Every minute counts at a traumatic incident, and those minutes are even more precious when medical services are hundreds of kilometres away in rural and regional Australia.
With that in mind, Nutrien Ag Solutions and CareFlight have launched a new partnership that will upskill people in regional communities with life-saving skills in 180 locations across Australia.
CareFlight’s CEO Mick Frewen says the not-for-profit aeromedical organisation identified an urgent need to strengthen early intervention skills on Australian farms where access to swift medical help is not as commonplace as metropolitan areas.
“First responders, whether local passers-by, farmers or others may need to help sustain life for trauma patients until professional medical help arrives. Over more than 35 years, our teams have experienced first-hand how important those first few minutes after an accident can be,” Mr Frewen said.
“Through the Emergency Trauma Training initiative, CareFlight’s team of clinical professionals will deliver training that’s practical and targeted to those working in the agriculture industry.”
Nutrien Ag Solutions head of safety Richard Dovison said the more people that have these skills in their toolbox, the more lives that can be saved.
“According to SafeWork Australia, the fatality rate on Australian farms is almost eight times higher than the rate across other industries,” Mr Dovison said.
“The facts are very clear on the high-risk profile associated with working in agriculture. Failure to address these unenviable statistics will result in no improvement in the safety and health of regional communities. So, the goal for us is clear, we will help equip our ag communities with essential skills and training to protect lives and reduce fatalities.”
Mr Dovison said Nutrien’s 4000 employees along with their farmer customers across the country work with heavy machinery, large animals and in isolated locations every day, often hundreds of kilometres from the nearest hospital or emergency clinic.
“Every day, regional Australians often find themselves at the frontline of emergency incidents, so we want to make sure our communities are prepared and confident to take the right actions that could save a life.”
The training sessions will be held over the next three years.
Established in 1986, CareFlight is an Australian aeromedical charity with a mission to save lives, speed recovery and serve the community. CareFlight operates helicopters, turbo-prop and jet aeroplanes and its doctors, paramedics and nurses treat and transfer patients from accident scenes and between hospitals. CareFlight is also a registered training organisation and since 2011 have run a community-focused national education program providing a variety of high-quality training programs.
