RickInOz

A comedic great rather than a musical reference this time.

While Leicester had it’s fair share of violent crime and assaults, gunshot wounds were pretty rare. Similarly here in South Australia, despite slightly more relaxed ownership laws, we see relatively few shootings. So, while recently on nights for the Retrieval Service, it came as a surprise when we were scrambled to one just after midnight.

Depending on type of weapon, calibre of projectile and where it hits on the body, the potential outcome can be anything from a slight soft tissue injury through to immediately life-threatening. When we were told that our patient had received a shot to his neck, it certainly raised my apprehension levels as there are just one or two vital and delicate structures there.

Fortunately he hadn’t sustained particularly serious injuries so we were able to stabilise him without too much drama and retrieve him back to Adelaide for surgery. Considering alcohol was implicated, the potential for more complications was significant.

The thought that nagged at me after we got back safely was that we had entered a home in which a firearm had recently been discharged. Who had pulled the trigger? Were they still there? Where was the gun? Was it completely safe? In retrospect I had to consider that we hadn’t stopped to check at the time. Fortunately the police had dealt with the risk before we arrived, but we had received no assurance that this was so.

It makes me consider that while we are not putting our lives on the line anything like as overtly as combat troops or the police, we are still exposed to risk in the course of this job. For example, a year ago we attended a rapid response in which a lunatic had stabbed 2 people and run 2 more people over. We flew into that town and preceded to the hospital to attend the victims not knowing whether he was still on the loose or had been apprehended.

Then, most recently, when flying over the gulf at night, the risk of aircraft malfunction sprang to mind. In the fixed-wing aircraft engine failure isn’t too much of a problem as the planes are designed to glide and the experienced pilots all have to go through simulation sessions on how to land without power. The helicopter is a different matter as, without the rotors spinning, it has the gliding capabilities of a brick.

They supply a life-raft when flying over water, and we wear life-jackets, but I have to consider that if we had ditched without warning, our chances of survival would be seriously threatened. Similarly, when flying over the Hills, in rough weather, we would be lucky to get out of a crash unscathed. Fortunately though, the chance of such an event is highly unlikely, so the balance favours going out. But it still makes me consider that the job is somewhat different to sitting in a comfortable, air-conditioned ICU.

On the bright side, it still good fun getting paid to go in an aircraft that most people have to pay to sit in. Not to mention, I’m still chalking up new locations in South Australia that I’ve visited. To the state map that Regan’s parents gave me for Christmas, pins have recently been added for: Lyndoch, Moonta, Halbury and Yorketown. Plenty more towns go though.