Canberra's 2003 Bushfires
On 18 February, 2003, a fire-storm engulfed Canberra's southern and western suburbs. At 3:00pm, Snowy Hydro SouthCare was dispatched to perform evacuations of people in the area that had become injured or trapped while trying to defend their homes from the bushfires.
Throughout the afternoon and evening, the crew consisting of pilot Captain Mike Toms, aircrewman Shane Paton and paramedics Lynne Heuermann and Chris Keogh, rescued many people from the immediate danger of the nearby bushfires through a series of continuous missions. During these missions, dense smoke made navigation of the aircraft enormously difficult and reduced visibility.
These conditions greatly increased the risk of mid-air collision with the several other helicopters helping to fight bushfires in the area. As a result of the extremely-low visibility, the crew was forced to complete missions by flying the helicopter at a dangerously low height of 30-40 metres, using a street directory to follow local roads. As the paramedics on board regularly work in a road ambulance, they had better knowledge of Canberra's road system than the pilot and periodically leaned out of the aircrafts open doors to give directions.
As each patient was unloaded at The Canberra Hospital's helipad, the helicopter's rotors turned overhead so the crew could quickly head out to collect the next set of evacuees. Many were saved as a result of the highly-trained crews who remained dedicated to serving the community throughout the 2003 bushfires. To each of them, we say thank you.
