MOREE firies and Moree ambos somehow found enough time on Friday to catch up for a barbecue lunch with a purpose – an inter-agency get-together for staff members to familiarise each other with equipment and capabilities.
And, right on cue, midway through lunch, the call came for a motor vehicle accident with persons trapped.
Senior firefighter Mark Cahill, who later this year takes on the role of station officer in Moree, said the accident was fortunately minor in nature.
“I don’t think there’s been a mass response of two services like that before,” he smiled.
Friday’s inter-agency lunch, the brainchild of Mr Cahill and relief station officer Matt Jeffrey, enabled a new influx of paramedics to meet Moree firies on a relaxed level.
Earlier this year, 16 new paramedics began work at Moree Ambulance Station.
Station officer Tom Claringbold said Friday’s lunch was a perfect backdrop for Moree’s newest paramedics to meet local firefighters, get to know each other, and talk shop.
“It’s good from a teamwork perspective, to see what we can do for the fire brigade and vice versa, especially assisting us in accidents if we need help,” Mr Claringbold said.
“Also, with conflicting shifts, we never know when we’re going to see people so it’s helpful to have days like this occasionally to meet socially.”
Moree firies and Moree ambos caught up at the Moree Fire Station on Friday, primarily to familiarise each other with equipment and capabilities.
Relief station officer Matt Jeffery said helping staff members from both agencies to get to know one another was an integral part of being able to provide top-level emergency services.
“There’s a whole bunch of new paramedics in Moree, so as a result Mark and I thought it would be a good idea for both agencies to show each other their capabilities,” Mr Jeffery said.
“We could be at a job where the firies doing the little peripheral jobs can make the paramedics’ job a lot easier – something as simple as taking a stretcher out of an ambulance can make a big difference.
“Everyone is at multi-agency jobs for the right reasons, and we have to hook in, help each other, and make it happen,” he said.
Mr Jeffery said local staff with local knowledge is a huge asset when dealing with emergency situations – locals helping locals.
“In the short time I’ve been in Moree, there’s been a couple of challenging jobs where we’ve had to call on local knowledge,” he said.
“I’m based at Burwood in Sydney, but actually live at Orange in the central west, so I’m familiar with regional operations.
“Having worked in regional areas, I find the’ local knowledge’ resource one of the most appealing aspects of it all,” Mr Jeffery said.
