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A popular Sydney northern beaches playground is having an influx of snakes — and it has become so bad that parents are concerned it is only a matter of time before a child gets bitten.

Bryn Kay
Manly DailyDECEMBER 20, 20176:43PM

Stacey Mitchell with her two children and (insets) two snakes that have been spotted next to the playground. Picture: Joel CarrettSource:The Daily Telegraph

A POPULAR northern beaches children’s playground is having an influx of snakes.

It has become so bad that parents are concerned it is only a matter of time before a child gets bitten by a snake at Warriewood Valley Rocket Park.

Warriewood mum Stacey Mitchell said she was reluctant to take her two young boys to the park.

“It’s more of a fear now,” she said. “You don’t mind seeing one in their natural habitat but when you start seeing more and more … you start to get worried.”

In the past two months, Mrs Mitchell said, she was aware of up to 20 snakes lurking in and around the playground.

She said a popular northern beaches Facebook group had new sightings posted every two or three days.

Diamond pythons, eastern brown snakes and red-bellied black snakes were among the species.

Mrs Mitchell urged Northern Beaches Council to take precautions so risk was minimised for children and pets.

A diamond python near the playground. Picture: Supplied
A diamond python near the playground. Picture: SuppliedSource:The Daily Telegraph

“There are so many young children in the (Warriewood) valley now,” she said.

“What will it take? A young child to be hospitalised before the council says, ‘We’d better do something’.”

Mrs Mitchell has suggested the council put up warning signs around the park, which included a phone number to call if people saw a snake or were bitten. She also recommended the council should look at ways to rehome the snakes.

Another mother — who lives near the park and said her dog had been killed by a snake — backed calls for more signage. She also wanted to see overgrown grass surrounding the park cleared.

Council general manager of environment and infrastructure Ben Taylor said staff had been on site at Rocket Park and were reviewing the maintenance of areas around the park to discourage potential snake movement.

“While snakes are a natural part of our environment, we urge residents to exercise caution and stay safe outdoors this summer,” he said.

Taronga Zoo reptile keeper Josh Hatton said location (the park is next to wetlands), warmer weather and the recent breeding season for snakes would have created the influx.

If you see a snake phone the council, 1300 434 434; WIRES, 1300 094 737; or Sydney Wildlife, 9413 4300

Incidents involving venomous creatures including snakes, spiders and marine animals caused 41,521 hospitalisations in Australia between 2001-2013, but it seems many of us are not confident in providing first aid in an emergency.

A survey conducted by Seqirus — which produces a range of antivenoms against Australia’s most venomous snakes, spiders and marine animals on behalf of the Australian Government — found nearly half of Australians were unsure or not confident about what to do if they, or someone they were with, fell victim to a venomous bite or sting.

A free smartphone app — Australian Bites and Stings: First Aid Guide to Australian Venomous Creatures — has been launched to equip people with accurate first-aid information.

Associate Professor Bill Nimorakiotakis, from Epworth Richmond Emergency Department, says it could save lives.

The app includes a new function that provides users with information on which venomous creatures are most relevant to their geolocation

Assoc Prof Nimorakiotakis said Tasmania’s island status meant it was isolated from some of the nasties found on the mainland.

But he said there were still many creatures here whose bites and stings can cause pain or even death — particularly among those who are allergic to their venom.

“It is all about being prepared and knowing what species pose a risk and what first aid can be given to save lives,” Assoc Prof Nimorakiotakis said.

“We want people to go bushwalking and enjoy the outdoors — particularly in Tasmania which is so beautiful — but we also want them to know what to do if they are bitten or stung.”

In Tasmania, people need to watch out for tiger snakes, jack jumpers, spikes on some fish, ticks, sharks and a number of biting insects including bees and redback spiders.

In some cases, where allergies are present, a bite from a jack jumper, bee or a wasp can prove fatal.

“When a patient is allergic, the ermegency become much more serious and anaphalaxic management is needed,” St John Ambulance CEO Roxy Cowie said.

“Luckily today many people who know they are allergic to certain species’ stings carry an epi-pen.

“We also encourage Tasmanians to carry a snake bite bandage when they are out and about. It enables you to wrap the affected area tightly until you reach emergency care. It really does save lives.”

Assoc Prof Nimorakiotakis said the most important thing to remember when bitten by a tiger snake was to not panic.

“In 50 per cent of snake bite cases people receive a warning bite which does not contain any venom. But where there is venom restricting the patient’s movement is very important.

“We need to look to what the Aborigines did and that is to immobilise the victim because movement spreads venom through the system faster.

“Compress the wound tightly and then seek emergency help.”

He encouraged Tasmanians to brush up on their first-aid skills and take advantage of the new Australian Bites and Stings App.

“It is an easy-to-use resource and should be a summer essential for everyone,” he said.

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This countdown of those we count on will focus on a different person or individual every day up until Christmas, celebrating our healthcare heroes.

Simon Drewett, specialist trainer at East Coast Community Healthcare

Specialist trainer Simon Drewett says the best thing about his job is knowing more lives could be saved because of the first aid skills he shares.

Simon is part of the training and development team at East Coast Community Healthcare which was set up to share knowledge within the organisation and beyond.

Clinicians and staff from the James Paget Hospital, Norwich City Council, GP surgeries and care homes across Norfolk and Waveney have all attended courses, as well as members of the general public. Subjects range from safeguarding and falls prevention to management training and customer care, all provided by staff who work in the relevant field of practice.

Just last month Simon was working with Year 10 pupils from Caister Academy teaching them what to do if they witness someone having a heart attack or severe allergic reaction.

The academy was the first to take part in the free sessions offered to all high schools in the area. Students learned how to recognise signs of cardiac arrest or choking, resuscitation methods for adults and children, use of a defibrillator and how to recognise and treat anaphylaxis.

In the summer Simon provided more free training to new parents in Lowestoft and Waveney teaching them what to do if a baby starts to choke. He taught them the correct procedure for clearing an airway as well as how to recognise when a child stops breathing and administer infant resuscitation techniques.

Simon said: “I love my job. First aid training really can save lives and giving these skills to other people is so important. You never know when you might need to use them. If you witness a cardiac arrest, or a child choking, and don’t know what to do, the chances of the victim surviving are severely reduced, so I like to think my job helps other people save lives even before medical staff arrive on the scene.”

A Department of Health study has shown that more than 1,000 lives could be saved each year in England if more members of the public were trained in CPR. The survival rate drops by around 10pc for every minute’s delay in providing defibrillation.

See Canberra First Aid Training for more information.

First aid training in Canberra run by the best trainers in town, at the best pruice in town. Book now for summer.

A PHOTOGRAPHER is expected to press charges after being kicked in the head by the lead singer of the Queens of the Stone Age during a concert on the weekend.

First Aid Course in Canberra at the right price. We guarantee the quality of our first aid course or you get your money back.

ALMOST every capital will see temperatures above 30C as summer makes a sticky entry with warnings of “severe heatwaves”.

First published Wednesday, 6^th December, 2017 • by 

George Wigmore (Senior Communications Officer)

A new game based educational resource is now available which helps frontline healthcare staff to improve their knowledge and confidence when dealing with emergency situations outside the workplace.

Health professionals may encounter situations outside their usual working environment where their skills could help to save a life. But administering first aid in an unknown environment can be a dauting prospect, and staff may lack confidence to assist in an emergency.

The Game has been developed in a collaboration between senior academics from the School of Health Sciences at City, University of London, and Focus Games Ltd, specialists in educational games for healthcare training. It is designed to help all grades of staff improve their confidence around managing an incident, providing first aid and caring for injured people outside of their workplace.

This is the third board game for health and social care professionals which has been developed at City, University of London in collaboration with Focus Games Ltd. The First Aid Game follows the already successful Drug Round Game and Drug Recovery Game.

Dr. Rachael-Anne Knight, Associate Dean, Excellence and Innovation in the School of Health Sciences at City, University of London, said:

“At City, University of London’s School of Health Sciences we pride ourselves on providing excellent and innovative education to our students and health care professionals. Serious games can have a significant impact on learning and when designing the First Aid Game the focus was on making learning fun whilst providing an evidence based teaching tool. This resource, developed by our senior academics, continues our tradition of game-based learning, and will encourage students to develop their skills and confidence in the crucial area of first aid.”

The First Aid Game leads players through four common emergency scenarios – road traffic collision, scald, choking and chest pain, challenging them to think about safety, prioritising casualties and incident management to provide safe and effective first aid. Questions and scenarios in the game are designed to stimulate discussion, encouraging players to share knowledge and experiences and to learn from each other.

The game explores:

• Professional & legal responsibilities outside the workplace
• Managing an incident
• Prioritising casualties
• Keeping yourself and others safe
• Communicating information to the emergency services
• Helpful tools including DRSABCD, SBAR and AMPLE
• Knowledge of first aid required in the given scenarios
• Other basic knowledge, including FAST test and anaphylaxia

To find out more and purchase The First Aid Game, visit www.firstaidgame.co.uk

First Aid Courses in Canberra. Competitive rate. Excellent Trainers. Experienced Trainers. Great Price. Book Now for our Christmas Special. Check our upcoming first aid courses at www.canberrafirstaid.com

Updated Sat at 4:51pm

Canberra’s wet weather has kept emergency services busy, with work to repair damage expected to continue throughout the evening.

By 4:30pm Canberra Airport had recorded 55 millimetres of rain since Friday morning, with 17 millimetres falling since 9am Saturday.

The ACT State Emergency Service (SES) had responded to 179 calls for help, with localised flash flooding sweeping across the city.

The Bureau of Meteorology predicted further downpours across the ACT and surrounding region in the afternoon but said it would ease overnight.

A severe weather warning remained in place as of late Saturday afternoon.

Chief officer at the SES Georgeina Whelan said the worst flooding had been in Gungahlin in Canberra’s north, as well as in Wanniassa and Greenway in the south.

“The number of trees falling is increasing because soil is not absorbing water and that’s impacting the stability of the trees,” she said.

But by 4:30pm she said the localising flash flooding had settled significantly.

“Most damage has been to solar panels in homes and tiling on roofs,” she said.

“They’ve kept crews busy and jobs are still coming in. We will work into the evening so we’re asking people to be patient as we prioritise jobs.”

She said no rivers in the region had flooded, but the Murrumbidgee River could develop moderate flooding over the weekend.

The Bureau of Meteorology forecast the showers would ease late on Saturday, with lighter rain returning throughout the week.

Since 9am Friday the territory had seen more than half of December.

SES calls in extra staff to cope with busy day

Ms Whelan said she had called in additional crews to respond to today’s jobs, but was not aware of any injuries as a result of the weather.

“The greatest risk is electrical threat,” Ms Whelan said.

“A significant number of ceilings have water is leaking through. People aren’t sure how to respond and generally alarms are going crazy.”

She warned of the electrocution risk and said residents who aren’t comfortable with isolating power should ring 000.

“We are continuing to remind people of the risks associated with stormwater drains,” she said.

If you have a current first aid course certificate help the

NSW prepares for widespread flooding

Across the border in southern NSW, the SES has deployed extra volunteers equipment and aircraft to prepare for widespread flooding.

NSW SES spokesperson Phil Campbell said the emergency crews’ areas of greatest concern were in and around the township of Tumut, the Albury area and communities on smaller tributaries like Billabong Creek in the Riverina.

“At the moment of most concern is the Riverina through to the Snowy Mountains and the south-west slopes of NSW — those areas are bearing the brunt of current heavy rain, and that rain is likely to continue with localised flash flooding for the remainder of today,” Mr Campbell said.

“We’re urging communities in the affected areas to make sure they are well prepared. To lift pumps and to relocate livestock to higher ground and if they’re expecting to be isolated to make sure they’re well stocked up on food, fuel and other essentials.”

A severe thunderstorm warning has been issued for Saturday evening around Sydney, Gosford, Orange, Moree, Dubbo and Parkes.

Heavy rain which may lead to flash flooding is likely in the Riverina, South West Slopes, parts of the Central West Slopes and Plains, Central Tablelands and the western parts of the Southern Tablelands and Snowy Mountains districts during Saturday.

“We’re expecting some major flooding on the Sunday on the Murrumbidgee river into Gundagai and some moderate flooding in Wagga Wagga,” Mr Campbell said.

Other locations on flood watch are Eden, Goulburn, Cooma, Yass, Bombala, Parkes, Condobolin, Young, West Wyalong and Tumbarumba.

Mr Campbell warned residents to keep out of floodwaters and contact the SES if they needed any emergency flood assistance, rescues or help with sandbagging.

The SES has the following advice for people in areas with severe weather warnings:

• Move your car under cover or away from trees
• Secure or put away loose items around your house, yard and balcony
• Keep at least eight metres away from fallen power lines or objects that may be energised, such as fences
• Keep clear of creeks and storm drains
• Don’t walk, ride your bike or drive through flood water
• If you are trapped by flash flooding, seek refuge in the highest available place and ring 000 if you need rescue
• Unplug computers and appliances. Avoid using the phone during the storm
• Stay indoors away from windows, and keep children and pets indoors as well
• For emergency help in floods and storms, ring the SES (NSW and ACT) on 132 500
• Book in to a first aid course in Canberra so you have the skills to help