. Daytime maximum 

temperatures were the warmest on 

record for NSW and Victoria, and 

second-warmest for South Australia, 

the Northern Territory and Australia 

as a whole. 

Persistent dry conditions through 

winter are typically associated with 

low soil moisture and heatwaves in 

the following spring and summer, and 

2018 followed this pattern — with 

the added contribution of a warming 

climate. 

The year ended with some recordbreaking 

heat events. Perhaps the 

most significant of these was the 

extreme heat along the central and 

northern Queensland coast in late 

November and early December, 

which saw maximum daytime 

temperatures of 42.6 °C in Cairns and 

44.9 °C in Proserpine on the 26th of 

November. 

These temperatures, combined with 

persistent dry conditions in the 

preceding months, saw catastrophic 

fire weather and bushfires along 

600km of the Queensland coast, an 

event that fire agencies have called 

unprecedented for the state. 

The year ended with a burst of heat 

over the Christmas-New Year period, 

with temperatures at least 10 degrees 

warmer than average across southern 

South Australia, most of Victoria and 

southern NSW, leading to Australia’s 

warmest December on record. 

Karl Braganza 

Climate Scientist, Australian Bureau of 

Meteorology 



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9

State of the 

Bureau of Meteorology and CSIRO 

The Australian Bureau of 

Meteorology and CSIRO have 

released their fifth biennial State of 

the Climate report. 

State of the Climate 2018 is the 

latest biennial snapshot of climate 

change in Australia. It focuses on 

observed long-term trends that 

are happening now and are likely 

to continue into the near future, 

as well as significant climate events 

that have occurred over the past two 

years. These changes are described 

through the latest observations from 

CSIRO and Bureau of Meteorology 

marine, atmospheric and terrestrial 

monitoring programs. 

The report also summarises 

the latest climate research from 

Australia and around the world. 

This will help inform a range 

of economic, environmental 

and social risk assessments and 

responses by government, industry 

and communities. 

Multiple lines of evidence show 

the climate system changing in 

ways that are discernible from 

natural variability, and consistent 

with a human influence on 


Climate 2018: 

climate. These changes are having 

an impact on our natural and built 

environment. 

In particular, climate change is 

being felt through an increase 

in the frequency and severity of 

high-impact weather events such 

as heatwaves, extreme fire weather 

conditions, coastal inundation and 

marine heatwaves. These trends are 

projected to continue. 

Some of the report’s major findings 

are described below. 

Passing major milestones 

Australia’s average air temperature 

has warmed by just over 1degree 

since national records began in 

1910. Oceans around Australia have 


11 

also warmed by around 1degree 

since 1910. 

Atmospheric concentrations of 

carbon dioxide are rising globally. 

Emissions from the burning of fossil 

fuels continue to increase, and are 

the main contributor to the rise in 

CO₂, with some contribution from 

changes in land use.

Atmospheric CO₂ concentrations 

measured at Cape Grim, Tasmania 

(one of three main global measuring 

stations, alongside Mauna Loa, 

Hawaii, and Nunavut, Canada), have 

persisted at levels above 400 parts 

per million (ppm) since 2016. What’s 

more, the combined concentration 

of all greenhouse gases exceeded the 

equivalent of 500 ppm CO₂ in mid- 

2018. These milestones haven’t been 

crossed for at least 800,000 years, and 

likely 2 million years. 

Changes in the atmosphere and land 

Australia’s warming trend has led 

to an increase in the frequency of 

extreme heat events. For example, 

very high monthly maximum 

temperatures that used to occur 

around 2% of the time (based on the 

average for 1951–80) now happen 

about 12% of the time (2003–17). 

Other elements of Australia’s climate 

have also shown long-term changes. 

New analysis techniques now provide 

a more detailed picture of changes to 

fire weather through time. The annual 

total of daily values of the Forest Fire 

Danger Index is increasing over large 

areas of Australia. Most regions also 

saw an increase in the most extreme 

10% of fire weather days, and fire 

seasons have lengthened. 

Rainfall in April–October has been 

steadily decreasing in Western 

Australia’s Southwest, and has 

decreased since the 1990s in southeast 

Australia. In contrast, rainfall has 

increased in parts of northern 

Australia since the 1970s. 

The observed long-term reduction 

in rainfall across southern Australia 

has led to even greater reductions 

in streamflow. Long-term average 

streamflow has decreased in most 

regions of southern Australia, and 

increased in regions of northern 

Australia. 

A warmer atmosphere can hold more 

moisture, and this is an important 

driver of the observed increase in the 

intensity of short-duration rainfall, 

sometimes linked to flash flooding. 

Southern Australia is projected to 

experience decreases in average 

rainfall and more time spent in 

drought. Meanwhile, most of the 

country can expect an increase in 

rainfall intensity. 

Historically, significant weather and 

climate events are often the result of 

the combined influence of several 

extreme factors at once. Higher 

temperatures during periods of 

below-average rainfall, for instance, 

can exacerbate drought conditions. 

Temperature, dryness and wind come 

together to create dangerous bushfire 

conditions. 

Changes in the ocean 

The warming in Australia’s oceans 

has contributed to longer and 

more frequent marine heatwaves – 

defined as periods when sea surface 

temperatures are much warmer than 

average. The world’s oceans are a 

crucial moderator of the climate, 

taking up more than 90% of the extra 


heat in the system – most of it is 

absorbed by the Southern Ocean. 

Sea levels continue to rise through the 

combined effects of warming oceans 

and melting ice from land-based 

glaciers and ice sheets. Global average 

sea level has risen by more than 20cm 

since 1880, but the rate varies from 

place to place. About 25% of the CO₂ 

emitted by human activity diffuses 

into the oceans, making them more 

acidic in the process. 

The past two years, 2016 and 2017, 

have seen back-to-back bleaching 

events in parts of the Great Barrier 

Reef, linked to marine heatwave 

events. These changes are very 

likely linked to warming oceans, 

and primarily driven by the human 

influence on the climate. 

Well-established scientific theory 

and climate model studies both show 

that the warming would largely not 

have occurred without the increase 

in greenhouse gas concentrations. 

In addition, the current increase in 

temperatures accords with projections 

made nearly 30 years ago. Warming 

is projected to continue into the 

future as the effect of past emissions 

continue, and more greenhouse gases 

are emitted. Australia is projected to 

experience increases in sea and air 

temperatures, with more hot days and 

marine heatwaves, and fewer cool 

extremes. 

It takes time for the climate system 

to warm in response to increases in 

greenhouse gases, and the historical 

emissions over the past century have 

locked in some warming over the 

next two decades, regardless of any 

changes we might make to global 

emissions in that period. However, 

by the mid-21st century, higher 

ongoing emissions of greenhouse 

gases will lead to greater warming 

and associated impacts, and reducing 

emissions will lead to less warming 

and fewer associated impacts. 

State of the Climate 2018 can be read 

on either the Bureau of Meteorology 

or CSIRO websites. The online report 

includes an extensive list of references 

and useful links. 

Michael Grose 

Climate Projections Scientist, CSIRO 

Lynette Bettio 

Australian Bureau of Meteorology 

Traumatic Stress Clinic 

Sydney Australia 

 

 

() 

 

 

 

 

 

02 8627 3314 

 

 

 

 

 

@ 

 

 

 


13

Doctors Support Pill 

Testing at Music 

Festivals 

Martyn Lloyd Jones 

Honorary Senior Lecturer, University of Melbourne 

Paul Komesaroff 

Professor of Medicine, Monash University 

For many years experts in the 

field of drug policy in Australia 

have known existing policies are 

failing. Crude messages (calls for total 

abstinence: “just say no to drugs”) and 

even cruder enforcement strategies 

(harsher penalties, criminalisation of 

drug users) have had no impact on 

the use of drugs or the extent of their 

harmful effects on the community. 

Whether we like it or not, drug use 

is common in our society, especially 

among young people. In 2016 43% 

of people aged 14 and older reported 

they had used an illicit drug at some 

point in their lifetime. And 28% of 

people in their twenties said they had 

used illicit drugs in the past year. 

The use of MDMA (the active 

ingredient in ecstasy) is common 

and increasing among young people. 

In the last three months alone five 

people have died as a result of using 

illicit drugs at music festivals and 

many more have been taken to 

hospital. 

The rigid and inflexible attitudes 

of current policy-makers contrast 

dramatically with the innovative 

approaches to public health policy for 

which Australia was once renowned. 

Since the 1970s many highly 

successful campaigns have improved 

road safety, increased immunisation 

rates in children and helped prevent 

the spread of blood-borne virus 

infections. 

The wearing of seatbelts was made 

compulsory throughout Australia in 

the early 1970s. Randomised breath 

testing and the wearing of helmets 

by bike riders were introduced in the 

1980s. These measures alone have 

saved many thousands of lives. 

The introduction of needle exchange 

and methadone treatment programs 

in the late 1980s and, more recently, 

widespread access to effective 

treatments for hepatitis C have 

dramatically reduced the health 

burden from devastating infections 

such as HIV and the incidence of 

serious liver disease. 

Each of these programs had to 

overcome vigorous and sustained 

hostility from opponents who argued 

they would do more harm than good. 

But in all cases the pessimists were 



15

proved wrong. Safety measures on the 

roads did not cause car drivers and 

bike riders to behave more recklessly. 

The availability of clean needles did 

not increase intravenous drug use. 

Easier access to condoms did not lead 

to greater risk taking and more cases 

of AIDS. 

We believe — along with many other 

experts in the field — that as was 

the case for these earlier programs, 

the evidence presently available 

is sufficient to justify the careful 

introduction of trials of pill testing 

around Australia. 

Specifically, we support the 

availability of facilities to allow young 

people at venues or events where drug 

taking is acknowledged to be likely 

to seek advice about the substances 

they’re considering ingesting. 

These facilities should include tests 

for the presence of known toxins 

or contaminants to help avert the 

dangerous effects they may produce. 

Such a program should be undertaken 

in addition to, and not instead of, 

other strategies to discourage or 

deter young people from taking illicit 

drugs. 

Although pill testing has been widely 

and successfully applied in many 

European countries over a twenty 

year period, it has to be admitted 

the evidence about the degree of its 

effectiveness remains incomplete. 

That’s why any program in Australia 

should be linked to a rigorously 

designed data collection process to 

assess its impact and consequences. 

However, we do know that the 

argument that pill testing programs 

will increase drug use and its 

associated harms is very unlikely 

to be true. Most people seeking 

advice about the constituents of their 

drugs will not take them if they are 

advised that they contain dangerous 

contaminants. 

And it’s easy to avoid false 

reassurances about safety by 

careful explanations and detailed 

information. The opportunity to 

provide face-to-face advice to young 

people about the risks of drug taking 

is one of the great strengths of pill 

testing programs. 

Over the last half century we have 

learnt public health programs have to 

utilise multiple strategies and provide 

messages carefully and tailored for 

different audiences. What works to 

combat the harms associated with 

drug-taking in prisons is different 

from what works for specific cultural 

groups or for young people attending 

music festivals. 

The available evidence suggests pill 

testing is an effective and useful 

approach to harm minimisation 

in this last group. We believe it has 

the capacity to decrease ambulance 

calls to festival-goers, help change 

behaviour and save lives. 

It has taken until now for pill testing 

techniques to be developed to a level 

where they are able to identify the 

constituents in analysed samples 


with sufficient precision, reliability 

and speed. These techniques, and the 

range of substances for which they 

can test, will continue to improve 

over time. On the basis of experience 

gained in the UK, Europe and 

Australia it’s clear pill testing is now 

feasible and practicable. 

The members of the Australasian 

Chapter of Addiction Medicine 

within the Royal Australasian 

College of Physicians are the main 

clinical experts in the field of 

addiction medicine in this country. 

Together with the Australian Medical 

Association and many prominent 

members of the community with 

experience in this area we feel this 

is the time for pill testing to be 

introduced, albeit in careful and 

controlled circumstances. We believe 

this position is also supported by peer 

users, concerned families, and past 

and present members of police forces 

across Australia. 

The fact the “War on Drugs” has 

failed does not mean we should give 

up. There are many new weapons 

available to us, as we have learnt 

from the successful public health 

campaigns of the past. Pill testing will 

not abolish all the harms associated 

with drug taking, but if handled 

carefully, carries the likelihood of 

reducing them significantly. 

Article first published on ‘The 

Conversation’ 

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17

SharkSpotter aids 

on Aussie beaches 

Nabin Sharma 

Senior Lecturer, UTS School of Software, University of Technology Sydney 

Michael Blumenstein 

Associate Dean Research at the University of Technology Sydney 


swimmers 

Four tiger sharks have 

now been captured and 

killed following two 

separate attacks off the 

coast of North Queensland in 

September last year. Despite 

being relatively rare, shark 

attacks – or the threat of attacks 

– not only disrupt recreational 

beach activities, but can affect 

associated tourist industries. 

Shark nets are a common 

solution to preventing shark 

attacks on Australian beaches, 

but they pose dangers to marine 

ecosystems. 

Seeking a cost-effective way 

to monitor beach safety over 

large areas, we have developed 

a system called SharkSpotter. It 

combines artificial intelligence 

(AI), computing power, and 

drone technology to identify and 

alert lifesavers to sharks near 

swimmers. 

SharkSpotter was named 

the national AI or Machine 

Learning Innovation of the Year 

at the Australian Information 

industry Association (AIIA) 

annual iAwards this month. 

The project is a collaboration 

between the University of 

Technology Sydney and 

The Ripper Group, which is 

pioneering the use of drones – 

called “Westpac Little Ripper 

Lifesavers” – in the search and 

rescue movement in Australia. 

A shark spotting drone 

SharkSpotter can detect sharks 

and other potential threats 

using real-time aerial imagery. 

The system analyses streaming 

video from a camera attached 

to a drone (an unmanned aerial 

vehicle, or UAV) to monitor 

beaches for sharks, issue alerts, 

and conduct rescues. 

Developed using machine 


19

learning techniques known as “deep 

learning”, the SharkSpotter system 

receives streaming imagery from the 

drone camera and attempts to identify 

all objects in the scene. Once valid 

objects are detected, they are put into 

one of 16 categories: shark, whale, 

dolphin, rays, different types of boats, 

surfers, and swimmers. 

If a shark is detected, SharkSpotter 

provides both a visual indication on 

the computer screen and an audible 

alert to the operator. The operator 

verifies the alert and sends text 

messages from the SharkSpotter 

system to the Surf Life Savers for 

further action. 

In an emergency, the drone is 

equipped with a lifesaving flotation 

pod together with an electronic shark 

repellent that can be dropped into the 

water in cases where swimmers are in 

severe distress, trapped in a rip, or if 

there are sharks close by. 

A new age of accuracy 

The development of SharkSpotter 

involved several stages. 

Among the most time-consuming 

tasks was collecting and annotating 

the necessary data. The data were 

collected by The Ripper Group by 

flying a drone with a camera attached 

to it above different Australian 

beaches. 

We then manually annotated each 

video to indicate the specific location 

of sharks and other objects. The video 

frames and the annotations were 

then used to train the deep learning 

algorithm to correctly identify and 

classify objects. 

These advanced machine learning 

techniques significantly improve 

aerial detection to more than 90% 

accuracy. That’s much better than 

conventional techniques such as 

helicopters with human spotters 

(17.1%) and fixed-wing aircraft 

spotters (12.5%). 

We tested the system at different 

Australian beaches to determine the 

varying parameters, such as camera 

resolution, height above sea level 

(which can affect the vision clarity of 

drones), speed and flight duration. 

After successful trials and fine-tuning 

of the system, SharkSpotter was used 

across a dozen popular beaches in 

New South Wales and Queensland 

last summer. 

The system was developed to help 

Surf Life Savers monitor the beach 

more effectively – as opposed to 

replacing them – and has been 

received positively by end-users and 

communities alike, according to a 

survey conducted by The Ripper 

Group. 

Saving lives 

In January 2018, the Westpac Little 

Ripper Lifesaver was used to rescue 

two young swimmers caught in a rip 

at Lennox Head, NSW. 

The drone flew down the beach 

some 800 metres from the lifeguard 

station, and a lifesaving flotation pod 

was dropped from the drone. The 

complete rescue operation took 70 

seconds. 

We believe SharkSpotter is a win-win 

for both marine life and beachgoers. 

From a technology perspective, it has 

demonstrated how to detect moving 

objects in a complex, dynamic marine 

environment from a fast-moving 

drone. 

This unique technology combines 

dynamic video image processing AI 

and advanced drone technology to 

creatively address the global challenge 

of ensuring safe beaches, protecting 

marine environments, and enhancing 

tourism. 

The authors would like to 

acknowledge the contributions of Dr 

Paul Scully Power, co-founder of The 

Ripper Group, who partnered in the 

development of SharkSpotter. 

First Published on ‘The Conversation’

INSIDE A HOSPITAL 

TRAUMA UNIT 

A look inside our emergency departments 

over the holiday period 

Simon Hendel 

Anaesthesiologist and trauma consultant 

Jennifer Jamieson 

Trauma Fellow & Emergency Physician 

THE NATIONAL TRAUMA RESEARCH INSTITUTE 


21

As most workers wind down 

to enjoy the holidays, staff 

in hospital trauma units are 

preparing to ramp up. This is because 

between November and January, 

there is a 25% increase in trauma 

presentations. Around 30% of road 

fatalities for the year occur during this 

period. 

A hospital’s trauma unit witnesses the 

extreme of physical injury and pain 

that occurs over the holiday season. 

Here’s a snapshot of what we see. 

Inside the trauma unit 

The first trauma patient of the day 

is handcuffed uncomfortably to a 

hospital trolley. He is under arrest 

after an early morning brawl at a 

nightclub. A deep stab wound to 

his leg has damaged the artery. He 

is being examined by the on-call 

surgeons as two uniformed police 

look on. 

The decision to take the patient for 

surgery is made quickly. Studies in 

trauma reception show doctors are 

required to make a critical decision 

every 72 seconds in the first 30 

minutes of a trauma patient arriving 

in the emergency department. 

Trauma can include broken bones, 

head injuries, internal bleeding and 

death. 

Violence and assaults, including 

family violence, often peak around 

Christmas and New Year. This is 

due to a combination of triggers, 

including stretched household 

budgets and separated families 

coming together. 

More people are drinking in the 

holidays, and this provides more 

opportunities for dangerous 

situations. On Christmas day, for 

instance, there is a 50% increase in 

ambulance attendances for alcohol 

intoxication. 

In the next bay is an agitated young 

man in his late teens. He was weaving 

his motorbike in and out of traffic 

when he lost control at high speed. 

He was rushed to the CT scanner 

and, despite wearing a helmet, has 

blood inside his skull that needs to be 

drained by a neurosurgeon. 

Although the patient may survive, 

it is still too early to know what the 

long-term effects will be. Motorbike 

crashes have twice the rate of fatal or 

serious injuries compared with cars 

comprise 30% of the annual fatality 

rate over the summer. 

In a neighbouring trauma bay, an 

elderly lady has been brought in 

after a fall. She is awake but looks 

uncomfortable lying flat on her back 

with a hard neck collar immobilising 

her spine. She slipped and hit 

her head while playing with her 

grandchildren. 

Older people are often in unfamiliar 

environments on Christmas day, 

visiting friends and family, where 

there are more opportunities for 

injury. 

Two-thirds of female and one-third 

of male injury-related deaths occur 

in those aged over 65. Falls account 

for 73% of cases of major trauma in 

patients over 65 years of age. 

We hear the sound of a helicopter. 

A 4WD has rolled when the driver 

swerved at high speed to avoid 

another car, smashing head-on into 

a tree. He was killed instantly, but 

his female passenger survived and is 

seriously injured. 

Not every hospital has a trauma unit. 

In Victoria, where we work, two adult 

and one paediatric hospital have been 

designated as the state trauma centres: 

The Alfred, the Royal Melbourne and 

the Royal Children’s Hospital. Patients 

with major trauma are usually 

transported to one of these hospitals. 

The awaiting trauma bay is a hive of 

focused preparation as the patient is 

wheeled in by the helicopter crew. 

The trauma team springs into action 

checking the airway, breathing 

and circulation. An ultrasound is 

performed to identify any internal 

bleeding. Chest and pelvis X-rays are 

taken from overhead and reveal a 

collapsed lung and a crushed pelvis. 

In anticipation of ongoing bleeding, 

the blood bank has been notified and 

a blood transfusion is started to boost 

the blood pressure. 

As you end your shift, today reminds 

you to stay safe over the festive 

period. Because Christmas should be 

the most wonderful time of the year. 



‘BACK TO ALICE’ 

ROAR19 

Rural Outback And Remote Paramedic Conference 

If you liked the ROAR2018 program 

and experience, or heard the 

positive praise of the event from 

your colleagues, you won't want to 

miss ROAR19 in Alice Springs. 

Paramedics Australasia brings you 'Back to Alice' from 

10–12 April 2019. This unique conference builds on 

ROAR2018 and provides deep insights into the challenges 

and practice of paramedicine in rural and remote 

environments. The intensive and stimulating program 

will enable delegates to further develop their skills and 

resilience, whilst building the courage to move outside 

of existing comfort zones. 

If you are a paramedic or health professional working in, 

or with an interest in, rural, outback and remote locations, 

this conference is designed to send you home with a swag 

full of skills and inspiration. 

The venue will once again be at the beautiful Mercure Alice Springs 

Resort, just 20 minutes from Alice Springs airport and a short walk 

over the Todd River to the centre of town. 

Check your rosters, book your airfares, on‐site accommodation 

deals available. Registrations essential with packages starting 

from only $60, and close on 27 March 2019. Discounted rates 

for members and Alice Springs hospital staff. 

Visit the Paramedics Australasia website 

https://paramedics.wildapricot.org/event-3157296 

to secure your place. 

Enquiries can be directed to: 

Cassandra McAllister 

e: cassandra.mcallister@paramedics.org 

p: +61 408 972 155 

WE ARE PLANNING: 

• a host of interactive workshops and presentations, 

• flexible one, two day or whole conference 

registration, 

• special rates for PA Members and Alice Springs 

hospital staff, 

• an incredible welcome BBQ at the Mercure Resort 

hosted by Guild Insurance, and 

• an absolutely amazing Ooraminna Station 

Homestead conference dinner to round off two 

jam packed days including hands‐on activities 

and super engaging speakers. 

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS 

WILL INCLUDE: 

• Resuscitation in resource limited environments 

• An exercise in what to pack in your kit 

• Situational awareness and personal safety 

techniques 

• Improvised techniques in remote environments 

• Resilience building 

• Acute Rheumatic Fever\Rheumatic Heart Disease 

– understanding and treating 

• Advanced Life Support 

• Telehealth 

• Medical Retrieval and Consultation Centre 

(MRaCC) – 12 months along 

• Cultural Safety 

• Dialysis in remote communities 

• Tribal EMS 

• Leadership\career pathways 

• Mental Health – signs, symptoms and approaches 

in the pre‐hospital environment 

• and much, much more......we are still working 

on the final details! 

WE CAN'T WAIT TO WELCOME 

YOU ‘BACK TO ALICE’ IN 2019! 

10–12 APRIL Australian Emergency 2019 Services ALICE Magazine 23 SPRINGS

PARAMEDICS 

NEED MORE 

SUPPORT TO 

DEAL WITH 

TRAUMA 

Andrea Phelps 

A/Director Policy and Service Development, Australian 

Centre for Posttraumatic Mental Health, 

University of Melbourne 

Among all emergency service 

workers, paramedics have the 

highest rate of PTSD, with an 

estimated prevalence of 14.6%. This 

compares to 7.3% among firefighters 

and 4.7% for police. 

While all emergency service 

personnel face catastrophic and 

stressful events, paramedics 

are exposed to these events on 

a daily basis. Most of them are 

resilient, most of the time, but 

traumatic events still take their toll, 

particularly when you consider 

the cumulative effect of repeated 

exposure. 

Some cases will slip behind the 

professional guard and become 

personal. Paramedics working 

in small communities are more 

likely to know the people they 

attend, or know the patient’s family. 

And paramedics anywhere can be 

confronted with a scene or a patient 

that strikes a personal chord for some 

reason; the age of a child, the clothes 

someone is wearing, the colour and 

make of the vehicle. The increasing 

incidence of assaults on paramedics 

from members of the public adds to 

the trauma load. 

Paramedics’ mental health can also 

be compounded by the very nature of 

the job: shift work, fatigue and having 

to make critical decisions under time 

pressures. 

In international studies, the rate 

of anxiety among paramedics has 

been estimated to be as high as 22%, 

depression 10%, and suicidal ideation 

10%. This compares to rates in the 

general community of 14.4% for 

anxiety, 6.2% for depression and 2.3% 

for suicidal ideation. 

Paramedics’ access to restricted 

medical drugs places them in a 

unique situation in this regard, and 

misuse of restricted medical drugs has 

also recently hit the headlines. 

In yet unpublished research, we asked 

emergency service workers what they 

liked most about their job. Most said 

it was the satisfaction of knowing they 

were doing the job well, making a 

positive impact on their communities 

and helping people in their hour of 

need. 

If you’ve encountered a paramedic 

on the job, you’ll likely have been 

reassured by their cool, calm and 

professional demeanour. Paramedics 

are well-trained to deal with medical 

emergencies and the horrific 


aftermath of accidents and disaster 

scenes. Focusing on the job at hand 

is an effective way of coping and 

keeping an emotional distance from 

the event. 

Who is at risk? 

But how can we predict who will be 

resilient and who will develop PTSD 

or other post-traumatic mental health 

problems? Those who have existing 

mental health problems may be more 

vulnerable, but this is only a small 

part of the answer. 

The nature and severity of exposure 

to trauma is important. Intentional, 

interpersonal trauma such as physical 

or sexual assault is more likely to 

give rise to PTSD than an accident 

or disaster. Prolonged or repeated 

trauma is more likely to lead to more 

complex symptoms. 

But the research tells us this isn’t 

the full story. The best predictor of 

recovery after trauma is the social 

support a person receives after the 

event, and whether they have other 

life stressors. 

In the work context, this means a high 

level of organisational support can 

buffer the impact of trauma, while a 

high level of day-to-day operational 

and organisational stress can mean 

the person has fewer psychological 

resources in reserve to cope with a 

particularly traumatic experience. 

What needs to be done? 

Support from colleagues, as well 

as family and friends, is of critical 

importance after a traumatic event. 

Organisations where staff have 

a predictable risk of exposure 

to trauma have a responsibility 

to build a supportive workplace 

culture, have policies and 

procedures in place to ensure 

support is provided in the 

immediate aftermath of trauma, 

and staff who need additional help 

have early access to best-practice, 

evidence-based care with specialist 

mental health practitioners. All 

emergency service organisations are 

working towards these goals. 

At a community level, we need 

to remember our emergency 

service workers put their lives and 

wellbeing on the line for the sake 

of their communities. Respect and 

compassion is the least they should 

expect in return. 


25

DISEASE 

THROUGH THE 

DECADES 

Many diseases develop and become more likely as we age. Here are 

some of the most common conditions, and how you can reduce your 

risk of getting them as you clock over into a new decade. 

In your 40s 

Maintaining a healthy weight can 

reduce the risk of developing arthritis, 

coronary heart disease, and other 

common and related conditions, 

including back pain, type 2 diabetes, 

stroke, and many cancers. But almost 

one-third of Australians in their 40s 

are obese and one in five already have 

arthritis. 

From the age of 45 (or 35 for 

Aboriginal and Torres Strait 

Islanders), heart health checks are 

recommended to assess risk factors 

and initiate a plan to improve the 

health of your heart. This may 

include changing your diet, reducing 

your alcohol intake, increasing your 

physical activity, and improving your 

well-being. 

Checks to identify your risk of type 2 

diabetes are also recommended every 

three years from age 40 (or from age 

18 for Aboriginal and Torres Strait 

Islanders). 

If you don’t already have symptoms of 

arthritis or if they’re mild, this decade 

is your chance to reduce your risk of 

the disease progressing. Focus on the 

manageable factors, like shedding 

excess weight, but also on improving 

muscle strength. This may also help 

to prevent or delay sarcopenia, which 

is the decline of skeletal muscle tissue 

with ageing, and back pain. 

Most people will begin to experience 

age-related vision decline in their 40s, 

with difficulty seeing up close and 

trouble adjusting to lighting and glare. 

A baseline eye check is recommended 

at age 40. 


Stephanie Harrison 

Azmeraw T.Amare 

Jyoti Khadka 

Maria Carolina Inacio 

Sarah Bray 

Tiffany Gill 

University of Adelaide 

South Australian Health & Medical Research Institute 

In your 50s 

In your 50s, major eye diseases 

become more common. Among 

Australians aged 55 and above, 

age-related macular degeneration, 

cataracts, diabetes-related eye diseases 

and glaucoma account for more than 

80% of vision loss. 

A series of health screenings are 

recommended when people turn 50. 

These preventive measures can help 

with the early detection of serious 

conditions and optimising your 

treatment choices and prognosis. 

Comprehensive eye assessments are 

recommended every one to two years 

to ensure warning signs are detected 

and vision can be saved. 

National cancer screening programs 

for Australians aged 50 to 74, are 

available every two years for bowel 

and breast cancer. 

To screen for bowel cancer, older 

Australians are sent a test in the post 

they can do at home. If the test is 

positive, the person is then usually 

sent for a colonoscopy, a procedure 

in which a camera and light look for 

abnormalities of the bowel. 

In 2016, 8% of people screened had 

a positive test result. Of those who 

underwent a colonoscopy, 1 in 26 

were diagnosed with confirmed or 

suspected bowel cancer and one in 

nine were diagnosed with adenomas. 

These are potential precursors to 

bowel cancer which can be removed 

to reduce your future risk. 

To check for breast cancer, women 

are encouraged to participate in the 

national mammogram screening 

program. More than half (59%) of all 

breast cancers detected through the 

program are small (less than or equal 

to 15mm) and are easier to treat (and 

have better survival rates) than more 

advanced cancers. 


27

In your 60s 

Coronary heart disease, chronic 

obstructive pulmonary disease (a 

disease of the lungs that makes 

breathing difficult), and lung cancer 

carry the biggest disease burden for 

people in their 60s. 

If you’re a smoker, quitting is the best 

way to improve both your lung and 

heart health. Using evidence-based 

methods to quit with advice from a 

health professional or support service 

will greatly improve your chances of 

success. 

The build-up of plaques in artery 

walls by fats, cholesterol and other 

substances (atherosclerosis) can 

happen from a younger age. But 

the hardening of these plaques and 

narrowing of arteries, which greatly 

increases the risk of heart disease and 

stroke, is most likely to occur from 

age 65 and above. 

Exercise protects against 

atherosclerosis and research 

consistently shows any physical 

activity is better than nothing when 

it comes to heart health. If you’re not 

currently active, gradually build up 

to the recommended 30 minutes of 

moderate-intensity exercise on most, 

preferably all, days. 

Other potentially modifiable risk 

factors for stroke include high blood 

pressure, a high-fat diet, alcohol 

consumption, and smoking. 

Your 60s is also a common decade 

for surgeries, including joint 

replacements and cataract surgery. 

Joint replacements are typically 

very successful, but are not an 

appropriate solution for everyone 

and are not without risks. After a 

joint replacement, you’ll benefit 

from physiotherapy, exercise, and 

maintaining a healthy weight. 

The treatment for cataracts is to 

surgically remove the cloudy lens. 

Cataract surgery is the most common 

elective surgery worldwide, with very 

low complication rates, and provides 

immediate restoration of lost vision. 

In your 70s 

Many of the conditions mentioned 

above are still common in this decade. 

It’s also a good time to consider 

your risk of falls. Four in ten people 

in their 70s will have a fall and it 

can lead to a cascade of fractures, 

hospitalisations, disability and injury. 

Osteoporosis is one cause of falls. 

It occurs most commonly in postmenopausal 

women but almost onequarter 

of people with osteoporosis 

are men. Osteoporosis is often known 

as a silent disease because there are 

usually no symptoms until a fracture 

occurs. Exercise and diet, including 

calcium and vitamin D, are important 

for bone health. 

Older people are also vulnerable to 

mental health conditions because of 

a combination of reduced cognitive 

function, limitations in physical 

health, social isolation, loneliness, 

reduced independence, frailty, 

reduced mobility, disability, and living 

conditions. 

In your 80s and beyond 

Dementia is the second most 

common chronic condition for 

Australians in their 80s, after 

coronary heart disease – and it’s the 

most common for people aged 95 and 

above. 

Many people think dementia is a 

normal part of the ageing process, but 


around one-third of cases of dementia 

could be prevented by reducing risk 

factors such as high blood pressure 

and obesity at mid-life. 

Early diagnosis is important 

to effectively plan and initiate 

appropriate treatment options 

which help people live well with 

dementia. But dementia remains 

underdiagnosed. 

Around 70% of Australians aged 

85 and above have five or more 

chronic diseases and take multiple 

medications to manage these 

conditions. Effective medication 

management is critical for people 

living with multiple conditions 

because medications for one 

condition may exacerbate the 

symptoms of a different coexisting 

condition. 

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29

ADVANCES IN FORENS 

EXPOSE THE NEED FO 

GENETIC DATA LEGISL 

Australian Emergency Services Magazine 30 

Many people first became familiar 

with DNA testing through its use 

in the OJ Simpson murder trial in 

1994. Now, 24 years later, there have 

been two dramatic advances in the 

capability of forensic genetics that 

mark the start of a new era. 

The first is the amount of information 

we can predict about a person from 

DNA found at a crime scene, and 

the second is the way police can use 

open genealogy databases to identify 

people. 

But we need to be careful how we use 

these new tools. If people lose trust 

in how DNA data is used and shared 

by police, it could have an adverse 

impact on other applications – such 

as medical care. 

That’s why we’re calling for a Genetic 

Data Protection Act to ensure people 

have confidence in the way their DNA 

is accessed and used.

ICS 

R 

ATION 

We can learn a lot more from DNA 

now 

Predicting traits from DNA, known 

as “DNA phenotyping”, is improving. 

Facial prediction, health traits, 

predisposition to disease, even 

personality traits and things about 

our mental health can be predicted 

from genetic data. Some researchers 

are even considering predicting 

propensity to drink or smoke. 

Law enforcement agencies around the 

world are using these traits to create 

predictive DNA “mugshots”, but in 

many countries there is no specific 

regulation on how and when they 

should be incorporated into policing. 

And some types of predictions raise 

considerable ethical issues. 

For example, should it be OK for law 

enforcement to predict the mental 

health or disease risk of a suspect? If 

so, should that information be used 

in a trial? If law enforcement predicts 

a high risk of a particular disease, 

should they be compelled to tell a 

suspect or their family? 

Separation between databases is 

breaking down 

You may be familiar with “CODIS” 

from CSI, this is the database that 

law enforcement has traditionally 

used to identify DNA collected at a 

crime scene. CODIS has around 17.7 

million DNA profiles. There are strict 

rules around who can be included in 

these databases, and the vast majority 

of profiles are from convicted 

offenders. 

According to best estimates, the 

number of people who have taken 

genetic ancestry tests is slightly higher 

than this, and police have started 

using this data as well. The type of 

data in CODIS only allows close 


family matches, but the type of data in 

open ancestry databases allows much 

deeper relations to be found. 

Even if you haven’t participated in 

genetic testing or made your genetic 

data public, you may have a relative 

who has. Currently, law enforcement 

is able to identify people based on 

matches as distant as third cousins. 

On average, people have around 

190 third cousins. One estimate 

indicates that over 90% of Americans 

of European descent already have a 

third cousin or higher in the open 

genealogy database GEDmatch. 

It may take as little as 2% of the 

population uploading their DNA data 

in a genealogy database for the entire 

population to be identified this way. 

New statistical methods mean 

separations between previously 

distinct genetic databases are 

disappearing. Traditional forensic 

markers can now be cross referenced 

to ancestry data, even though they 

are completely different types of 

genetic data. This means close family 

members could be identified across 

different databases. These methods 

can also be used to re-identify 

subjects in medical genetics research 

projects. 

There has been a lot of public support 

for the use of genetic genealogy to 

catch serial killers and rapists. In 

some cases, people are voluntarily 

uploading their data to help these 

efforts. 

But where should we draw the line? 

Should genetic data only be used 

in serious crimes, or are we happy 

to have a comprehensive system of 

genetic surveillance that covers the 

entire population? 

Private companies are aiding law 

enforcement 

Both DNA phenotyping and forensic 

genealogy – which relies on amateur 

genealogists – are now being offered 

to law enforcement by private 

companies. 

31

Parabon, a US-based pharmaceutical 

company, has partnered with 

armchair genealogist Cece Moore. 

She started using genetic genealogy 

to find the parents of adoptees 

and children born through sperm 

donation, but now uses it to catch 

criminals. 

Parabon also offers facial prediction 

services. While the science of facial 

prediction from DNA is getting better, 

it is still contentious, and several 

prominent scientists have cast doubt 

on whether Parabon can really do 

what it is promising. 

Nevertheless, this move out of 

government labs and into private ones 

raises questions about oversight – and 

what exactly is happening to the data 

generated. 

Genetic data is different from other 

kinds of data 

Genetic data is highly unique and 

can be thought of as a personal 15 

million letter pin-code. Since the 

code doesn’t just identify us, it also 

contains important information about 

our disease risk, personality traits 

and even our physical features like 

our face, it is very difficult to keep 

anonymous. 

Unlike a credit card we can’t 

request a new genome if our data is 

compromised. And a stolen credit 

card won’t tell a perpetrator anything 

about the finances of our family 

members. 

We understand what happens 

if we lose a credit card, but our 

understanding of genetic data is still 

developing. And we’re likely to see it 

put to unexpected uses in the future. 

We need a ‘Genetic Data Protection 

Act’ 

Technological advances in genomics 

are outpacing public awareness, and 

existing legislation doesn’t fit genetic 

data well. Under current laws, the lab 

that produces the genetic data has 

ownership of the record. But if our 

genetic data represents a deep part of 

the essence of us, it shouldn’t be this 

easy for us to give up ownership of it. 

We need new ways to protect genetic 

data to maintain trust in medical 

genomics. Sometimes people need 

their genome sequenced for medical 

purposes, but they might be reluctant 

to consent if trust has broken down 

around how genetic data could be 

used. That could result in poorer 

medical outcomes. 

One solution to prevent this is a 

specific “Genetic Data Protection Act”, 

which would grant people ownership 

of their own data. However, it 

must be different from standard 

property rights: ownership should be 

immutable and nontransferable. 

The issues around use of our genetic 

data are complex, individuals (and 

their descendants) must be protected. 

Under no circumstances should 

it be possible for an individual to 

unwittingly sign an agreement that 

results in a loss of control of their 

genetic data. Legislation is part of 

the solution, but education and new 

technological solutions will also be 

important. 

The recent introduction of the 

digital My Health Record shows 

that Australians care about who is 

accessing their sensitive information. 

And people are already expressing 

unease about the confidentiality of 

their genetic data. 

We must establish clear boundaries 

about how genetic data generated for 

medical purposes is used – whether 

by police or by any other interested 

parties. Giving genetic data the 

protection it needs, and making sure 

that medical genetic data doesn’t 

become a forensic resource will be 

crucial to ensure public trust in 

medical genetics. 

Authors: 

Caitlin Curtis 

James Hereward 

John Devereux 

Karen Hussey 

Marie Mangelsdorf 

University of Queensland 

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lawnton@chipmunks.com.au 

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(07) 3881 0006 


BUREAU OF METEOROLOGY 

Triple Zero (000) 112 From Mobiles 

www.triplezero.gov.au 

State Emergency Service (SES) 132 500 

General Warnings 1900 969 922 www.bom.gov.au 

Cyclone Warnings 1300 659 212 www.bom.gov.au/cyclone 

Coastal Marine Warnings 1300 360 427 www.bom.gov.au/marine 

Tsunami Threat Information 1300TSUNAMI www.bom.gov.au/tsunami 

RADIO 

EMERGENCY CONTACT INFORMATION 

POLICE FIRE AMBULANCE 

ABC Local Radio 

ABC Local Radio Frequency Finder 

Commercial Radio Australia 

www.abc.net.au/local 

www.abv.net.au/radionational/frequency/ 

www.commercialradio.com.au 

GOVERNMENT/HEALTH/ROADS 

Standard Emergency Warning Signal 

www.emergencyalert.gov.au 

Health & Hospitals 13HEALTH www.health.gov.au 

Road Closures 13 19 40 seek local/state road closure info 

ELECTRICITY 

Energex 13 19 62 www.energex.com.au 

Ergon 13 16 70 www.ergon.com.au 

PHONE 

Telstra 132 203 www.telstra.com.au 

Optus 13 13 44 www.optus.com.au 

ANIMALS & WILDLIFE 

Wildlife Hotline 1300 130 372 

RSPCA 1300 852 188 

Disease Watch Hotline 1800 675 888 

Lost/Missing Animals 

Local RSPCA website 

CALL 000 IN AN EMERGENCY 


33

Paramedics Australasia International Conference 

PAIC19 

BROADENING HORIZONS 

28–30 NOVEMBER 2019 

Wrest Point • Hobart • Tasmania 

https://www.paramedics.org/events/ 

Photo credit: Roger Wong

ELECTRICAL SOLAR COMMUNICATIONS 

New House 

Installation 

Repairs 

Renovations 

Commercial 

Industrial 

New Systems 

Upgrades 

Maintenance 

Cleaning 

Testing 

Data/Phone Cabling 

TV Cabling 

Antennas 

Wireless Networks 

Security Systems 

C bus Networks 

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07 4033 0521 hielscher.electrical@gmail.com 2/3 Marshall St, Bungalow Qld 4870 


35

APPS TO HELP 

YOU IN AN 

EMERGENCY 

TECHNOLOGY IS FOREVER CHANGING AND IN MOST CASES TRYING 

TO IMPROVE OUR ACCESS TO INFORMATION. WE HAVE PUT 

TOGETHER THE TOP APPS IN AUSTRALIA THAT ARE FOCUSED ON 

KEEPING YOU SAFE AND INFORMED 

Fires Near Me App - Developed by the NSW Rural Fire Service it will 

provide information about bushfires from participating fire agencies across 

Australia. The app finds your location using a map and will give relevant information 

around you. It also allows you to choose a location. The app also 

provides information on total fire bans. 

The Emergency+ app is a free app developed by Australia’s emergency 

services and their Government and industry partners. 

The app uses GPS functionality built into smart phones to help a Triple Zero 

(000) caller provide critical location details required to mobilise emergency 

services 

Emergency AUS App - delivers warning and incident information issued 

by official agencies across Australia. Providing you with real-time access to 

official warnings, incident reports and public Sensory Observations to aid 

in better decision making during emergencies and disasters. By bringing 

together emergency information from over 25 emergency service agencies 

and accessing observations submitted by the public 

Triple Zero Kids Challenge App - Start playing and learn about what happens 

when you call Triple 000. The online game is designed for children of 

kindergarten and primary school age and consists of a number of safety scenarios. 

The game is available in seven languages including English, Arabic, 

Vietnamese, Chinese, Thai, Hindi and Dinka.

TM 

KEEP OUR 

KIDS SAFE 

THIS SUMMER. 

The home swimming pool is the most common 

location for injury and drowning death for 

children under five. 

We can all work together to protect children in 

our community. 

BE A BACKYARD 

LIFEGUARD THIS 

SUMMER. 

To check out how safe your 

pool is, pick up a copy of the 

pool barrier safety checklist 

from this library or download a 

copy from our website today. 

Closely supervise kids at all times 

Learn how to resuscitate 

Check your pool barriers meet the current 

safety standards 

Keep your barriers clear of objects and 

plants that kids can use to climb into the 

pool area 

Teach your kids to swim and be safe 

around pools 

Ensure your pool gate is shut at all times 

SUPPORTED BY 

in the Australian Capital Territory 

BE A BACKYARD LIFEGUARD | Find out more at www.act.gov.au/backyardlifeguard or call Access Canberra on 13 22 81.

A joint Australian, state and territory government initiative.

Vol. 11 Issue 1. 2019

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