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NSRI EMERGENCY
OPERATION CENTRE (EOC)

087 094 9774

At 11h06, Wednesday, 29 June, NSRI Wilderness duty crew were activated to assist Eden 911 ambulance services, who were responding to a female who slipped an injured herself on the Half Collared Kingfisher Trail, 3 kilometres upstream from Ebb & Flow Rest Camp. Additionally, At 11h07, Friday, 1 July, NSRI Wilderness duty crew were activated following eye-witness reports of 3 people in strong winds capsized on a kayak in Island Lake and waving towards the shore for help. Also, At 15h05, Saturday, 2 July, NSRI St Lucia duty crew were activated following reports of a drowning in progress at Jabula Beach, St Lucia. Lastly, At 12h17, Sunday, 3 July, NSRI Port Edward duty crew were activated following reports from Kwa-Zulu Private ambulance services of an incident on the Umtamvuna hiking trail where a female had fallen down a gorge and reportedly suffered an injury.


WILDERNESS:

Mike Vonk, NSRI Wilderness station commander, said:

The NSRI craft Oscar's Rescue was towed to Ebb & Flow Rest Camp by our NSRI rescue vehicle. The NSRI team, using the rescue craft, launched to head in the direction of the incident.

SA National Park rangers had also been activated.

It soon became apparent, with the river mouth open, that the river level was too low and the response became a hike.

On reaching the Eden 911 paramedics, SANParks rangers found the patient, a 31-year-old pregnant woman from Cape Town, along with her husband. We found her to be stable but suffering serious injuries.

WC Government Health EMS were activated.

The patient was secured onto a backboard and we initiated an extrication carrying the patient and hiking her along a footpath towards the nearest location that would be accessible to vehicles.

SANPark rangers indicated the best route possible although this route led further upstream and away from EBB & Flow.

On reaching the exit of the hike we were met by a large party of EMS rescue technicians, WSAR (Wilderness Search and Rescue) members and Government Health Forensic Pathology Services.

They had been conducting an exercise nearby and they assisted in the extrication of the female using the rescue vehicle.

The patient was loaded onto an EMS rescue vehicle and transported to a roadway where the patient was transferred into an Eden 911 ambulance and transported to hospital by ambulance.

The patient is recovering from her injuries.

ISLAND LAKE

Mike Vonk, NSRI Wilderness station commander, said:

The NSRI craft Oscar's Rescue was towed to the scene by our NSRI rescue vehicle while NSRI rescue swimmers and WC Government Health EMS responded directly to the scene.

The EMS/AMS Skymed rescue helicopter was placed on alert by EMS Metro Control.

Arrangements were made for the George Lake Yacht Club gate to be opened for access to Island Lake.

On arrival on the scene, 3 NSRI rescue swimmers launched into the water and rescued 2 males, aged 21 and 20, and a female, aged 20, safely from the water and recovered their kayak.

One of the male casualties was treated for hypothermia by EMS paramedics and NSRI medics and following treatment no further medical assistance was required.

NSRI commend the swift response to this incident.

NSRI are appealing to anyone launching any kind of craft onto water to always wear a properly fitting and properly fastened life-jacket while your craft is underway.

ST LUCIA:

Jan Hoffman, NSRI St Lucia station commander, said:

NSRI St Lucia duty crew responded to our base to prepare an NSRI craft to be towed to the scene while NSRI rescue swimmers and local community volunteer first responder medics responded directly to the scene.

Two off-duty trainee NSRI crew members, who were on the beach at the time, noticed a man appearing to be in difficulty in the surf line. They raised the alarm and both launched into the water and they rescued the 22-year-old man safely to the beach.

When additional NSRI members and medics arrived on the scene the casualty was safely out of the water and he was checked by NSRI medics and showing signs of non-fatal drowning symptoms we transported to our NSRI rescue station and a Netcare 911 ambulance was activated.

The man was transported to hospital by Netcare 911 in a stable condition and he is expected to make a full recovery.

We commend our 2 NSRI trainees for their quick actions.

PORT EDWARD:

Gert du Plessis, NSRI Port Edward station commander, said:

While our NSRI Port Edward duty crew mobilised Police Search and Rescue, Ray Nkonyeni Fire and Rescue Services, Kwa-Zulu Private ambulance services and Med-Evac ambulance services responded.

Our NSRI JetRIB, Spirit of Surfski VII, was launched at The Pont and responded up the Umtamvuna River while Police Search and Rescue, Fire and Rescue and paramedics hiked along the Umtamvuna hiking trail towards the patient.

While we were responding along the river we were alerted to a private craft that appeared to have located the incident scene along the river banks.

Our NSRI rescue craft came ashore at that location and NSRI crew hiked a short distance inland where we found the patient in the care of the rescuers that had hiked to the scene.

The patient was secured into a Stokes basket stretcher and hiked to our NSRI rescue craft.

In a stable condition, the 49-year-old patient was loaded onto our NSRI rescue craft and in the care of a Kwa-Zulu Private paramedic the patient was brought to The Pont aboard our NSRI rescue craft.

The patient was transferred into a Kwa-Zulu Private ambulance and she has been transported to hospital for further treatment.

NSRI commend all services that assisted in this incident.

Next Article

Yzerfontein – Wednesday, 6 July. 4 rescued after boat capsizes. Sadly a bystander on the shore passed away during the incident:

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