Doc goes missing

The day began with such promise, the sun was shining and I was having a nice coffee before being rudely interrupted with a siren wailing… what was happening?! We were about to find out.

Our good Doctor was apparently walking up the plateau to watch the sunrise before disaster struck! According to him, he was swooped by a Giant petrel. He fell and when he went to inspect the injury, he thought he was ok before realising he was looking at an ankle bone sticking out of his leg!

The team mustered after hearing the Search And Recue (SAR) alarm, assembling in the mess and I was told I would be a part of the second responding SAR team. It would take all hands on deck to rescue the good doctor. I packed a bag then grabbed all the SAR gear needed to get him off the top of the plateau and to safety.

Lead by the fearless Billy (SAR Team leader) we headed up the track and were welcomed by the first responding team who were already on the scene and stabilising the good Doctor. We quickly determined that a stretcher carry was necessary. This would involve traversing the plateau to the east coast of the mountainous island and setting up and executing five slope lowers of the stretcher.

Teams were divided to start preparing for the first slope lower of the good Doctor. I set up the anchoring system with Scottish, Millsy and Jeff. Every lower was executed perfectly under the directive of the SAR leader. We were all relieved to have reached the beach in the late afternoon (tired and hungry). But the task still required us transporting the doctor further to the medical suite. We gathered our breaths and setup the wheel stretcher to take the good Doctor the rest of the way.

We finally reached the medical suite and the medical team waiting on station took over control of the situation. Our job was done and the Doctor was safe. Within 5 minutes he walked out of the medical suite completely healed! Modern medicine, hey!?

The lessons I have learnt from this exercise, don’t get hurt off station.

Thankfully this was a Locate Access Stabilise Transport (LAST) - a training exercise only and no one was harmed in the making of this story. Phew!

That is it from Ray, and your friendly neighbourhood Macca crew.

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