When a two-storey North Bundaberg home went up in flames in March this year, the responding QAS officers certainly didn’t expect the twist the job was about to take.
The paramedics had been tasked to assess the inferno’s escapees and support the Queensland Fire Department (QFD) team on scene.
Thankfully, none of the occupants were injured. Paramedics stayed on scene, keeping a watchful eye on their fellow QFD officers as they worked to contain the blaze.
The scene soon became a life-or-death situation when firefighter Graham Smith collapsed in front of his colleagues and was completely unresponsive.
Graham was in cardiac arrest.
His crew carried him over to paramedics and began cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in the vital first minutes before paramedics took over, providing compressions and two shocks from a defibrillator before achieving Return Of Spontaneous Circulation (ROSC).
Graham was intubated and rushed to Bundaberg Hospital in a life-threatening condition.
Thankfully, because of the teams’ efforts, Graham was able to walk into the South Bundaberg Ambulance Station in June and personally thank the crews responsible for saving his life.
After waking from his 36-hour induced coma without any broken ribs, Graham said he was immensely grateful to his QFD crew and QAS paramedics.
“It shows you just how talented these people are in their roles that I am alive and functioning today,” Graham said.
“I don’t remember much from that day, but I feel like I have a brand-new relationship with these paramedics and everyone who worked on the day to help save my life because they made such a difference.”
Flight Critical Care Paramedic (FCCP) Kevin Charteris was one of the officers on scene to treat Graham and had the opportunity to shake his hand during his visit to the station.
“It was really positive to catch up with Graham and see him doing so well, especially considering what he had been through,” Kevin said.
“In my role, I take grace for every day I can implement my training and experience to help others.
“On that day, we all worked as a team to do what needed to be done for Graham’s survival and I continue to be happy I can make a difference in someone’s life like that.”
