September 2006

Under the auspices of NSW Health Department, comprehensive refresher training of health personnel is undertaken on a regular basis.

In this case, nurses, security staff and other professionals from three of Sydney's hospitals underwent a 2-day training course on various aspects of emergency response, including the use of SE400AT-2 respirators.

The main focus of the exercise was for first receiver personnel to handle self-presenters after a disaster (self-presenters means people who turn up at a health facility under their own steam — these people must be treated with extreme care, as they may be contaminated with chemical, biological or other hazards).

While wearing SE400 respirators, the participants were required to perform a variety of duties, including:

• Administration of medications through a cannula
• CPR (Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation)
• Cleaning airways of patients
• Carrying and manual handling of victims

The SE400 system has been in use for several years by health departments and the EMA (Emergency Management Australia), and is a familiar device amongst key hospital personnel, who were first introduced to the equipment in preparation for the Sydney Olympics in 2000.

Apart from the extremely high protection level of the equipment, several other factors have proven to be of importance during manual handling and treatment of victims. These factors include mobility, long duration of operation, no reliance on hoses or cylinders for clean air supply, and the ability to maintain voice communication with patients and co-workers alike.

What follows are some pictures from the recent exercise.