Major Incident Plan & Flight over the Brunt Ice Shelf.

WARNING! This edition of real life drama, contains scenes of a graphic nature, with contents of blood!

MIP, Major Incident Plan. This took alot of red tape to cut in order for me to publish. A plan was designed especially for this type of incident. An incident that involved several casualties and everyone on base, helping out Dr. R. Corbett, as best they could. Accidents happen everywhere and anywhere, they are no ones fault, which is why they are called accidents. But in Antarctica, with resources stretched and limited, extra care on every aspect of your day to day living and working has to be that little bit more conservative. With casualties scattered around the base and only one Doctor, it was up to the First Aiders, to assist where ever and however they could.

It would have been another great Saturday, 3rd Feb. to be precise. No one was to predict what was about to unfold......... until mid morning........squelch and screams on the radio...................."AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH HELP, HELP THERES BEEN AN ACCIDENT, BLOOD EVERYWHERE, ON ON ON THE SIMPSON". Simultaneously, another two calls came in, all from our work colleagues requiring medical assistance, all from different parts of the base.

"Attention all personnel, theres a major incident involving several casualties, please muster outside the Laws platform. All casualties to be transported to the Drewery"!!!!!!!!!!!!

kathy, laying in the Simpson with a nasty head injury, with Advanced First Aiders at hand.



On the scene, a semi conscious casualty with a broken leg.



The snowcat "ambulance", carrying a casualty with suspected back and neck fractures.



At the Drewery, the Advanced First Aiders (me) treat a open wrist fracture and give necessary oxygen to John, an unfortunate casualty.



Thank goodness for the medical training in Plymouth, skills i always hoped i'd never have to use, how wrong, was i.



NO ONE WAS HURT OR EVEN SCRATCHED, DURING THIS MAJOR INCIDENT PLAN! IT WAS A FICTITIOUS SERIES OF EVENTS, TO TEST THE PLAN ON AN ANTARCTIC BASE, NOT THE ACTORS OR FIRST AIDERS!



I was rudely awoken once again, as i am every morning by the annoying dolcit tones of my small portable, very throw able, square, pale yellow, ticking box, beside my bed, which pitches its tones tenfold just as i am dozing off into some well earned rest. It always seems to bounce back into life each morning, after every onslaught i dish out to it, occasionally missing a tick tock beat, but never in those crucial early morning hours.

The morning of 5th Feb started as usual, get showered (2minutes), get dressed, eat crunchy nut cornflakes, brush teeth, put eyes in (contacts) and then head off to work. The only difference on this crisp -9 degree morning, was the announcement, that we all had a flight in the Twin Otter sometime during that day. With the excitement building, i quickly scrambled the timetable of flights, saw i was departing in the morning and proceeded to make and bake something for "Smoko" (morning snack).

Our flight transfers were staggered, and soon it would be time for our "Happy Sledge" pick up. Our journey to Halley International Airport would take approx. 5 minutes.

The flight groups were split up into, 6 passengers, 1 being the co-pilot and the other the pilot, Ian Potten. All the usual flight precautions were in place, the comms by Dean Evens, fuel tech man Dave Kully and the fire skidoo by Doc. Richard Corbett.



Plane spotting at Halley International Airport.



You can just make out the contrast between the sky and the horizon. A landing destination not many pilots, would be experienced enough to land and take off in.



A quick fuel stop at the local fuel depot, (also at Halley International Airport), with the Polar 2 Dornier plane in the background, on a stop over from flying out some of their wintering team from the German station in Neumayer.



The Polar 2, Dornier.



The Twin Otter, which is owned by BAS.



Frozen sea ice and the shelf of Antarctica.



Halley, aerial view.







After a successful flight, a Champagne reception in the arrivals lounge at Halley International Airport.



Me, Manning the fire skidoo, just incase, for the other flights.



With no delays at Halley International Airport and a swift return journey by skidoo back to work, it wouldn't be too long before the evenings skidjuring and kiting would complete a typical days work (leisure) at Halley.

Dave the MetBabe (left) and Thomas the meteorlogical scientist and UAV pilot for the flight project, preparing for my skidjuring lesson, with me, a willing victim of their driving?


Easy!!!!!



Ooops, well not quite.



My next attempt at kiting, but this time with a snowboard attached to my feet.



Perfect finish, to a usual day at Halley.