New search and rescue equipment funded by a Central Coast Council grant proved its value during a medical emergency operation on the Hawkesbury River just three days after its installation.
Marine Rescue Hawkesbury has mounted a new thermal imaging camera on board rescue vessel Hawkesbury 22, thanks to a $13,500 grant from Council’s Community Development program.
Unit Commander, Peter Moore, said the new camera enhanced the crew’s safety and efficiency at night, improving response times under often difficult circumstances.
“This new equipment was quickly put to use during a medical emergency on the Hawkesbury three days after it was fitted, when Hawkesbury 22 was deployed at 4.30am to help NSW Ambulance to transport a seriously ill and injured patient from Bar Point to Parsley Bay,” Moore said.
Unit volunteers recently briefed Central Coast Mayor, Lisa Matthews, Council General Manager, Gary Murphy, and members of the Cheero Point/Mooney Mooney Progress Association on the camera, Find Me On the River and rescue vessels Hawkesbury 22 and Hawkesbury 21.
“The camera, in conjunction with the unit’s Find Me On the River initiative, where numbers have been placed on river access only wharves to easily identify access points on the river, which also was funded by Council, saves valuable time by enabling Marine Rescue skippers to quickly locate and steer directly to the precise location,” Moore said.
He said the camera would be particularly helpful if someone had fallen overboard from a boat or otherwise ended up in the river.
“Our crews are regularly deployed on medivac operations to transport patients without road access for medical treatment and now we can see where they are waiting on the river bank or a wharf or jetty,” he said.
“Images from the camera are transmitted directly to the Raymarine multi-function display on board the rescue vessel, saving valuable time when every minute can mean the difference between life and death in an emergency on the water.”
Source:
Media release, Feb 24
Marine Rescue Hawkesbury