Chief Superintendent Cameron Edgar1
1NSW Ambulance, Sydney, Australia
The state is on fire. Emergency services are responding to an enormous volume of bush fire calls with people missing and patients severely injured. Operating conditions are extreme with smoke turning day into night. Communities are isolated with local infrastructure affected. Normal emergency responses also need to be maintained. The government and media needs accurate, timely and constant information. There is no clear end date for the fires.
This was the experience across NSW and much of Australia this summer.
This presentation will provide insights into the activities, decision-making and lessons learned by the NSW Aeromedical IMT that managed a fleet of helicopters and fixed wing aircraft carrying paramedics, doctors and flight nurses over a four month period providing critical care often by the only means possible – air.
Biography:
Chief Superintendent Cameron Edgar ASM, Director Helicopter Operations, NSW Ambulance
Cameron has been a Paramedic since 1994. He has been a Critical Care Helicopter Paramedic and Special Casualty Access Team member, responding to cliff, canyon, wilderness incidents and Police tactical units, including as a member of the US Presidential Medical Team during Australian visits. He has deployed as a Commander to National disasters such as the 2009 Victorian ‘Black Saturday’ Bushfires. Cameron holds responsibility for state-wide helicopter operations across seven bases with 200 staff. He was awarded the Ambulance Service Medal in 2019 and is studying a Masters in Leadership.