Bird Island Research Station has a small staff team; no more than 10 in summer and just four over winter. We have no doctor on station though all staff receives excellent pre-deployment first aid training from the BAS Medical Unit, with one or two individuals spending a few days on the front line in an A&E department to broaden their experience.
However well skills are taught they can be quickly forgotten
so we try and have a training session once a week, on an otherwise quiet
evening, where we go over some aspect of rescue, recovery or medical skills.
One week it could be a discussion about hypothermia, then practicing putting a
stretcher together, then CPR practice with our own dummy.
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| Learning how to put someone in the spinal board and set up the stretcher in the comfort of the lounge. |
Earlier in the season we sat around the table and had a
serious discussion about what we would do if someone severely injured
themselves in the field. Bird Island has some steep, slippery terrain and
people frequently work alone. The importance of regular radio contact is
hammered home, as is the necessity of always carrying spare warm clothing and
an emergency aid kit. During our table-top exercise I sat down with the
Emergency Action Plan and talked through the extremely useful flow chart it
contains, detailing priority actions and who to contact.
With field-work calming down a bit in the last few weeks I
have been on the look-out for a good occasion to put this formerly into
practice. So last Friday everyone was told to be available for the afternoon,
while one of the departing staff went round the beach and lay at an awkward
angle at the base of a cliff. I was able to sit back and observe the response
and was pleased at the calm, organised and efficient way at which those on station,
particularly the upcoming winter team, dealt with the incident. A fast search
party took the emergency medical bags and warm clothing and quickly located the
casualty, reporting back enough detail for a second party to head out with
stretcher, spinal board and other necessary equipment. On station we had
someone consulting the doctor at King Edward Point and talking to Cambridge,
relaying important information to those in the field.
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| Assembling the stretcher and other kit upon reaching the incident. |
Despite apparently serious injuries our casualty was soon
back indoors, after a short stretcher ride to demonstrate how tiring it can be
for those struggling along the uneven terrain. Around a cup tea we debriefed
and reviewed the incident, with everyone happy and more confident in their
abilities to respond to any problems, but also more aware of how difficult it
can be and how self-aware they need to be in any situation.
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| Casualty on the spinal board. Last minute checks before transferring to the stretcher. |
Jerry
