WELCOME TO THE WORLD KATHERINE!JACKO: THE RESCUE DOGRESTART A HEART DAY

WINTER 2018

Mike Grant CHIEF EXECUTIVE WELLINGTON FREE AMBULANCE

Welcome to the winter edition of Nice One!

The weather is turning, so number one, please take care of yourself. Wrap up, stay snug, and for our best advice on keeping warm and well over these next few months, see Andy’s tips and tricks on page 6. Andy is our Medical Director, so we tend to take what he says quite seriously!

While you are taking care of things your end, we are doing our bit to get ready for the extra workload winter brings. We have put an extra ambulance crew on the road, and of course we have clinical paramedics and nurses based in our 111 communications centre to help you over the phone. So if you are in a situation that feels like an emergency, please just call – our people will know what to do.

Last time I wrote an intro for this magazine, we were in the midst of our 90th birthday celebrations. Thank you to all of you who dug deep to help us buy the People’s Ambulance which we expect to have on the road by mid August. What a gift to the region. Our founder, Sir Charles Norwood, would be so proud of what you have done.

Thank you for your generous support. I have met some of you, and hope to get to know

many more of you in the near future. Please feel free to drop us a line, to share your thoughts, or just say hi.

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Are you ready?

wfa.org.nz/onesieday

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When first time mum Christina woke at 5.00am after a good sleep, with no pain at all, the last thing she expected was to have her new baby in her arms just a few short hours later.

Welcome to the world

Katherine!Six months on, Vicky and James visited to see how the family are doing. What a beautiful, bright baby Katherine has grown into. She seemed to make an instant connection with Vicky and James, but perhaps she just has an instinct for good hearted people. It was a thrill for the group to meet up and relive the story together.

“I will never forget the look on your face when I handed her to you.” Vicky says.

“I trusted you completely,” replies Christina. “You gave me the power to do it.”

“We had a plan,” Christina explains. “I have a heart condition so it was always the plan for me and Steve to go and stay with my sister in Newtown when the time got close. Well that plan went out the window didn’t it!”

By 8.00am it was all go. “I told Steve to ‘call the ambulance!’ He didn’t believe me at first. All the videos and stories say this goes on for hours, but when my midwife heard me over the phone she was quick to confirm – ‘call the ambulance now!’”

“The people over the phone were amazing. I was terrified that we were going to be doing this on our own, so when the ambulance arrived, I have never been so relieved in my life.”

Paramedic Vicky Field says that this was her first ever delivery. “I knew that I had learned how to do it, I’d practiced it on a mannequin and read all the clinical guidelines because you know one day you’re going to do it for real, but it’s pretty scary for us too.”

If Vicky had reservations, she never let on. “She was so calm,” Christina says. “I remember her saying to me ‘we have all the tools to deliver your baby, it will be okay.”

On route to hospital, crew mate James Casey gently weaved the ambulance through morning rush hour traffic, until the only thing to do was to pull over. A short time later baby Katherine arrives. She is wrapped in warm blankets, and the love of her parents.

Her first ever family photo is taken by Vicky, in the back of the ambulance.

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Karl’s story I spent Saturday night in Dundas Hut after a hard day’s hike from Cattle Ridge Hut, over Bannister and along Dundas Ridge. The view at the top was beautiful.

During the night, the wind came up and there was a fair bit of rain. I got up just after 6am, had a cup of tea and left Dundas Hut with my torch in hand.

The wind was pretty bad and by the time I reached Walker Peak it was raining. I layered on all the clothes I had with me; three tops, a shirt, parka, shorts, tights, gloves and balaclava.

I pushed on until the wind and rain became too much. At times I was crawling on my hands and knees because the wind was so strong you just couldn’t stand. I was drained from fighting the weather and was bitterly cold.

As I looked around I was aware the thick fog had decreased the visibility to about 20 meters. It was getting dangerous so I decided to come off the ridge and find shelter.

I made a nest in the grass and hunkered down. Soaking wet and freezing cold I decided I needed to call for help, so I set off my personal locator beacon. I had never used it before. I had never needed to. I got into my sleeping bag and hoped for the best.

Even for the most experienced trampers nothing can protect you from 125km winds and torrential rain in Tararua Forest Park. Karl, 75 from Camborne, is an experienced tramper. In his younger years he was an avid marathon runner, taking part in 25 marathons including London and New York. Karl says “I became a little bit slower when I hit 50 so I stopped doing marathons and started doing Macpac mountain marathons and the Kaweka Challenge instead”. Karl is a humble man and says this in a way that suggests it’s an easier task. The Kaweka Challenge is the highest endurance race in New Zealand.

So when Karl packed his gear and set off on a sunny Friday in February to the Tararua’s for a three day tramp, there was nothing to worry about, even with a light northerly wind.

Nigel Watson is Wellington Free Ambulance’s Wairarapa Manager. As an experienced paramedic with 10 years on the road Nigel knows his stuff. On Sunday 25 February Nigel was in the supermarket when he received a call from the Search and Rescue team to say someone had activated their Personal Locator Beacon in Tararua Forest Park. They didn’t know the condition of the person so they needed a paramedic to join them. They needed Nigel.

Over the next 24 hours Karl and Nigel shared an ordeal neither of them will forget.

I waited and waited, becoming colder and colder, just hoping

someone would find me. At 1am I heard yelling and saw four torches in the fog. The relief. I yelled and blew my whistle so they could hear me.

Suddenly there was a big and friendly Police dog sat by my side, one Police officer and three Search and Rescue guys.

The five of us hunkered down for the night and about every half hour or so one of the guys asked me if I was okay. No one got any sleep. Not even Phase, the Police dog.

At first light we packed up and started our walk to Herepai Hut in the pouring rain.

When we reached the hut, a paramedic called Nigel was there who checked me over and got me warm.

...there’s no use waiting ‘till you’re in trouble, you have to start making decisions the minute

you realise you’re struggling.

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Nigel’s story I was in the supermarket with my two little girls when I received a call to say I was needed for a search and rescue mission in Tararua Forest Park.

Someone had set off their personal locator beacon. The wind was 125km on the ridge and visibility was down to 50m. It was too dangerous for a helicopter to fly in so the rescue had to be made on foot.

The Search and Rescue team had no idea how

sick or injured the person was but they knew they needed a paramedic.

I dropped my girls to a neighbor and went to Masterton station. Along with Police and Search and Rescue we looked at maps, decided a route and worked out our plan.

I packed essential medical supplies and we set off about 4:30pm, walking through the bush in horrific conditions. The rain was horizontal and the wind was strong.

We walked for hours, at times crawling on our hands and knees because the wind was so strong you just couldn’t stand.

Just past Herepai Hut we received word the hiker, Karl, was not injured. The relief.

We knew Karl needed help, but we also knew if anything happened to me there would be no paramedic to help anyone. We agreed I would turn back to the hut while the rest of the team walked on. We couldn’t leave Karl on his own all night.

11am the next day I saw Karl walking towards the hut. He looked like a wet sheep, drenched and shivering. I checked him over and spent the next few hours getting him warm and dry.

We wanted to fly Karl out on the helicopter but the wind, rain and fog was still against us. We had no choice but to finish the rescue mission the way we started it, on foot.

On the walk back down we talked about hot food and almost as soon as we arrived we ordered pizza.

I hope Karl remembers what he did right. He’s an experienced tramper and the Tararuas

are not an easy stomping ground. Using his beacon was the best decision he made that day.

Karl says he often thinks about how many people helped with his rescue and has the utmost respect for everyone involved. “It was quite an ordeal” he says but he’s just glad he’s here now. Nigel says he’s glad too and reminds Karl “we live for this. We train for this. When someone needs our help, we’re there to help.”

Is this an emergency? Dr Andy Swain has been in the business of saving lives for over 40 years, and says that if you have a medical emergency, the right thing to do is call 111.

“People sometimes hesitate,” he says. “They say things like ‘I didn’t want to bother you’, or ‘we know that it costs lots of money to get an ambulance.”

We have professionals at the end of the line who can help get the right sort of help, and calling 111 doesn’t have to mean an ambulance. We can do anything from giving you health advice over the phone, to connecting you with a nurse or paramedic advisor. If things are really serious you might need an ambulance and urgent transport to the best place of care.

“A fever accompanied by generalised aches and pains and a sore throat or runny nose is best treated by bedrest, regular fluid and a mild pain killer such as paracetamol. Lozenges, gargles or decongestants from the chemist can help relieve symptoms, and bedrest will speed recovery as well as keeping the virus away from relatives, friends and work colleagues. If you feel rotten, but things don’t seem urgent we recommend calling Healthline or your GP. But if it feels like an emergency, please don’t hesitate to call 111 and let our team work out the best help for your condition,” Dr Swain says.

Andy’s top tips for winter:

+ Have a flu jab

+ Drink fluids regularly

+ Stay warm – at least one room that is snug and warm

+ Avoid contact with sick people if you can.

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An enjoyable weekend was quickly hijacked by an asthma attack that left Sheryle Williams fighting for her life.

Sheryle’s breathing suddenly felt off and was getting worse with every breath. “I was using my inhaler,” she said, “but it wasn’t relieving the symptoms.”

She was struggling to talk and could only focus on her breathing, she knew she had to call an ambulance. When the paramedics arrived, she could no longer see. While the crew assessed her, Sheryle remembers the ‘energy’ of the room changing.

“They realised how seriously at risk I was, and I was in more danger than they anticipated. It was life-threatening.”

Sheryle was given oxygen and spent a night in hospital. After the incident, she started taking her asthma more seriously.

“Looking back, I was in denial about my condition as an asthmatic, but it’s a condition that needs to be taken seriously. It’s important to listen to your body, take your medication, and have a full understanding of the illness or condition you are living with. I strongly urge everyone to call 111 if you need help.”

The importance of knowingyour body and your health

GoodSAM (Good Smartphone Activated Medics) is the world’s most advanced emergency alerting platform. It sounds technical but it’s very simple. The app turns CPR trained members of the public into ‘Good Samaritans’, by informing them of a nearby patient in cardiac arrest, allowing them to respond and help until emergency services arrive.

When someone calls 111 and a person is in cardiac arrest, the nearest responders are alerted via their smartphone. The ambulance is still on its way but in the meantime the emergency responder receives directions to the incident and location of the nearest AED.

We know that chances of surviving cardiac arrest increase by 14% when a patient receives CPR from a bystander within the first few minutes and they keep going until help arrives.

Signing up to save a life

To learn more about GoodSAM and how you can help make your community safer visit: wfa.org.nz/goodsam

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Restart a Heart Day Tuesday 16 October

Visit our website for more information:

wfa.org.nz/restart-a-heart

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Recently we sent you a survey to find out how we are doing. You had lots of great questions and here are some answers:

Still shaking the donation bucket40 years on

Fundraising FAQs MY ADDRESS ISN’T WRITTEN HOW I ASKED. WHY IS THAT? The addresses in our database have to be accurate so we write your address in the format NZ Post suggest. In return for making our addresses easier to read for NZ Post, they give us discounts on postage. Nice one!

WHY DO YOU MAIL ME SO OFTEN? Every time we send a request for donations, your response is amazing. You may remember we recently sent you a letter about Marcos, who miraculously survived a cardiac arrest. We received over $240,000 in donations in response which is incredible! If you want to change how often you hear from us, simply call us on 0508 WFA FREE (0508 932 3733)

Dedication to a cause is one of Melby Scott’s defining traits.

life, following a stroke while in the shower. On Wellington Free’s 90th birthday, Melby was ‘chuffed’ to be the first person to donate for the 91st year.

“It’s a service that we should all support,

as you never know when you’re going to need it.”

So much so that he’s been fundraising for Wellington Free Ambulance since 1978. And the enthusiastic supporter doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon, despite being 94-years-young.

“I will keep going for as long as I can.” Melby makes it known that Wellington Free is a service worth supporting.

“I always collect at British Car Day. I don’t shift my car until everyone has donated. Even if it’s just 10 cents, it adds up.”

After a man had a heart attack at a Naenae bowls club, Melby began collecting for Wellington Free. And he continued after they saved his

I WORRY THAT YOU SPEND SO MUCH MONEY ON MAILINGS. Please don’t worry! We keep a close eye on the numbers, and get the best deals we can on printing and postage. Every time we send a request for donations, or this magazine, we get an amazing response that far outweighs the cost. If this ever changed, we would change what we do.

If you have any other questions, we are always happy to talk to you! Call our team on 0508 WFA FREE (0508 932 3733)

Brown Shift’s

little act of kindness

In March a team of paramedics from Brown Shift cooked up a storm for 24 residents of Ronald McDonald House, Wellington.

With wonderful cooking, company and conversation, both paramedics and families shared a really lovely evening together.

Cooking skills were exemplary with highlights including Mike’s homemade marinated chicken wings, Bronwyn’s brownies and Val’s inventive pasta dish.

What a fantastic team, and thoughtful way to share a little kindness.

Urgent Community Care (UCC) manages people locally, in their home and community. Our UCC team care for those people who unexpectedly need medical care, but not necessarily a trip to hospital. Currently the service operates in Porirua and Kapiti Coast.

When you call 111 and speak to our emergency medical call takers they’ll work out the best help you need. If a UCC paramedic is best they’ll come to your home in a UCC vehicle. They’ll assess your needs and treat you at home if they can. If they think your situation is more serious and you do need to get to a hospital, an ambulance is sent in the normal way.

UCC paramedics are specially trained and can administer a broader range of medicines by working with GPs, district nurses, pharmacists and other

community based health professionals. They can help organise referrals and follow up visits with your regular health provider, working closely with carers and whānau.

Extended Care Paramedic, Pete McCormick says “as an ECP, I have additional training in areas such as wound-care management, infections, and how to access local healthcare pathways. Where possible, I will treat people in their home, or help them organise an appointment with their GP or they may need to be seen in the emergency department.”

Looking after you at home

Brown Shift’s

little act of kindness

First Responder Festival

The awesome people at St John’s Bar and Restaurant hosted a fantastic three day event at the end of January to raise money for Wellington

Free - the First Responder Festival!

With heaps going on over three days it was an event

to remember! A special collaboration beer – The First

Responders Pacific Pale Ale from Tuatara and Blackdog Brewery – made its debut

especially for this occasion.

With live bands, outdoor cinema, five course

dinner, and family fun day there was something for

everyone, raising $10,000!

Nice one team!

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Jacko:the rescue dogBev Napier and her miniature poodle, Jacko, are inseparable. Bev is forever grateful for the companionship she and Jacko share, “we look after each other” she says, and last January “he really came to the rescue”.“It was a beautiful warm day”, Bev remembers. “I popped outside to the garden to check on the apples growing on the tree. I don’t remember what happened next but I woke up and I was lying on the ground with Jacko scratching at my chest.” Bev had fallen, knocked her head and couldn’t get up.

Bev remembers Jacko putting his paw gently on the Freedom Medical Alarm pendant and helping push the button. “I gave him a cuddle and said ‘what a good boy!’”.

The phone started ringing as the Wellington Free Ambulance emergency medical call taker called back to see what help was needed.

“Jacko ran in the house and was woofing at the phone” says Bev.

Before long, two paramedics, Damian and Nicola, arrived at Bev’s garden gate and were able to help Bev up. “I had no injuries so we went inside, had a cup of coffee and Nicola played with Jacko”, Bev says.

While Bev didn’t need to go to hospital and didn’t need any treatment, she did need help. She needed her Freedom Medical Alarm, she needed Damian and Nicola to help her up again, and she needed her much-loved Jacko to look after her.

Freedom Medical Alarms and Wellington Free Ambulance work together to care for you in an emergency. When you push your alarm one of our highly trained emergency medical call takers will phone you immediately. If they can’t reach you by phone, they will get in touch with your emergency contacts and send our paramedics to check on you. For more information visit freedomalarms.co.nz or call 0800 380 280

Every year the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch recognise and celebrate safe and effective emergency dispatch services across the world.

Australasia dispatcher of the year!

The awards identify high performing dispatchers from medical, fire and police. This year Sam Kellick and Tash Ellis were both nominated from Wellington Free with Sam winning Australasia dispatcher of the year!

Communications Centre Manager Kate Jennings says Sam couldn’t be more deserving.

“He epitomises what it takes to be a great call taker and dispatcher. He is warm, caring, passionate and professional, and still manages to keep his sense of humour” Kate says. “Sam has the ability to stay calm no matter what the situation.”

Sam says he’s honoured to receive the award but it’s a collective win for Wellington Free. “I am just one piece of a very large puzzle that works hard to care for our community” he says.

Natasha says being nominated for Dispatcher of the Year Award three years in a row is “pretty cool”. “It’s nice to have that recognition that I’m actually helping people, and I am proud of what I do.”

Well done Sam and Natasha. We are proud of you!

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He spent over 900 hours on clinical placements ranging from emergency ambulances to hospital operating theatres. Countless hours were spent in simulation labs trying to bring plastic resuscitation mannequins back to life, “efforts are still ongoing with that one!” laughs Nick. Plastic mannequins aside, it’s certainly a challenge.

Graduating with a paramedic degree is a huge achievement in itself, but is just one step in learning what it takes to be a fully qualified paramedic. Every new graduate spends 12 months working alongside a mentor who helps them bring all those newly learned skills to life. Nick’s always been passionate about helping others. Following a career in the military, he joined Wellington Free as a volunteer event medic in 2014, ready for his new career with a huge amount of energy and enthusiasm.

“I think what attracted me to the ambulance service the most was the idea of helping people in need. When people need us they’re often in chaotic situations where there’s a lot of fear and uncertainty. To be able to help them out of those situations is one of the best feelings in the world.”

You’ll now see Nick on Green Shift with his mentor Isaac. “Most of the time we’ll finish one job and immediately head to the next one. From time to time we will find ourselves on station and Isaac will quiz me on our clinical guidelines or do training scenarios on the whiteboard to keep me thinking. Otherwise there are always plenty of station chores to do - I’m getting pretty good at high speed dish washing!” laughs Nick.

It’s now been six months on the road and Nick says getting constant clinical exposure has been excellent, allowing him to put his theoretical knowledge to use. As well as Isaac, Nick’s crew are always there to help when needed. “The team are always happy to answer questions and strive to include me during some of the more intense jobs. The best way to learn is often by doing things yourself,” says Nick.

Introducing newly qualified graduate Nick Ridley is one of six new graduates who started their paramedic careers with Wellington Free Ambulance at the beginning of the year. After three years studying paramedicine at Whitireia, Nick was familiar with anatomy, pharmacology and clinical research.

When asked what an average day looks like Nick says he’ll let us know when he has one. “There is a huge amount of variety in this job and every day comes with new challenges and rewards” he says. “Obviously there are some things that can be difficult to deal with but there’s also no shortage of smiles and laughter on station.”

With a big smile, positive attitude and sheer determination

to do good, Nick brings an incredible quality

to Wellington Free Ambulance and we’re

lucky to have him on the team.

To follow Nick’s first year as a newly qualified graduate sign up to receive our monthly eNewsletter: wfa.org.nz/eNewsletter

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What a night! There were ball gowns and black ties, aerial artists and decade themed songsters. The TSB Arena was literally a-buzz with glitz and glamour as 500 guests celebrated our 90th birthday, and raised $200,000 to buy the People’s Ambulance.

One of a Kindness Gala raises $200,000!

“People were so incredibly generous, to give so much is truly amazing,” says head of fundraising and communications Diane Livingston. “We had hoped to raise enough for the chassis, but never dreamed we could purchase the whole ambulance, gear and all.”

“There are so many people to thank – our Principal Sponsor Julie Nevett and the Lloyd Morrison Foundation, the people and businesses who donated auction prizes, bought tables… everyone who rushed to the eftpos machines to make their donation. We were blown away by your support,” Diane says.

The night was rounded off with a bit of jiving to the Noodles, followed by loads of hugs and warm wishes as some of the “loveliest people we know” headed home, wallets a little lighter, in the wee small hours.

Thank you!

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STAYING IN TOUCHwfa.org.nz

We’d love to share your story with our readers.

If you’ve got something special to share write to: info@wfa.org.nz

For questions or feedback: Phone 0508 WFA FREE(0508 932 3733)