322HSF try out course on Hornets

By LACW Tania Robertson

No. 322 Health Services Flight medics LACW Sharon Jager, LAC Shane Milich and LACW Tania Robertson with one of their medical “charges”.

Photo by SGT Mark Eaton

NO. 322 Health Services Flight at RAAF Base Tindal firmly believes that to be your best you should always increase your knowledge. Sometimes that means doing a course you wouldn’t usually consider.

Flight Lieutenant Stephanie Hymer, the Flight’s senior nursing officer, felt that the medical staff would provide a superior service if its personnel had a more intimate knowledge of the Hornets and their operators and maintainers to whom they provide constant medical support.

“Medical personnel are often among the first to attend an aircraft incident,” she said.

“Therefore occupational health and safety is a priority, particularly in remote areas [such as Tindal] where medical staff are a rare resource.

“Although not specifically designed for medical personnel, this course was the only one that provided appropriate safety and procedural information about the Hornets.

“I realised members from medical had no previous experience with the F/A-18s and felt they needed to obtain a good level of core knowledge about the aircraft.”

She arranged for 322HSF’s staff to attend the F/A-18 AT Safety and Familiarisation Course run by No. 286 Technical Training Flight.

The course aims to familiarise non-technical personnel with the F/A-18. It is conducted over a two-day period and provides a workable knowledge of the danger areas, safety precautions and protocols required when working around the Hornet.

286TFF instructor Sergeant Peter Lalic was very happy with the course and the attitude displayed by his medical students.

“I found them to be most enthusiastic during the course,” he said.

“They took away some much-needed knowledge with them and said they had developed a new-found respect for the conditions under which techos have to operate.”

322HSF’s members agreed they thoroughly enjoyed the course.

“It provided valuable information regarding personal safety when working around the aircraft,” FLTLT Hymer said.

“It also gave us an understanding of the roles of other personnel working with the aircraft and an understanding of why some directions are given. This will ensure better compliance and a smoother process in medical response activities in the future.

“We all walked away from the course with new knowledge, a safer approach to our roles and more understanding of the conditions that our ground personnel work in.

“This will assist in providing better health care solutions for our personnel and that is what we are all about.”

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