Notorious Fishing Spot Almost Claims Another Life

BY JESSICA ROUSE

The Hunter's Westpac Rescue Helicopter has rescued a man from Snapper Point after he jumped off the rocks and was swept into a cave.

The 18-year-old was with a large group of people who were all jumping off the rocks, but he got into difficulty and was swept away just after 11 this morning.

A paramedic was winched into the water and rescued him - they were both winched back up into the helicopter.

The man escaped without any injuries.

Two other men, aged 18, were also in trouble but managed to get themselves back onto land.

NSW Ambulance Duty Operations Manager Howard Russell says it's a really notorious spot for fishermen getting into trouble.

"Over the years we have been called there numerous times for similar cases where people get themselves into trouble in the water or just exploring around the rocks - it's very unpredictable, especially in condition like this the well can pick up pretty quickly and you can get yourself into a lot of strife."

The stretch of coastline in the Munmorah State Conservation Area is notorious for taking the lives of many rock fisherman. One man died in 2010 while rock fishing at Snapper Point, another man met the same fate in November 2011 and not even a year later in June 2012 another fisherman tragically died.

Paramedic safety is paramount

BY JESSICA ROUSE

The Health Service Union (HSU) is calling for words to be turned into action after a NSW parliamentary inquiry into the violence against paramedics across the state and throughout the Hunter.

There has been an incredible upsurge in incidents in the past year and the inquiry also comes after numerous violent incidents including two paramedics who were assaulted in Lake Macquarie while helping a woman who was going into labour.

The inquiry found 47 recommendations with the HSU suggesting some need to implemented urgently including paramedics not working along, extra security at hospitals including guards and CCT surveillance and new protocols introduced so when violent patients are left at hospitals by police there are enough security guards and resources to deal with them.

"The important issues for the government is to ensure that no paramedic responds on their own, and there is adequate support and backup from other crews to be able to assist and ensuing the communications are improved by doing away with the radio blackspots that they currently have," said NSW HSU Secretary Gerard Hayes. 

The committee holding the inquiry was bi-partisan and with plenty of bipartisan support, the HSU hopes the measures will be put into action as fast as possible.

"Certainly senior representatives of the government are on this committee and so we would expect now that they would be taking that to their cabinet to ensure that what the HSU has been talking about for the past five years in relation to additional paramedics, additional security staff to make their job safer and to make the community safer is delivered onto the people of NSW," said Gerard Hayes.

Rescue Helicopter officially says hello to Belmont

BY JESSICA ROUSE

The Westpac Rescue Helicopter's new home at Belmont was officially opened this morning by NSW Ambulance Commissioner Dominic Morgan.

The base is worth $5.5 million and enables the NSW Ambulance and Hunter New England Health medical team to deliver faster and go further across regional, rural and remote NSW communities.

The opening of the Belmont base is part of the $151.2 million state-wide Helicopter Retrieval Network which is the single biggest NSW Government investment in aeromedical services in the state's history.

"This is a $5.5 million base and that's not even counting the aircraft which is here to support it so when you look at it $2.2 million was directly out of Restart Hunter and it was a great leg up to the partnership and it's allowed us to deliver a great base to the community," said Commissioner Dominic Morgan.

It's one of the first new NSW Ambulance & Westpac Rescue Helicopters in the state funded in part by the NSW Government.

Helicopter Paramedic Adam Butt couldn't more happy to work at what is a world class base.

"The last base that we worked at Broadmeadow, it started off as a very small base and it grew and we just kind of tacked on little bits as we got more funding and this base is purposefully designed for our workflow from us getting the job, getting into the operations plan, getting into the aircraft, starting the aircraft and getting underway," he said.

It's been in the making for many years, and is sure to be in service for many to come.

"If you're a doctor or a nurse or a pilot or a crewman and you got to work from this base, you were thinking you were working in the best possible place in your career so many of the staff that have joined with us now as part of the partnership have come from other organisations and couldn't be happier with the aircraft they get to fly on," said Commissioner Dominic Morgan.