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MORE ABOUT MEDEVACS
Station 6 (Gqeberha) crew have been involved in 18 medical evacutions this year alone. We chatted to station commander Justin Erasmus about what’s involved in these operations. By Wendy Maritz
IN APRIL THIS YEAR, Station 6 (Gqeberha) crew responded to a fishing vessel from Mossel Bay that was heading towards the city’s port from fishing grounds south of the coast. There had been a fire onboard, which had been contained and extinguished, but an injured fisherman needed medical attention urgently. The station launched Spirit of Toft and rendezvoused with the fishing vessel. NSRI medics boarded the vessel and continued with the medical treatment that had been initiated by the casualty’s fellow crewmen. Once stable, he was transferred to the rescue vessel and brought to Station 6’s medical room, after which he was transported to hospital by a Netcare 911 ambulance for treatment.
On the face of it, it was a slick operation that ensured the injured casualty received timeous and proper care in the hands of professionals. But Station 6 (Gqeberha) station commander Justin Erasmus will tell you there are a number of ‘moving parts’ involved in a medical evacuation including sea states and weather conditions, which are always an issue when embarking on any callout.
This is why standard operating procedures are so important. ‘For all medevacs, we have an EMS medic to look after the patient, two maritime extrication (MEX) specialists, two rescue swimmers, a deck controller, a navigator/radio operator and a coxswain onboard,’ Justin explains. It’s not difficult to see why this amount of expertise is needed when one considers the types of scenarios the crew faces. ‘Medevacs usually mean someone (or a group of people) is either severely injured or sick, and needs treatment at a medical facility. We’ve seen lacerations, amputations, burns and crushed limbs. Other scenarios include heart attack, stroke, appendicitis and, in recent years, Covid-19.’ Justin recalls one callout that involved five injured crewmen. ‘They were so severely injured that we made a call to bring the ship to port so we could extricate them there as the weather conditions made it impossible for a safe medevac out at sea.’
Another one that springs to mind as a challenge was a callout on 19 March to assist a casualty who had suffered a stroke. ‘After reaching the vessel, the EMS paramedic went to attend to the patient, after which an attempt was made to transfer him to the rescue vessel, but it was deemed too dangerous,’ Justin says. ‘The vessel was instructed to continue towards Port Elizabeth. The patient began deteriorating rapidly and, on the advice of the paramedic, the decision was made to evacuate the patient at our satellite station at Noordhoek. (The ambulance waiting in the port was then sent to the new location.) Once there, the patient was transferred to Rescue 6A and brought ashore through the surf line. It was one of those rescues where we really made a difference!’
Following standard operating procedures is essential for the safety and success of a medevac. ‘With the SOP we have things covered,’ Justin says. ‘Sometimes communicating with foreign vessels can be tricky, but we try to get as much information as we can about the patient’s condition, so that we can escalate efforts, like requesting a helicopter, if necessary. Once on scene, use is made of the ship’s pilot ladder and gangplank to board the vessel and/or to transfer the casualty from the main vessel to the rescue craft. If the casualty is able to walk, they are placed into a safety harness with a safety rope attached, and then guided down the pilot’s ladder. If unable to walk, the patient is secured in a stokes basket, and then by means of a set of ropes and pulleys is lowered down the side of the ship. The system we use is doubled in case one set fails. We also make use of a handsfree braking system should something go wrong.’ It goes without saying that those attending medevacs require technical know-how, skill and stamina to be able to successfully bring an injured casualty to safety. Every week Station 6 crew practise some kind of formal maritime extrication training that includes high-angle rescue work. So far this year, crew have been called out to 18 medevacs, with the station averaging about 30 of these types of callouts per year.
MEX specialist Patrick Brown after the successful medevac off a cruise liner.
