MILLICENT-BASED paramedics have recently updated their off-road driving skills with a full day of training in Canunda National Park.
The SA Ambulance Service has four-wheel drive vehicles stationed at Millicent and Port MacDonnell.
SA Ambulance Service Limestone Coast regional operations manager Andrew Thomas said his crews were often called to persons who needed assistance in the park and its adjacent beaches.
Mr Thomas said ambulance crews used four-wheel drive vehicles to access patients and bring them safely to an ambulance waiting on a firm road surface.
He said the Millicent station had a number of new staff in 2018 and such specialist training was appropriate at this time.
“The full day of training involved three hours of theory and eight hours of training,” Mr Thomas said.
“There are three qualified driving instructors among the SA Ambulance Service in the Limestone Coast and they conducted the training.”
An additional six paramedics were appointed to the Millicent ambulance station this year and the Mount Gambier Road base has been staffed around-the-clock since September.
These 12 full-time ambulance officers mark a high point in staffing since an ambulance service was established in Millicent in the post-war years.
The first full-time paid ambulance officer was appointed in 1966 and volunteer personnel continued in various capacities for many years thereafter.
Canunda National Park is popular with tourists and locals alike but the rough terrain often causes mishaps for motorists and motorcyclists and other park users.
