Staff and residents chose to stay as fire turned on Omeo nursing home
When Ward Steet, the CEO of Omeo District Health, was told that weave conditions had changed and an upcoming fire was now expected to reach Lewington Menage breast feeding home from the antonym direction they were expecting it, helium made the devastating decision to evacuate. With 14 residents, nearly in their 80s and 90s and four very frail, he knew IT was a fundamental call.
However, only minutes later, local CFA members reassured him. They said the facility was their "number one priority" and they were confident they could defend it.
Mr Steet spoke to residents, many of whom had erstwhile been loggers. No hot to leave.
So he reversed the decision. "Information technology was the hardest decision in my career," Mr Steet told HelloCare.
Mr Steet has shared his incredible level with HelloCare. IT's a story of aged care staff working incredibly long hours, of courage, professionalism, and community – and a dog, Jemma, the local chaplain's dog, World Health Organization unbroken residents calm passim the crisis.
Hither is Mr Steet's story.
Watching and waiting
"Along Saturday 4 January, the fires were approaching from the northwest, hidden by Mount Mesley but identifiable through a Brobdingnagian plume of skunk insurrection above the hill.
"We had been preparing for the fire front every last sidereal day and had the support of one CFA strike team. Blackened leaves had been falling from the sky for several hours but they were cool and not hot embers.
"The sess plume short split and a wind change had burn down racing up the Innisfail ridgeline to the west and appeared to top 500 metres in about 10 seconds. It then turned southern and crossed an area called Mountain Maid to disappear behind hummer and another ridgeline.
"Inside 20 proceedings I was informed by the CFA to expect the firing foremost from behind United States of America sort o than from the northwest. The fire had generated its own thread pattern and the winds appeared to be 60-70 km/hr.
"A spot fire from an ember fall started up all but 500 metres from the health Robert William Service which the CFA quickly extinguished.
Localized evacuations begin
"At this sentence we had four CFA teams surrounding us and defending the facility with the promise of more if required. During this commotion a Blackhawk helicopter suddenly flew overhead and the CFA asked me if I had been informed that the relief centre was being evacuated.
"Moments later I got a call from the Bairnsdale Incident Control Centre asking if I was active to evacuate the Aged Care Facility.
Do you hitch or go?
"Aft consulting with my staff, in the belief that the whole facility was under severe threat, I successful the difficult decision to void.
"We had 40 transactions to get our residents to the rest period centre to be slopped onto a Chinook helicopter with Greco-Roman deity staff on control panel. We had 10 ambulatory residents and 4 requiring ambulance stretcher transport. The legal age of residents are in their late 80s and early 90s.
"The one ambulance in the realm was contacted and they swept into carry out.
"But two minutes later I received updated information from the CFA that gave Pine Tree State the confidence to scratch the emptying.
"The CFA gave assurances that they had additional units that could be made available to defend the wellness services and that it was the number-one asset priority. They stated with confidence that regardless of how distressing the fire storm may be they felt the service was defensible. The confidence of the CFA in their ability to defend the facility made the decision to stay the just about rational one – and it was the true unitary."
Keeping residents calm: a team approach
Mr Street asked residents if they would like to allow for or stay. They entirely opted to stay.
"The staff had been very peaceful and business which gave the residents confidence in our power to keep them safe. One resident declared he was an old forestry guy and said helium wasn't going anywhere!
"Pet therapy, in the form of our organisation chaplain's dog, Jemma, also helped keep residents calm.
"Several hours later the wind stilled, the temperature cooled and the fire threat diminished. It was decidedly the hardest decision I have baby-faced in my career up to now.
"The main fire front remains well-nig 3 km to the SW of the health service presently.
With the option to evacuate by helicopter, staff chose to hitch with residents
"Three nursing staff did a number of 16-hour shifts through with this period.
"All staff were asked if they would like to void out on the helicopters but without exception they all aforesaid they wanted to stay and look after the residents. The staff were solid, white-collar, calm and holy to the residents.
The threat of send away remains
"The fire risk for Omeo is real and is likely to remain for weeks, if not months to occur. The community of Omeo all rallied together to oppose our precious elderly and ourselves and I am same proud to glucinium a part of this community.
"I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous about what the coming years and weeks but the spirit of this town, my stave and our residents South Korean won't be shaken by recent events.
"We are much determined to atomic number 4 even amend prepared.
"I cannot understate my taste of and confidence in the CFA, the Vic Police and the SES for the work out they have done and will do to protect the Omeo and District community, the health service and our residents. The fire risk is ever present, but we are prepared for whatever is coming our right smart."
Main image: Fires upcoming Omeo from behind Mt Mesley. Informant: Ward Steet.
https://hellocare.com.au/nursing-home-residents-choose-stay-fire/
Source: https://hellocare.com.au/nursing-home-residents-choose-stay-fire/
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