Policies and Procedures Flashcards
Explain the bushfire burnover procedure - General principles?
- Anytimeyou are working in an extreme fire danger area you need a burnover kit and adequate PPE with you.
- Call ACTL or operations manager at start of shift if you are missing these items.
- Maintain situational awareness, reduced visability with smoke
- On fire ground, the fire services will have a continual warning siren for an impending burn over. You NEED to be aware of this.
- Stay inside, best protection from heat.
- Have radio on local ABC stations.
- Decisions on thirds will be made by operations manager the night before, according to predictions of CFS
Explain the bushfire burnover procedure - Fireground activity, checklist and burnover actions?
- Ambulance will not respond to casualties in active fire ground UNLESS escorted by a CFS vehicle
- The escort vehicle will either take SAAS Paras, or escort ambulance.
Checklist:
- Turn on all lights and beacons
- Check for turn around spots to escape
- If possible park in a burnt area / low fuel area
- Keep vehicle GRN on correct talkgroup
- Turn OFF the big oxygen cylinder!! (If not in use)
Burnover actions:
- DO NOT TRY to outun the fire front
- Face the vehicle windscreen towards the fire
Give continous blasts of the horn/siren to indicate a burn over - Make sure everyone is in the vehicle. Stay together. Follow instructions
- If you cannot escape do the following:
Before impact:
- Activate the emergency call button on your GRN radio with MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY and your call sign.
- Give your current location. Press the ambulance on your GPS/GARMIN unit to get your location coordinates.
- USe clothing to cover as much exposed flesh as possible
- CLOSE all windows. Keep the engine RUNNING. Have airconditioner ON with RECIRCULATION ON. This is to avoid having smoke come inside the vehicle.
- Ensure lights and beacons on (So you can be found).
- Don PPE. Put on the P2 mask, goggles amd gloves from the burnover kit.
- Ensure your kits are inside the vehicle so you can begin treatment if nessecary.
Explain the bushfire burnover procedure - During burnover and afterwards?
During burnover:
- Position yourself lower than window level
- Position yourself adjacent the airway seat
- Cover yourself with a fire blanket
After impact
- Check it is safe to leave
- Keep your PPE on. Ensure you wear your helmet.
- Exit carefully, be aware for hazards such as burnt trees.
- Check for injuries, treat if required.
- Contact EOC to report status
- Check if vehicle is workingand extinguish fires with your small extingisher if possible.
- Move to a safe area (A freshly burn area)
- Staff will be removed from the scene as soon as possible.
- SAAS debreif and peer support.
According to the fatigue risk management guideline, what are the terms you need to know?
Fit for duty:
A state of mental, physical, and emotional perparedness for performing work. This work must not threaten the safety of ANYTHING, or ANYONE.
Preparatory Sleep:
Sleep in advance to counteract an upcoming period of fatigue. This includes LONGER sleeps, naps. It is proactive rather than reactive like recovery sleep
Recovery Sleep:
Sleep that occurs following a period of sleep loss. It can be cummulative or acute. For most people a break of 2 weeks or so is required to recover back to 100%.
Restorative rest break:
A break for napping in order to reduce fatigue.
Sleep Inertia:
A period characterised as vague, groggy. It is experienced when people wake from sleep. Sleep inertia is worst the first 5 minutes after waking and quickly dissapates. It is worst when awoken by an alarm and worst at times one would normally be sleeping.
Fatigue:
A state of reduced physical and mental performance resulting from sleep loss or extended wakefullness, circadian phase, or workload
Officer:
According to the fatigure risk management procedure, what are staff responsibilities?
- Use time off work to obtain sufficient sleep. ..
- Be aware of the fatigue signs in themselves and colleagues
- Take all steps to manage your own fatigue. Report to the SDM if you believe its affecting your fitness for duty.
- Take every opportunity to gain rest/sleep, if afforded an opportunity.
- Encourage a colleague to undertake a self-assessment if its affecting their fitness for duty.
What are the signs of fatigure according to the fatigue risk managment procedure?
What are the signs of fatigue
- Falling asleep or having a micro-sleep
- Not reacting to a safety-critical alert or information in an acceptable timeframe.
- Having lapses in attention during safety critical activities such as driving.
Mental signs of fatigue:
- Irritability and impatience
- Difficult concentrating
- Impaired problem solving
- Difficult making decisions
- Poor motivation to complete required work
Physical signs of fatigue:
- Poor hand eye coordination
- Slower reflexes
- Yawning
- Lerthargy / low energy
Explain the levels of fatigue risk and their outcomes
Level 1 - Keep an eye on yourself: / Green
- Look for signs of fatigue
- Watch your food intake and keep hydrated
- Ask colleagues to monitor your
- Use preparatory naps as available
Level 2- Look out for eachother and contact SDM / AMber
SDM will:
- Discuss fatigue score with staff member
- Ensure safety critical tasks are minmised where practical to do so
- Have staff member undertake an FSAT assessment.
Strategies at this level include:
- Restorative break of 2 hours - This includes 30 mins to drive to station and wind down. One hour to sleep for 30 minutes and 30 minutes to wake up…to counteract sleep inertia.
- Reallocating positions (swapping driver and attendant)
- restructing work tasks and/or breaks
- relocating to a lower demand area or region
- Monitoring by a colleague.
Level 3 - Notify state duty manager to discuss options
SDM will: RED
Same exact strategies as level 2.
EXCEPT
- **The staffer must contact the SDM before starting a shift.
- **the staffer must submit an IRQA form explaining what led to the fatigue.
** Irrespective of the FSAT score, if a staff member feels fatigued they should contact the SDM.
** During a restorative break you can still be tasked for high proiority jobs. Break will be resumed as soon as practicable.
Explain the fatigue investigation. Then explain ongoing training?
If you have multiple fatigue incidents
- you may be referred to employee assistance program.
- A ‘supportive performance management framework’ may be used.
- Investigations are not punative and designed to help staff safety and wellness.
** A refresher of the fatigue management framework should occur annually.
What is the driving and fatigue procedure requiring of drivers?
- A long journey is defined as more than 2 continuous hours of driving.
- You need to use a FSAT before doing long journeys. Not the calculator.
- Consider factors that contribute to fatigue such as:
- general health
- Recent work hx such as hours worked, hours of reparatory sleep, recovery sleep and restorative rest breaks.
- journey characteristics such as length, ability to take breaks, time of day/night, environmental conditions.
What are the mitigation tools for fatigue in regards to driving policy?
- Each two hour driving period must be punctuated by a 15 minute break.
- Rotation between driver and attendant so that no more than 2 hours is ever completed by one person
- No Staff should do more than 8 hours of driving TOTAL in any 24 hour period.
- Amy staff member on a red score cannot commence until speaking with the SDM.
- There are rendevous points accross the state that can be utilised to change over drivers if required.
- Consider overnight accomdation somewhere if appropriate.
- If a driving task occurs outside the scope of the procedure an IRQA need be lodged.
Explain the broad steps of a dynamic risk assessment:
- Evaluate (the situation)
**Situational awareness gleaned from:
- EOC notes on MDT
- Liasing with other ermergency service organisations
- Liasing with mental health triage, or ECP clinican for further information.
** ETHANE
** What is my task, what is going on, what are the hazards?
- Select (safe systems of work)
What do I plan to do, and how will I do it? eg. I plan to knock on the door of this mental health patient. I will stand a great distance from the door.
Do I have the skills, ability and equipment to undertake the work? eg. Is this a SAAS patient? Or is this a SAPOL suspect who has no medical need?
- Assess (safe systems of work)
What are the risks? eg. If I knock on the door, is this patient likely to emerge with a weapon?
- Decide (are the risks proportional to the benefits?)
** Is my plan safe? Yes knocking on the door is an expected behaviour, its likely to be met positivley. Keeping a distance from the door allows for egresss should an adverse response occur.
**Do the benefits outweigh the consequences? The benefit is we will talk with the patient, and assess them. This outweighs the very minor risk this patient will be aggressive.
- Can additional controls be introduced?
You use the hierarchy of control.
Elimination – remove or minimise the remaining additional hazards
Substitution – use additional specialist resources
Engineering Controls – use of specialist tools or equipment
Administrative Controls – appoint of a safety officer
Use of additional Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
- Proceed with the task.
- All team members aligned with goals ect.
Outline emergency driving procedure.
- We use road rule 306 when emergency driving which requires 3 things
- *We took reasonable care AND
- *It was reasonable the road rule should not apply AND
- *If the vehicle is moving it is displaying a light and a siren.
- If charged with ‘Reckless and dangerous driving’. You must comply with all the following
- *Carrying out duties as an emergency worker
- *Acting in accordance with directions and policy of employer
- *Acting reasonably in the circumstances
- Reasonable considerations would include
- Condition and use of the road
- Traffic density at the time.
- The amount of traffic one might reasonably expect to enter the road from other points.
- All the other relevant circumstances not specifically mentioned
- If failing to demonstrate this, an emergency worker can be charged with ‘causing death or harm by use of vehicle’ under criminal law. Regardless of using ‘emergency provisions’ under rule 306.
SAAS Requirements:
- Complete driver training
- Drive at a speed and manner approlpriate to traffic, road and weather conditions
- Drive in a manner consistent with the code of ethics for the south australian public sector.
- Do no proceed through a railway or tram crossing when red, unless instructed by an authority.
- At all times approach a red light at 20 kph, until your back wheels reach the white line.
- This applies to pedestrian crossings with lights.
- At an active school crossing, slow down and prepare to stop. Only progress when all pedestrians are off the crossing and safe.
- Do not drive on the other side of the road unless safe to do so.
- Do not cross a median strip, unless it is safe to do so and without vehicle damage.
- If you have a crash or incident, you need to immediately notify EOC and remain on scene and give the ‘required particulars’.
Controlled substance Policy as it pertains to expired medications?
- All drug movements recorded in drug registers, seen by two staff, and signed by both staff.
- Expired drugs checked on the 1st of every month. All expired medications disposed of and witnessed by both SAAS clinicians.
- The Ampule must be cracked, and the contents disposed such as down a sink, so as not to be retrieved.
- All ampules and syringes must be discarded safely.
- An entry needs to be added to the drug register, stating the amount discarded.
- If a drug more than 7 days out of date, an SLS must be lodged.
Damaged controlled substance?
- Any damaged controlled substance must be reported to the SDM
- Lodge an SLS
- Contact TL who must investigate the circumstances of the breakage
- If possible, place the container safely in a seal bag. Label with the SLS incident number. Send the zip lock bag to the principle pharmacist.
- If impossible due to being shattered, take a photo and put that in the bag.
Residual volumes of controlled substances?
- Residual volumes to be discarded as soon as practicable once no longer clinically required.
- Disposal must be witness by two SAAS clinical staff.
- At least one of the members must have clinical credentials to possess the substance.
- The disposal must be documented on the PCR. And signed by both staff members the volume of disposal.
- The empty vial or syringe safely discarded.
