Nurses at Armadale-Kelmscott Memorial Hospital have become reluctant heroes after safely evacuating 11 patients and putting out a fire that threatened their aged care rehabilitation ward last month. Nurse Carol Reed denied that she’d done anything special. “I don’t feel like a hero,” she said. “I just did my job – there were five other people there as well.” It was 4.30am and the nurses were on night shift when the fire alarm was triggered by a fluorescent light which melted its plastic cover and fell burning onto the floor. Ms Reed was the first to locate the fire. “I basically went in, assessed it, ducked out, thought to myself, ‘can I put that out? Yeah I can.’ And then I did,” she said. Nursing staff at the hospital have been trained to use fire extinguishers with refresher courses held annually. Working in pairs the nurses evacuated the patients to another ward behind a fire door. Ms Reed has been a nurse for 43 years and has worked across most areas including disability care, surgery and in a nursing home. She began working at Armadale 12 years ago after her children left home. “I wanted to get back to making a difference,” she said. Ms Reed suffered smoke inhalation from battling the fire and spent over an hour in the emergency department on a ventolin. “I had a sinus infection so that didn’t help with my breathing,” she said. “At the time, with the adrenaline kicking in it was fine but when I got home and sat down I thought, my god, what did we just do?”
December 15, 2016
The Health Services Union and Eskleigh Foundation Inc are debating a s.739 (Application to deal with a dispute) before Commissioner Cirkovic in Melbourne.
December 15, 2016
The Royal Flying Doctors Service Victoria is in a (s.739 – Application to deal with dispute) with a staff-member (Farrer). Deputy President Hamilton in the Fair Work Commission 11 Exhibition Street Melbourne has been called on to adjudicate.
December 15, 2016
Elderly residents at a Perth retirement village have been forced to shower in a carpark after a gas leak left them without hot water. Gas to the majority of the units at the Collier Park Village in the southern Perth suburb of Como had to be switched off more than a week ago due to a broken pipe. The City of South Perth, which operates the centre, said portable showers had been set up outside while it works to repair the damage. More than 100 residents are still affected.
December 14, 2016
Core Community Services has had a s.372 (Application to deal with other contravention disputes) foisted upon it by Vukovic. Commissioner Johns in the Fair Work Commission 11 Exhibition Street Melbourne will determine the efficacy of the complaint.
December 14, 2016
The Lyell McEwin Hospital has been slapped with a formal safety notice by authorities who say its emergency department is understaffed, overwhelmed and poses a risk to staff and patient safety. SafeWork SA has issued the hospital with an “improvement notice” for contravening South Australia’s Work Health and Safety Act 2012.
December 14, 2016
The Australian Nursing & Midwifery Accreditation Council is facing a s.739 (Application to deal with a dispute) launched by an ANF member (Fogarty).
December 14, 2016
The Health Services Union and Healthscope Ltd will debate a s.739 (Application to deal with a dispute) with Commissioner Cirkovic in the Fair Work Commission Edward Braddon Commonwealth Law Courts Building 39 – 41 Davey Street Hobart at 9.30 am today.
