Margie Maccoll
Emergency services and medical professionals, on holiday, came to the aid of a 35-week pregnant woman stranded on Noosa North Shore with the ferry shut down at the height of the floods.
SES Noosa local controller Warren Kuskopf said it all began on Monday 1 March with a call from Queensland Fire and Emergency Rescue, saying, “could we have a flood boat ready for paramedics and transport them to North Shore“.
QFES Noosa chief officer Rob Frey said a fire crew with four officers had been pre-deployed to North Shore for the duration of the flood event when they realised the ferry was going to be cut off.
That crew was an emergency services presence that ensured people had supplies of medicine, food and drink, he said.
“I received a call from a guy who said his wife was in a serious amount of pain and was 35 weeks pregnant. I took his details and advised him to call triple zero, then got things going from the mainland,“ he said.
“I got on to QAS. They asked if there was a way over there. I said SES flood boat was there for people who couldn’t get over on the barge and the Coast Guard was helping out.
“We made a callout with local disaster management and with Noosa Beach Houses to see if there were any medically trained people to assist and we sent in the crew with oxygen, first aid, defibrillator.
“We found four male nurses at Beach Houses who helped until QAS got there.
“At one stage there were four firefighters, ambos and four male nurses. She was having labour pains but ambos said she had time to get to hospital.
“We packed her up very gently with mattresses and stuff to make her as comfortable as possible for the trip from Noosa North Short to the Noosa Marina.
“With the tides, all the landing areas were flooded. The only area we had was at the back of the pub. We had to cut the engines and push the boat out.“
Mr Kuskopf said the river was definitely in flood and the woman’s contractions were extremely close.
“It would have been extremely uncomfortable for her. It took a while to get her out, but it all went seamlessly,“ he said.
“It was a good collaboration between emergency services.“
“It was well conducted, well run. We had professional people with the mother within minutes,“ Mr Frey said.
A QAS spokesman said the expectant mother arrived safely at the hospital despite the drama, but the labour turned out to be a false alarm, with baby not then ready for arrival.
