Monday 26 January 2009
RESCUE HELICOPTER CREW FEELING THE HEAT: GOVT CHOPS AIR CON IN CHOPPERS
Shadow Minister for Health Jillian Skinner today slammed the State Labor Government for its decision to axe air conditioning from the new rescue helicopter service making working conditions for medical staff almost unbearable.
Official notices obtained by the NSW Liberal/Nationals state “last week one of the ASNSW [Ambulance Service of NSW] consultants was so physically heat stressed after a flight on a hot day he was unable to function on a mission… a number of doctors have experienced significant heat stress with vomiting in this aircraft and required IM Maxolon from the paramedic.”
Air conditioning is a standard feature of the aircraft, but the State Labor Government ordered a chopper without it as a ridiculous cost-saving measure.
Following adjustments to try and improve airflow in the cabin, a window fell out of one of the helicopters over Liverpool while it was flying to a mission to a hang-glider crash at Wilton.
“This is penny-pinching at its worst and it’s literally putting lives at risk,” Mrs Skinner said.
“These doctors, paramedics and chopper crews are heroes and their job is hard enough already without having to contend with severe cabin heat,” she said.
“Health Minister John Della Bosca cannot ignore this problem. He must move to correct it and that may well mean the retro-fitting of air conditioning.
“It’s likely this appalling penny-pinching exercise may well end up costing the State Labor Government more than it would have in the first place.
“The State Labor Government has completely bungled the delivery of rescue helicopter services in NSW.
“It replaced well run community organisations with a foreign owned and profit driven service that is more expensive and is causing widespread concern about its ability to respond to emergencies in a timely manner.
“Nothing the new profit driven operator has done to date has eased those concerns,” Mrs Skinner said.