Volunteer Ambulance Officers Association of Tasmania Incorporated Vol 20 No 4 - May 2016 VAOAT celebrates 20 years of operation On 4th May 1996 a group of Volunteer The photo below shows members back in Ambulance Officers met at Tarraleah. They 1999 and many are still with us twenty years adopted a constitution, elected office bearers later. and a committee, and the VAOAT was born. If you want to see just what has been From Day 1 TAS (now AT) management achieved during the past 20 years go to pages were totally supportive and that has remained 10-11 and you can also see more photos of the case ever since. some of our activities in this issue of First The Association was formed, thanks to the Response. desire of Nubeena VAO Colin Dell, to give a united voice for all Tasmanian ambulance Marg Dennis, Editor volunteers. AGM at Campbell Town, 24th October 1999 L-R: Ian Bradbury, Kevin Jones, Neville Peake, ??, Robert Lee, Sandi-Lee Squires, Phil Dennis, Shirley Squires, Jim Morris, Cheryl Apted, David Carpenter, Colin Dell, Robyn Dell, Derek Fisher, Roger Garth, Helen Reynolds, Debra Mansfield (with Rachel), Howard Fox, Dianne Coon. (Photo by Marg Dennis) IN THIS EDITION ...... PHIL’S THOUGHTS - Ebola & Zika 2 20 YEARS OF THE VAOAT - a pictorial history 16 COORDINATOR VOLUNTEER STRATEGY 6 P. J. PARSSEY AWARD - Tania Burke 21 VAOAT BOARD - May meeting draft summary 12 BREAK DOWN BARRIERS TO CARE - Hal Newman 25 VAOAT ACHIEVEMENTS - timeline 14 PUZZLE/WORD SEARCH/10 KWIK KWESTIONS 27 FIRST RESPONSE - MAY 2016 - Phil’s Thoughts… “Ebola & Zika” hen penicillin was discovered it was development. Although the most common result of a thought that most illnesses would be pregnant woman contracting the virus was a baby W overcome, yet here we are over 60 with a small brain and skull with varying degrees of years later struggling to face two viruses that have brain damage. Other cases showed up including been around for many years. poor growth in the womb and a serious reduction in Ebola first appeared with two cases, in 1976 in the amount of amniotic fluid around the baby. Some women have had stillbirths since and of six babies the Sudan, the other in the Congo. As the outbreak occurred near the Ebola river the name stuck with born – three were normal, one had severe brain the virus. injuries and the other two were underweight. The Zika virus was first discovered in Uganda in For children who survive pregnancy and are born Rhesus monkeys that were being monitored for with microcephaly, the future is bleak. In the worst Yellow fever. It was first identified in humans in cases, children will be severely intellectually and physically handicapped. But even those less severely Uganda and Tanzania in 1952. affected will likely struggle with psychomotor So both viruses have been identified for many impairment — characterised by slow thought, speech years yet there were no vaccines or drugs available and physical movements. It is quite disturbing to see when they were required. the face of a baby with this illness. Scientists have With Ebola the speed in which it immobilised its just declared Zika is the cause of microcephaly, April victims did much to limit the spread of the disease, 2016. restricting the spread to only people who made Meanwhile in Australia authorities are spraying contact with the deceased. This kept the spread to houses and businesses near a hotel in Rockhampton an isolated area, but all that changed with the after a guest tested positive with the disease. The availability of modern transport that not man had recently returned from a trip to only carried people but also the virus. South America. The mosquito Aedes Luckily the outbreak has been 1 “...result of a pregnant aegypti , also known as the Yellow curtailed, for now. Fever mosquito, is endemic to north woman contracting the Queensland and has been located in Zika virus is transmitted to people virus was a baby with a through the bite of an infected mosquito the central and southwest regions of from the Aedes genus, mainly Aedes small brain and skull the state. It is known that six other aegypti in tropical regions. This is the with varying degrees of species of the Aedes are capable of same mosquito that transmits dengue, brain damage.” carrying the Zika virus, and the worry is chikungunya and yellow fever. Initially it that the mosquito Culex was thought that Zika was a relatively quinuefasciatus may be a vector and benign disease, producing only mild flu-like may be able to transmit the disease, this mosquito is symptoms - if any at all. This gave the health widespread throughout much of Australia and while authorities not too much concern as it spread around uncommon in Tasmania it has been known to occur. the globe. But with the sudden rise in the number of As there is no treatment for the Zika virus cases of microcephaly in Brazil, which can cause preventative personal measures are important, you babies to be born with abnormally small heads, we may wonder what the young sports girls chosen for appear to have another global health emergency on the Olympics are thinking about the situation. For a our hands. It is all the more of concern if the reports few years Australian scientists have been leading the of sexual transmission prove valid and its spread is research into Dengue Fever, they are experimenting not limited to mosquitoes. with a new strain of mosquito that carries a bacterium One big problem was that if Zika is a factor with which stops the mosquito from growing the Dengue microcephaly, it was not entirely clear why. In the virus in its body. Let’s hope that they are successful seven decades since Zika was first discovered, such in stopping not only Dengue Fever but can use their horrific complications have never before been expertise into coming up with a similar plan to stop observed. A form of nerve damage, called Guillain- the Zika virus the same way. This would be great Barré syndrome, has been seen in a small number of news for babies and Australia. people, and in the case of pregnancies there were 17 cases of malformations of the central nervous system Cheers in foetuses, following an outbreak in French Phil Dennis Polynesia in 2014. But the alarm bells only starting to ring after some results from Brazil were announced. Scientists believe that infected pregnant women pass Source: the virus to their unborn babies through the placenta • http://www.bbc.com/news/health and that the virus then damages their brain • The Tasmanian Justice Journal, 1st Quarter 2016 2 - FIRST RESPONSE - MAY 2016 Volunteer Ambulance Officers Ambulance Tasmania (VAOAT) Entries from Tasmanian Volunteer Ambulance Officers around the state will be accepted between 1st June 2016 and 31st July 2016 Winners announced and calendars available for purchase in December 2016 Photo Competition 2016 Theme: Volunteers in uniform We’re looking for photos that fit our theme for the 2017 VAOAT fundraising calendar. Entries can be emailed to: [email protected] You or your photo could be on the front cover! OR Prizes to be won! A CD can be sent addressed to Laura Leworthy at Huonville Station For publishing in the calendar, the photo needs to meet the following 18 Sale St Huonville requirements: • Be fun! OR • Have permission from the subject you are photographing to be published • Uphold the integrity of Ambulance Tasmania Placed in Huonville’s pigeon • Photo Size: 1666 by 1294 pixels; Resolution 300 dpi hole at headquarters in southern region FIRST RESPONSE - MAY 2016 - 3 ON MY SOAPBOX TANIA RATTRAY MLC Independent Member for Apsley The big news for the VAOAT is that we have reached our 20 year milestone as an organisation. Legislative Council Many original members are still involved and the Board now has a good mix of newer and experienced Proudly assisting the production of the members. newsletter for the Volunteer Ambulance Phil is rather chuffed because his article “All at Officers Association of Tasmania. Sea”, printed in the Feb 2016 edition of First Response, was spotted by the Maritime Museum of Electorate Office: Tasmania. We were happy for them to include the article in their publication Maritime Times of 16 King St, Scottsdale Tasmania and they even added a few more nautical Ph: 6350 5000 terms. If you are interested in Tasmania’s maritime history why not visit the museum when you are in Mob: 0427 523 412 Hobart and by becoming a member you will also Fax: 6350 5002 receive their very interesting quarterly newsletter. Congratulations to Tania Rattray for retaining her Email: [email protected] Upper House seat of Apsley in the recent election. Tania is a wonderful supporter of local towns and community groups in her huge electorate. She was a driving force in the campaign to save our aged care facility (Aminya) here in Scottsdale and she travels A company owner was asked a question, "How do far & wide to attend and support local events. you motivate your employees to be so punctual?" If you are in Hobart on 27th May, why not attend He smiled & replied, "It's simple. I have 30 the VAOAT 20th anniversary employees and 29 free parking spaces. One is paid morning tea at Wrest Point Casino, parking." a chance to celebrate our past and look forward to the future. Seen on a baby’s grow-suit: Bye for now, Margaret “I’ve just spent 9 months inside.” VAOAT Board 2015/16 Any concerns? - we’re here to help, but before approaching the Association please try to resolve problems first, via the correct chain of command in your region.