In important news ahead of the summer season of outdoor pursuits in the Blue Mountains, NSW Ambulance has committed to a dedicated module of Special Operations Team (SOT) paramedics to be based at Katoomba Ambulance Station.
The new team will support existing locally-based paramedics on cases that have elevated risk profiles or that require special access skills, equipment and training.
Operations Manager for Katoomba Ambulance Station, Steven Lobley, told the Gazette that the new unit will make a significant difference to emergency services in the region.
"The Blue Mountains is characterised by its proximity to wilderness," he said. "NSW Ambulance regularly responds to incidents where there is potential for difficulties in accessing the patient.
"Recent data suggested an average of one response every two days in the Blue Mountains needing Special Operations Paramedics to assist with accessing patients in these locations.
"Having Special Operations Paramedics based at Katoomba means they are ideally situated for responses to areas such as Blackheath, Wentworth Falls, Mount Victoria and further afield towards Lithgow, Mount Wilson and Kanangra."
Mr Lobley said that common activities in the Blue Mountains that lead to call-outs for Special Operations Paramedics include bushwalking, mountain biking, rock climbing, canyoning, BASE jumping, abseiling and four-wheel-driving.
"In addition to these, Special Operations Paramedics assist other agencies with searches, recoveries and large-scale incidents such as bushfires and severe weather events."
The new module was established in the first week of October and has been active since then. For example, on Saturday, October 23, the Special Paramedics Team was among several emergency services called out after a 60-year-old woman was critically injured after an eight-metre fall whilst bushwalking near Mount Wilson.
"Having Special Operations Paramedics based in Katoomba meant that the response time to get two intensive care Special Operations Paramedics to this patient was extraordinarily quick because typically such a response often saw them responding from Penrith or even further away," said Mr Lobley.
Katoomba Ambulance Station is situated at 17 Showground Lane, Katoomba.
