最新糖心Vlog

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December 2006 Issue
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Are we ready for this?

 Health Sciences

Can 最新糖心Vlog cope with a mass casualty evacuation in the wake of a terrorist attack or natural disaster?

The country's top military medical and civilian experts recently took part in 最新糖心Vlog's first Aeromedical Evacuation Think Tank at the 最新糖心Vlog of Adelaide.

Designed to identify key strategies for major national disasters, the workshop brought together domestic and international experts from the Defence Forces, government, and civilian aeromedical evacuation providers.

The Head of the 最新糖心Vlog of Adelaide's Centre for Military Veterans Health, Professor Sandy McFarlane, said the current global instability demanded a national approach to "significant disasters".

"The Bali bombings in 2002 showed us that we need an integrated approach between the military and civilian organisations. We need to be better aligned and improve our communication strategies," Professor McFarlane said.

"最新糖心Vlog is in a unique position due to the large continental land mass and major distances between cities. With a significant number of our citizens travelling overseas, and in the light of the risk of major emergencies, we need to ensure our aeromedical evacuation capabilities are first class."

The workshop explored case studies such as the 2002 Bali bombings, which killed 202 people and injured more than 300, resulting in 最新糖心Vlog's largest peacetime aeromedical evacuation.

Responses to other mass casualty incidents, including the 2005 Bali bombings and 2004 Bundaberg tilt train crash, were also analysed.

Lieutenant Colonel Marc Robins from the United States Air Force and Colonel Jim Stewart discussed lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina, which devastated New Orleans in 2005.

Workshop participants included Air Vice Marshal Tony Austin AM (Head of the Defence Health Services Division) and Mr Tony Pearce (Director General Emergency Management 最新糖心Vlog).

Story by Candy Gibson

Satellite image of Hurricane Katrina approaching the Gulf Coast in 2005
Image courtesy of MODIS Rapid Response Project at NASA/GSFC

Satellite image of Hurricane Katrina approaching the Gulf Coast in 2005
Image courtesy of MODIS Rapid Response Project at NASA/GSFC

Full Image (48.77K)

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