CareFlight has delivered specialist trauma training to Eurobodalla first responders on Tuesday evening, June 4, as part of the MediSim program.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The aeromedical retrieval service and charity developed the MediSim program to deliver trauma care training "directly to communities that need it".
CareFlight said they had supported South Coast emergency services since the program began in 2011, delivering a number of training sessions to SES, RFS, ambulance and police volunteers in the region.
The program was delivered at no cost to participants thanks to generous donations from the South Coast community.
CareFlight manager of education and training, Colin Brown, said the first five or ten minutes could mean the difference between life and death for a patient.
"This is where the CareFlight MediSim program comes in," Mr Brown said.
"We send experienced doctors, paramedics and nurses to rural and remote areas, delivering world class trauma training to local first responders.
"These first responders do an incredible job for their community and they could be at the scene of an accident before professional medical help arrives.
"In rural and remote areas, first responders can be on their own for a period of time so they need to be able to manage that situation appropriately."
Since the MediSim program was launched in 2011, Careflight said more than 5,000 emergency service volunteers had been trained free of charge.
"That means more than 5,000 first responders are already in a better position to respond quickly and effectively to an emergency medical situation in their local community," Mr Brown said.
"The best endorsement of the MediSim program is when the volunteers tell us about all the times they've used the skills we've taught them and the lives they've saved in the process."
Careflight said the program was unique as volunteers learned from highly-experienced professional emergency specialists including doctors, nurses and intensive care paramedics.
Lifelike mannequins and a unique car crash rescue simulator aid would be used, in the recreation of a high pressure environment, ensuring the training was realistic.
CareFlight said the MediSim program was developed by retrieval specialist Dr Ken Harrison and had won highly prestigious awards both nationally and internationally.