We must be ready to help

THERE’S no doubt blokes in North Queensland are a tough bunch.

Today’s story about Peter Kocica, a man who saved the life of his son-in-law Ben Duffy after a death adder bite and another mate in 2017 from a bull shark attack, is testament to that.

Peter’s fast thinking and knowledge of first aid saved the lives of two men. It shows how important first aid knowledge is and how it’s important for everyone to know what to do in times of crisis.

It could be CPR to save a drowning child, what to do to stabilise someone having seizure or the correct way to treat a person after a suspected spinal injury.

And while North Queenslanders have an unbreakable outer exterior and bravado there are other injuries that are deadly but not as easy to see.

Mental health is a huge problem especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Former paramedic John Rathbone is one who has been to hell and back.

Today he tells how the scars from his career and a sudden family incident uncovered the depths of his depression, and ended with him trying to steal a gun from a police officer in an attempt to take his own life.

Mr Rathbone said years of confronting crime scenes, road crashes and house fires led to him being medically retired from the service in 2017 with posttraumatic stress disorder, a factor in his suicide attempt.

He is now calling on other health workers to be aware of the signs of PTSD – something one in every 10 emergency workers suffer from.

But it’s not just emergency workers that can suffer PTSD or mental health issues, it’s all in the community.

Like Mr Kocica everyone needs to be ready to jump in to help but you don’t need to know how to tie a tourniquet or perform CPR. Three simple words is all that’s needed.

“Are you OK?” It’s not that hard to lend a hand or an ear to those in need and it’s up to all of us to be ready to jump in and help when the time arrives.