Indigenous ranger Trevor Nona and senior ranger Frankie Cook celebrate their awards with family, Northern Peninsula Area community members and emergency services representatives after the presentation ceremony. Photo: Supplied.
The Northern Peninsula Area (NPA) has celebrated two of its own after they helped save the life of a drowning one-year-old earlier this year.
On 6 January, the Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS) received a triple zero call to attend a reported drowning involving the girl, who was found unresponsive in the water at Somerset Bay, about 50 kilometres north-east of Bamaga.
The child was pulled from the water by a family member and brought to shore, where Northern Peninsula Area Regional Council (NPARC) Apudthama Indigenous ranger Trevor Nona and Ipima Ikaya Aboriginal Corporation (IIAC) senior ranger Frankie Cook were nearby on the beach.
Trained in CPR, Mr Nona and Mr Cook swung into action to save the girl’s life, providing compressions for eight to 10 minutes until the child began to cough and show signs of consciousness.
The two rangers carefully followed instructions provided over the phone by emergency medical dispatcher Lisa Zolnowski, who remained on the phone while help was being arranged.
At the same time, QAS paramedic Karl Visser responded with lights and sirens from the Bamaga Ambulance Station, with Rescue 700 was also proceeding by air from Horn Island with QAS flight critical care paramedic Gerard O’Brien on board.
Once on scene, Mr Visser continued resuscitation measures, before Rescue 700 landed on the beach Mr O’Brien stabilised the girl for airlifting to the Thursday Island Hospital.
On 4 July, both rangers were awarded certificates of appreciation from QAS senior management, who travelled to Bamaga for the presentation.
QAS Bamaga officer in charge Adam Marston said the child’s chance of survival would have been critically low without Mr Nona and Mr Cook’s intervention.
“This case highlights the need for bystanders to instigate CPR as soon as possible prior to the ambulance arriving,” he said.
“Given the remoteness of Cape York, an ambulance can often be quite a distance from a scene.
“If the two rangers, Frankie and Trevor, didn’t commence CPR on that day, the child’s chances of survival would have been very slim.
“Their actions undoubtedly saved her life.”
NPARC chief executive officer Kate Gallaway commended the swift actions of the rangers.
“In this remote region, we all need to be vigilant in skills training and especially advanced lifesaving techniques – it is the difference between life and death up here,” Ms Gallaway said.
“Council is extremely proud of the local rangers, for their dedication and training, and the precious life saved for a thankful local family”.
Apudthama Indigenous ranger Trevor Nona talks Queensland Ambulance Service staff through the 6 January Somerset Beach rescue he undertook with Ipima Ikaya Aboriginal Corporation senior ranger Frankie Cook. Photo: Supplied.
