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Travelling off-road? You might want to check that you are near one of WA's four-wheel-drive ambulances first.
The Hipper family has been advocating for an off-road ambulance in Geraldton. Geraldton is set to receive the Midwest's first off-road ambulance van in October.
It follows a year of advocacy from the family of a teenager who was paralysed after an accident on sand dunes. A Midwest shire president says the region's outback is still vulnerable without an all-terrain ambulance. The family of a teenager who was paralysed after a motorcycle crash in an off-road area says the region's first four-wheel-drive ambulance is overdue.
St John WA said Geraldton, 420 kilometres north of Perth, is set to receive a Toyota HiAce four-wheel-drive ambulance in October — the first off-road paramedic van in the Midwest. The Hipper family have advocated for the emergency vehicle since James Hipper, then 17, broke his neck and spine in a motorcycle crash at Geraldton sand dunes last year. An ambulance could not reach the accident, which was about a kilometre from the entrance to the dunes.
Instead, his sister Serenity Thorley, then 22, acted as a first responder.
'One wrong move'James was moved off the beach to a waiting ambulance in a ute. She said she held his head still as they drove to hard ground to meet the paramedics.
"Just the thought that one wrong move, had I not held him over a bump well enough, I could have lost him then and there,"Ms Thorley said she had worried that moving the teenager made his condition worse, until a doctor confirmed the damage was done at the time of impact. She and her mother, April Hipper, have welcomed the news that the coastal city will soon have an off-road ambulance.
"I really do think it's been left to the wayside for too long," Ms Hipper said. "At the end of the day, Geraldton is a vast coastline, and we're active people, people like to four wheel drive, people like to bike ride. "to meet paramedics. While the new 4WD ambulance is positive news for the Geraldton area, concerns remain about responses to emergencies in the wider Midwest region.
The Mount Magnet shire, 340 kilometres north-east of Geraldton, is home to stations and mining camps, and a popular destination for self-drive tourists and gold prospectors. Mount Magnet Shire president Jorgen Jensen said that while most gravel roads were in "fairly good" condition, the large road network was susceptible to damage, making it difficult to traverse.
"A four-wheel-drive ambulance would be invaluable," Cr Jensen said. "It's really just another example of something that is needed and probably is going to take too long to adequately service. "Cr Jensen said the Royal Flying Doctor Service transported patients once they were in town, but getting them there could be a challenge.
"Some of the shires nearby would be a bit more vulnerable as far as that goes, from some of their outer limits to get them into town or to a point where they can get medical attention," he said. Cr Jensen said the region missed out on many essential services, including medical support.
"I think the Midwest is a good area that gets probably a little bit left behind in some aspects, especially the outer Midwest," he said. St John WA said it continually reviews its regional fleet requirements, taking into account operational demand, geography and local conditions. A state government spokesperson said there were 28 WA Country Health Service ambulances across the Kimberley, Pilbara and Midwest.
"Locations are chosen based on geography, population distribution, road conditions and health service need," they said. ABC Midwest & Wheatbelt — local news in your inbox
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