December 2014
Issue 5
NZMAT
Newsletter
Picture of the aftermath of severe flash flooding in the Solomon Islands as a
result of Cyclone Ita in April 2014
Upcoming Cyclone Season Update
South West Pacific Region
Inside this issue
Foreword
2
The Pacific cyclone season runs from 1 November to 30 April. On average,
there are 9 tropical cyclones per season.
Get to know the Reference Group
members
4
In preparation for deployment
5
Pacific tropical cyclones are grouped into categories ranging from 1 to 5,
with 5 being the most dangerous. Category 1 cyclones have wind speeds of
63 - 88 km/h, while category 5 cyclones have wind speeds of 200 km/h plus.
Cyclones can also produce a storm surge - a large mound of water that
accompanies the cyclone as it comes ashore, which can have similar effects
as a tsunami. The storm surge during Typhoon Haiyan that ran ashore in
Tacloban was over 5m high.
What is NZMAT up to?
8
Professional Indemnity
8
Inaugural AusMAT Perioperative
9
Drawing on information from 8 similar previous seasons, and other current
weather patterns, forecasts from the NZ Met Service for the 2014/15
season suggest that the number of cyclones would be in the average range
of 9 across the Pacific. The NZ Met Service forecasts that approximately 4
cyclones could reach either a Category 3 or 4. A Category 5 is likely to be
uncommon, but cannot be discounted either. This season could see normal
cyclone numbers for most Pacific Islands countries, with a slightly elevated
number for Tuvalu, Tokelau, Samoa, Niue and Southern Cooks, and a slightly
reduced number for Vanuatu and New Caledonia
Nursing course
AusMAT Surgical & Anaesthetic
course
12
Upcoming Conferences
13
Are you ready for deployment?
14
Foreword: Director Emergency Management, Charles Blanch – Ministry of Health
The last six months have been busy for those working in on Ebola Virus Disease readiness
within the New Zealand health sector. Whilst New Zealand domestic readiness for
pandemics and other emerging infectious diseases has been focussed on some of the
unique challenges around the very low likelihood of an imported EVD case I’ve also been
watching with interest the growing coordination efforts in support of the UNMEER and
WHO response in West Africa. A significant international medical response is underway
with many of the same challenges of a sudden onset disaster including civilian military
cooperation, deployment of government and non-government teams and evolving
command and control structures however some of the unique challenges have been the
size and depth of infrastructure required to safely and effectively operate large Ebola Treatment Centre or
provide appropriate medevac or in country treatment facilities to enable international organisations to be
confident in deploying their staff. The WHO FMT minimum standards, available here,
http://www.who.int/hac/global_health_cluster/fmt_guidelines_september2013.pdf are being used to provide
the general principles for organisations looking to deploy. Reviews of the FMT response to Typhoon Haiyan
identified that these standards were being used as default standards for many teams operating outside the
trauma and surgical response to the disaster. The challenge for the international FMT community going forward
will be to consider the applicability of the current standards to other disasters, not least the response to acute
public health emergencies.
I’ve been privileged to hear presentations from several New Zealand Red Cross delegates who’ve returned from
Sierra Leone and I’d encourage you to take any opportunity to hear from colleagues who’ve returned from the
affected countries. Over the next six months we have staff from the sector deploying with MSF, NZ Red Cross
and Aspen Medical as well as a number of smaller NGOs and I’d like to take this opportunity to wish them all
well on their missions and the rest of you an enjoyable Christmas and New Year. I’m looking forward to working
with more of you in 2015.
Visit the NZMAT Website @ http://www.health.govt.nz/nzmat
E-Learning Course
Interested in expanding your knowledge around the Sphere Project –
Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Humanitarian
Response?
The Sphere Project has an E-learning course available – Sphere
Handbook in Action – which aims to strengthen the effective use of the
Sphere Handbook.
Taking the course is free of charge. No academic qualifications are
required. Each person may take the course at her or his own pace.
The course brings the Handbook to life through the use of realistic
scenarios, helping the learner to get acquainted with its core messages
and to understand how to use it holistically.
For more information go to:
http://www.sphereproject.org/learning/e-learning-course/
2
Here’s wishing you
all the joys of the
season.
The NZMAT
Reference Group
wishes all NZMAT
Volunteers &
Members and their
families a Merry
Christmas!
3
NZMAT Reference Group
The NZMAT Reference Group is
accountable to the Director of Emergency
Management, NZ Ministry of Health.
The objectives of the NZMAT Reference
Group are to advise on:
1. The purpose and function of NZMAT
and the scope of its operations
2. The recruitment and selection process
and criteria for NZMAT volunteers
3. The development and selection of
NZMAT work-stream group members
and their work outputs
4. Operational documentation associated
with the NZMAT, including standard
operating procedures
5. Other existing and potential issues that
affect the formation or deployment of a
NZMAT
6. Suitable options for managing any
issues
NZMAT Reference Group Membership
includes representatives from Ministry of
Health Emergency Management team,
Counties Manukau Health, Pasifika Medical
Association, NZ Fire Service —Urban Search
and Rescue and the NZ Defense Force.
Get to know the NZMAT Reference Group
Members
Lieutenant Colonel Andrew C Dunn, Director of Health Services for
Headquarters Joint Forces New Zealand, MNZM, ED, RNZAMC
Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Dunn was born in
Christchurch in October 1961. Lieutenant
Colonel Dunn commenced medical training on
completion of his secondary education at
Christ’s College. He graduated in December
1985 from Otago University with a Bachelor of
Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery.
Lieutenant Colonel Dunn enlisted into the
Territorial Force in November 1980 and served
with 3 Field Ambulance until 1996 as a Medical Officer. He was
awarded the Efficiency Decoration in 1996. From 1991 he was
working as a family physician in Christchurch and the West Coast of
the South Island.
Lieutenant Colonel Dunn transferred to the Regular Force in March
1996 into the Royal New Zealand Army Medical Corps in the rank of
Major, and assumed the appointment of Regimental Medical Officer,
2nd/1st Battalion, RNZIR, Burnham Military Camp. Lieutenant Colonel
Dunn continued to serve with the Battalion including a 7 month tour
of duty in East Timor where he served as the Regimental Medical
Officer, (NZ Batt) and Commander of the Forward Surgical Team,
United Nations Force East Timor (NZUNTAET), with the New Zealand
Battalion Group (NZBATT2).
In December 2001 Lieutenant Colonel Dunn held the appointment of
Senior Medical Officer 3 Field Ambulance. In June 2002 he assumed
the appointment as the Director of Army Health Services (equivalent
to the Surgeon General of the Army) and moved to Army
Headquarters with this appointment to Wellington in March 2003.
He was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in July 2002. In
December 2012 he was posted as J1 Health, responsible for health
NZDF personnel on overseas missions.
In September 1998 he was made a Fellow of the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners. Lieutenant
Colonel Dunn completed the Diploma in Aviation Medicine in 1999, and the London Diploma of Tropical
Medicine and Hygiene in 2002. In 2007 he was appointed to the Royal New Zealand College of General
Practitioners Board of Education. He is Deputy Chairman of Medic Alert (New Zealand).
In 2011 he completed the United States Medical Strategic Leadership Programme at the Academy of Health
Sciences, Fort Sam Houston, Texas.
Lieutenant Colonel Dunn was awarded the Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM), (Additional) in
the 2001 Queens Birthday Honours for his role in East Timor.
Lieutenant Colonel Dunn is married to Anna and they have two daughters, Philippa and Emily.
His hobbies include fly fishing and game hunting.
4
In Preparation for a NZMAT Deployment
Dr Chris Jephcott, Anaesthetist, Waikato District Health Board
The military has a saying “Train hard, fight easy”, in other words, when preparing to
work in an unpredictable, unfamiliar and challenging environment, the more regular
focused training that individuals undergo in preparation, the more likely they are to
achieve success when the time comes to act.
There are parallels with our roles as NZMAT team members. Our involvement is likely to
be occasional, at short notice and into settings outside many of our experience or
comfort zones.
In anticipation of this, over the last 2 years I have undertaken a number of courses that
have relevance to my role as an anaesthetist in a potential disaster zone. Many of these
have been invaluable in preparing me for a potential deployment.
I have been asked me to summarize some of these courses so that other NZMAT members can reflect on whether
they would be applicable to their own individual roles as part of a NZMAT response.
NZMAT Team Member (TM) Course
Run annually in Rotorua the TM course is a pre-requisite to being selected for deployment with
NZMAT.
Run by an excellent faculty with representatives from AusMAT/ NZMAT/ Pasifika Medical
Association/ Ministry of Health/ Counties Manukau Health/ NZ Fire Service and Global
Frontline, the 3 day course covers a wide range of elements relevant to a deployment into a disaster zone, including
process of activation, kit list, navigation, communications, negotiation, cultural aspects, weapons awareness and
convoy/ checkpoint protocols.
The course culminates in a 24-hour field exercise that incorporates the classroom learning into a high fidelity
simulation. More details of this have been covered in previous newsletters.
This course allows participants to immerse themselves in a simulated ‘disaster’ environment and to consider
whether this is the sort of work they would be prepared to undertake should the necessity arise.
AusMAT Surgical and Anaesthetic (SAC) course
Mainly relevant to surgeons and anaesthetists deploying with a field hospital facility (such as
last year’s Philippines mission) this 4-day course is run every year from the National Critical
Care and Trauma Response Centre (NCCTRC) in Darwin. NZMAT is usually allocated 3-4 places
on this highly rated course.
The course reviews and builds on elements of the TM course but has more of a surgical theme
than the generic TM course.
The faculty is excellent, enthusiastic and vastly experienced, most having undertaken several deployments to
natural and man-made disaster events. There is great learning from the first-hand experience of these individuals.
The course is more intense than the TM course with long days of initially classroom-based work. From day 2 the
surgeons and anaesthetists are streamed into relevant practical modules. For anaesthetists this included paediatric/
obstetric anaesthesia in the austere environment, blood grouping and infectious disease screening. There is also a
very useful session orientating us around the anaesthetic machines and monitors that AusMAT take on missions
with them. This allayed some of the anxiety of deploying into a difficult environment with unfamiliar equipment.
For the surgeons this element of the course included the surgical aspects of limb salvage, neurotrauma and burns,
ballistics of wounding and maxillofacial/ ophthalmic injuries.
The field exercise was, once again, more demanding than on the TM course, not least because of the Northern
Territories pretty inhospitable climate (at least for an ex-Pom). This component was extraordinarily well
coordinated culminating in a full field hospital simulation (set up by the tireless Northern Territory Loggies). This
5
phase provided some unique learning opportunities for both surgeons and anaesthetists. (I am being deliberately
vague so as to not spoil some of the learning opportunities for future participants).
Overall, an invaluable course that provides an excellent opportunity to gain confidence in the many aspects of a
surgical response to a disaster event.
Red-R: Essentials of Humanitarian Practice (EHP) and Personal Security and Communications
(PSC) courses
Red-R is a world-renowned training group that trains and deploys personnel into disaster and
war-zones.
Run from Dookie, Victoria these two quite different but complementary courses provide an
invaluable insight into the logistics, legal framework and interagency cooperation required for a
successful humanitarian mission as well as the personal skills and attributes required to operate
effectively in this environment.
The EHP course lasts 5 days and is run by a wonderfully passionate group that have spent extended periods of time,
in some cases whole careers, in the humanitarian sector. It covers a vast syllabus relevant to such a mission.
A significant portion of the EHP course is devoted to understanding the background to and implementation of the
Sphere Project, which is a widely utilized tool for framing the Humanitarian Charter, and for identifying the
minimum standards required for key elements of a humanitarian response: Water and sanitation/ hygiene, shelter,
food security/ nutrition and health action. It also focuses on interagency cooperation and the ‘cluster’ approach to
an effective and efficient response.
There is a lot of classroom work, interactive lectures, tabletop exercises, group discussion as well as a practical (GPS
and communications, site planning) component. The course culminates with a full day simulation of a multiagency
response to a refugee crisis. Very well run (and pretty stressful) but an excellent way to reinforce the more
theoretical aspects of the preceding days.
Overall, quite an exhausting few days (mostly 10-12hr days) but absolutely invaluable in providing an understanding
of the framework, and the key elements of a successful major disaster or humanitarian crisis response.
The 3-day PSC course (often scheduled to follow on from EHP course) focuses on very different elements of a
deployment and as such provides a welcome balance to the EHP course.
There is far less theory and a far more ‘in your face’ experiential approach, which can be quite confronting, but is
essential in preparing individuals for a deployment into a potentially hostile environment.
Recent events in Iraq and Syria have demonstrated the vulnerability of aid workers in these environments and much
of the course considers the personal and organizational approaches to mitigating some of these risks.
Areas covered include: security context, field security, weapons awareness, risk assessment, hostile negotiation,
kidnap and hostage survival and stress management.
The course is immersive and physical from start to finish with multiple practical simulations providing an
opportunity for participants to assess how they respond to challenging and unpredictable events.
I would highly recommend this course to anyone planning to deploy to a potentially insecure situation.
Major Incident Management and Medical Support (MIMMS) Commander Course
This is an Advanced Life Support accredited course that is run from a number of Australasian
locations including the NCCTRC in Darwin.
The Darwin course is run by an extremely experienced faculty and revolves around the structured and
coordinated multiagency (police, fire, ambulance, medical) approach to the mass casualty situation.
There is some overlap without NZMAT role in so far as we are likely, at least in the initial phase of a response, to be
confronted with more casualties than we have the resource to treat. Effective triage sieving and sorting is an
unfamiliar skill to many of us, and this is one of the key focuses of this course, along with scene management,
effective radio communication (learn your phonetic alphabet!), situation reports and approach to the media.
6
There is some preparatory work to do for the course including a pretty comprehensive manual, and the skills learnt
during the 3-day course are formally assessed (written and practical) on the second day. The final day is spent
undertaking field exercises that apply the knowledge acquired during the previous 2 days.
A really worthwhile course for anyone who may find himself or herself part of a mass casualty response situation
(which is probably most of us).
Real World Anaesthesia Course
Aimed at anaesthetists planning either short or long term missions into the austere medical environment. This
annual 5-day course rotates between Darwin, Victoria and Christchurch and draws experience from a highly
motivated and inspiring international faculty.
Incorporates a mixture of theoretical and practical sessions, covering drawover anaesthesia, equipment
maintenance and sterilisation, ketamine, tropical medicine and obstetrics/ paediatrics/ difficult airway anaesthesia.
There are daily sessions that provide the unique opportunity to practice real life drawover anaesthesia using a
variety of systems and volatile anaesthetic agents.
Any anaesthetist planning to work in the ‘real world’ should seriously consider this course. Very popular and oversubscribed so get in early…..
Other useful and relevant courses (in brief):
Essential aspects of Aeromedical retrieval
A 3-day course run by the Australian Royal Flying Doctor Service. Focus is on pre-hospital
patient assessment/management/ packaging and transport. Highlight is the excellent simulation
session.
Detailed review of the course by Dr Tim Leeuwenburg: kidocs.org/2013/11/rfds-star-course/
Advanced Wilderness Life Support Course
5-day course run by Southern Wilderness Medical Group, based in beautiful Queenstown.
Focus is on adapting conventional medical skills of patient assessment, stabilization and extraction to the resource
poor environment.
A mixture of classroom and practical sessions. Enjoyable and stimulating, and a great excuse to escape to
Queenstown…
More details: wildmed.co.nz
I’m sure that there are plenty more excellent and relevant courses out there that can help to prepare us to respond
effectively to a disaster event. These are the few that I have participated in and I hope that this summary provides
some guidance for those looking to develop their skills and utility in this area.
∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞
To be considered for a NZMAT deployment you need:

To be registered on the NZMAT Volunteer Database

A valid passport, valid for at least 6 months prior to expiry date

Up-to-date vaccinations
For more information regarding deployment requirements, please review the NZMAT
Operations Manual which can be found at: http://www.health.govt.nz/nzmat
7
What is NZMAT up to?
Behind the scenes there is a hive of activity being undertaken, which includes:
 Work continues on converting the NZMAT Operational Manual into
the National NZMAT Manual – Preparedness, deployment and postdeployment activities of New Zealand Medical Assistance Teams
(NZMAT) domestically and internationally. This manual will provide
comprehensive information regarding NZMAT at the strategic level as
well as practical information for NZMAT members.
 Continued work around identifying equipment and medical
consumables supplies required to support a NZMAT deployment
 Planning is well underway for the two NZMAT Team Member courses
scheduled for April / May 2015
 Work continues to develop memorandums of understandings with
both the NZ Defence Force and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and
Trade regarding NZMAT deployments
 Preparations are underway for the ‘go-live’ of a new NZMAT database
in February 2015 which will be used to manage trained NZMAT
members information as well as document NZMAT deployments,
training courses and provide a mechanism for NZMAT members to
communicate via a ‘message board’ with each other as well as
NZMAT management personnel.
‘Team Alpha’ members getting a pre-deployment briefing from Sarah
McDonald from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade prior to
departure to the Solomon Islands in April 2014
Professional Indemnity on Deployment – are you covered?
NZMAT Personnel Responsibilities:
The 2014 – 2015 South Pacific cyclone season has officially commenced and met services have already issued
warnings that this season will experience extreme weather.
The Ministry of Health has arrangements with the Medical Protection Societry and New Zealand Nurses
Organisation to extend indemnity cover to personnel deployed on an NZMAT mission. The Ministry also arranges
commercial travel insurance, including additional cover where required (for example during the deployment of
NZMAT personnel within AUSMAT to Tacloban last year additional cover was required as Safe Travel website had
listed it as an Extreme Risk which voids normal travel policies).
If you haven’t already done so, NZMAT management strongly encourages all NZMAT personnel to confirm their
professional indemnity coverage while on deployment with their professional body or employer.
8
Inaugural AUSMAT Perioperative Nursing Course – June 2014
Emma Brooks, RN, BN, PGC Specialty Perioperative Nursing, Wellington & Kenepuru Hospital Operating Theatres,
Capital & Coast DHB, Wellington Representative & National Treasurer, National Committee for the NZ
Perioperative Nurses College
I was fortunate enough to attend the inaugural AusMAT perioperative nurses course in
Darwin in June 2014.
The course faculty was a hugely experienced mix of Australians from the National Critical
Care and Trauma Response Centre (NCCTRC) at the Royal Darwin Hospital. The NCCTRC
faculty staff developed the course with the perioperative nurses who deployed to Tacloban
in the Philippines after Typhoon Haiyan in late 2013.
This course was developed following the Tacloban experience where the team learned
many lessons from this first deployment of the AusMAT field surgical hospital.
The course was made up of two parts – generic AusMAT Team Member* training and perioperative training that
was based over four days and included classroom lectures, practical outdoor exercises, group work in class, skills
stations, a surgical caseload simulation exercise and an immersion exercise with an overnight camp in the desert. *
This is the same as NZMAT Team Member training.
There were 23 participants on this course and the group of delegates was made up of five nurses from Pacific
countries (Vanuatu, Tonga, Cook Islands and Fiji), two NZ nurses (c/o NZMAT) and 15 nurses from all around
Australia. Three extra local nurses popped in just for the perioperative lessons. The course participants were a
mixture of anaesthetic, post-anaesthetic care and operating theatre nurses.
We stayed at the Rydges Airport Resort Hotel but we had no time to enjoy the facilities due to long working days,
early starts and evening activities. The first night we had a course dinner at the Darwin Sailing Club on Mindil Beach
to get to know each other better, meet the faculty staff and enjoy the lovely sunset. On the last night we had a visit
arranged to the famous markets at Mindil Beach to experience ‘Darwin Life’. We enjoyed shopping for local crafts,
tasting exotic foods, watching death defying fire eating, dancing, knife throwing and whip routines as well as
listening to local musicians including one mastering seven didgeridoos at once!
AusMAT field hospital under construction – June 2014
Some lectures were conducted out in the ‘field’ – June 2014
Perioperative Content
This covered the essential elements of field surgical practice and gave the core necessary skills to make the
transition from day-to-day practice to being a key member of the disaster surgical team.
 Principles of sterilisation
 Medical ethics in austere conditions
 Anaesthetics in austere conditions
 Principles of perioperative nursing in austere
 Stress management in austere conditions
conditions
 Principles of waste management
 Overview of AusMAT perioperative working
 Surgical caseload simulation exercise
conditions
9



Medical devices familiarisation
Clinical footprint of an operating theatre tent
Sterilisation
- Decontamination process
- Sterilisation techniques
- Sterilisation processes
- The sterilisers
The skills sessions were invaluable as we had the opportunity to play around with how we would set up and use
equipment as well as building and setting out the “Blue Med” OPEC tent as the operating theatre suite. This course
has widened my skill set and increased my confidence to deploy on behalf of NZMAT in austere conditions if
requested.
From my point of view there were several highlights of the course:
1. Meeting and networking with members of the NCCTRC and interpersonal connections with these NCCTRC
staff members will likely prove beneficial over time.
2. Meeting and learning from renown international faculty members who have such vast experience.
3. Meeting and networking with the nurses from the Pacific Islands and Australia who attended the course.
4. The practical skills stations were exceptionally well designed and they allowed delegates maximal exposure
to unfamiliar skills and techniques using basic equipment.
5. The field exercise was a highlight in itself and the planning and attention that went into the exercise was
hugely impressive. I was allocated the ‘Chief Logi’ role for the ‘mission’ and I promise I will never ever ever
forget toilet paper from the pre-deployment inventory list! Promise! 
6. The camp presentation ‘Stories from the Field- Tacloban’ by the nurses who were there is the one
presentation that will forever remain imbedded in my mind and has given me valuable insight to how it can
be.
The AusMAT perioperative nurses course was a very valuable experience and I am grateful for the opportunity to
attend and many thanks to Charlie, Martin, Judy, Vicky et al for their energy and commitment to NZMAT and all the
AusMAT team for their hard work on a course well done.

Skills stations
 Orthopaedic surgery & limb management
 General surgery & wound management
 Anaesthetics
 NATO operating table
 Instruments and trays
Surgical equipment & supplies transported in space cases
10
Example of tent layout set up in the classroom
Megann Devereux, RN, Vascular & Acute Service, Wellington Regional Hospital, Capital & Coast DHB
In June 2014, I had the privilege of joining with 21 other perioperative nurses from across
Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands to attend the first AUSMAT perioperative
course in Darwin.
Held at the National Critical Care and Trauma Response Centre (NCCTRC), this was a 4-day
course which built on the standard 3-day team member training and devoted extra time to
focus on skills specific to the perioperative area – aspects of setting up the “Blue Med”
(theatre facility), assembling & dismantling NATO operating tables, available
instrumentation & consumables, sterilisation, and anaesthesia in austere environments, to
name just a few.
The first two days of this course were devoted to aspects of working in the field relevant to all AUSMAT team
members, and covered an array of topics including safety & security, navigation & communications, hostile
negotiation etc. Many of these lectures were delivered by visiting specialists and their input added greatly to our
learning.
Day 3 involved a field exercise of a simulated AUSMAT team deployment. There is not space enough here for me to
expand on what this entailed, but may I use the word (frequently overused, but not in this case), AWESOME!! An
action-packed, once-in-a-lifetime experience, not to be missed.
The point of difference with this course was the extra day which allowed time for us to focus on skills specific to
perioperative requirements. We were lucky to have nurses who have recently deployed with AUSMAT to the
Philippines who were able to share their experience with us. It is hard to imagine going into the field as a Theatre
nurse without this information – there's just so much you need to know, although the ability to think on your feet
and adapt to rapidly changing situations will always be part of any deployment.
Lesson 1 (of many) - Assembling a NATO Operating Table:
Before......
During......
After.....
The ability to attend this course and network with likeminded perioperative nurses from such a wide variety
of backgrounds was an invaluable opportunity. By
linking in with NCCTRC staff, we were all able to get a
much clearer idea of what deployment could look of
feel like in the theatre environment, and what it might
feel like for us as individuals. Their knowledge and
experience was humbling, the information I gained was
phenomenal and I can only heartily recommend this
opportunity to other perioperative nursing staff.
11
AUSMAT Surgical & Anaesthetic Course – August 2014
Sam Shepherd, Radiograher, Counties Manukau Health
Destination Darwin! Of all places I expected my career to take me this early I never
expected the Northern Territories was one of them. But as it turns out, Darwin is actually a
very cool place to visit. Mostly because of the awesome people that I was lucky enough to
meet during my time there, but the weather, funky city, and beautiful beaches made it all
the more enjoyable on their own.
As a Radiographer in the NZMAT, I was highly privileged to be asked to attend the AUSMAT
Surgical and Anesthesia course held in Darwin. Naturally, the majority of participants were
either Surgeons or Anesthetists, in fact beside myself, they all were. Hence my initial
concern and 'prophylactic' pre-course study, as to potentially contribute more to the course
than just an x-ray joke every now and then.
As the first to acknowledge my lack of qualifications among such company, I figured my attitude would have make
up for any inexperience. From day one however, I was accepted as one of the team and involved in all of the
lectures and activities, even participating in some surgical simulations which suited me just fine. Having a preexisting interest in surgery, and a freshly topped up basic knowledge of procedures from my time as a theatre
radiographer, made my experience far more interactive, as at no time did I feel out of place, or in over my head.
Even as terminology and anatomic structures that are rarely part of my vocabulary were constantly thrown about. I
won’t lie in that I did find myself checking equal understanding of those around me every now and then, and making
a few changes to the path my brain was taking me but generally keeping up was no problem.
Outside of the classroom was a different story however with the GPS navigating, communications, convoy driving,
and situational management aspects of the course. Having already completed the NZMAT team members course
earlier in the year, I was in a position of experience ahead of the majority, though not all, of my co-participants
seeing as from here, the courses were quite similar. What was a far different challenge however was the climate,
where the true contrast of the two courses was brought to light. The NZMAT course in Rotorua was fantastic in that
we were lucky enough to be in the middle of a storm and competing with rain, wind and fog. Where in Darwin my
New Zealand habitus was challenged by the sun, heat, and never ending sweat caused by their version of "winter".
It was warm! Especially coming from an Auckland August. That being said, in both cases I couldn't have been
happier as what better environments to be thrown into for a simulation, than those similar to what an actual
deployment may look like.
Four days later when our time unfortunately came to an end, I was left feeling the same as after the NZMAT course.
Ready, motivated, energized, and eager to deploy at the first opportunity where my newly acquired and previous
set of skills may be useful. Also sad however, as the people I had the pleasure of participating with helped make my
time in Darwin that much more extraordinary as they quickly became great friends and colleagues who I very much
hope to meet again, possibly on deployment. Either way, from a Radiographers point of view and an enthusiastic
team member, I am truly grateful and consider myself extremely lucky to be part of this organisation and hope to
participate and contribute more in the coming years.
The aftermath of Tropical Cyclone
Evan December 2012 which hit Samoa
and Fiji with winds of up to 185km/h,
leaving a trail of debris behind it.
Photos: New Zealand Herald
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Upcoming Conferences
The World Conference on Disaster Management
8th – 11th June 2015
Toronto, Canada
For further information: http://www.wcdm.org
th
19 World Congress on Disaster and Emergency
Medicine
21st – 24th April 2015
Cape Town, South Africa
For further information: http://www.wcdem2015.org/
Australian & New Zealand Disaster & Emergency
Management Conference
3rd – 5th May 2015
Jupiters Gold Coast, Australia
For further information: http://anzdmc.com.au
Disaster Management 2015
4th International Conference on Disaster Management &
Human Health: Reducing Risk, Improving Outcomes
20th – 22nd May 2015
Istanbul, Turkey
For further information: http://www.wessex.ac.uk/15conferences/disaster-management-2015.html
People in Disasters: Response Recovery Resilience
24th – 26th February 2016
Christchurch, New Zealand
For further information: www.peopleindisasters.org.nz
Do you have?
Have you got a conference, seminar
or teaching session that would be of
interest to NZMAT volunteers?
If so, send details to the NZMAT Programme Manager
for distribution :
Judy.Fairgray@middlemore.co.nz
13
Are you ready for Deployment?
NZMAT Personnel Responsibilities
How ready are you to be deployed? There is a lot of organisation by
numerous Government agencies that goes into preparing a team of
health professionals for an international deployment.
NZMAT personnel play an important part in ensuring the
deployment process goes smoothly by ensuring the personal items
they bring to the deployment assembly point doesn’t include ‘the
kitchen sink’! To ensure the team equipment bag which is issued to
NZMAT personnel does not exceed the recommended weight, only
the following is taken on deployment:
 Personal hygiene products such as: shampoo & conditioner,
shaving kit, mirror, deodorant, toothbrush, toothpaste, foot
powder, facial tissues, talcum powder, feminine hygiene
products, wet wipes (this may be your bath!)
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Personal clothing:
- 1 x belt
- 2 – 3 x T-shits
- 2 or 3 pairs x long trousers
-
2 x shorts
- 2 – 3 singlets
3 sets x underwear
- 3 pairs x socks for boots
Personal glasses or contacts
- 3 pairs x socks for use with
lenses (as required)
theatre/ward shoes
Two changes of personal clothing appropriate for weather conditions (heat and humidity) or location of work
(hand washing of clothing may be necessary)
1 x sports shoes / theatre shoes (as required)
Sturdy boots—appropriate foot wear, as nails, debris, mud, and water will be present
Jandals for shower shoes, plenty of dry socks and undergarments
Sunglasses on cord
Snacks and light food
Watch
Sewing kit
Copy of professional license, driver’s license, professional identification and vaccination passport
Sufficient cash for the number of days deployed (card facilities may not be available and credit cards may not
work)
If you are unsure about any of the deployment requirements for NZMAT personnel please contact the NZMAT
Programme Manager Judy Fairgray at Judy.Fairgray@middlemore.co.nz
NZMAT will deploy only at the request of the local
medical authority in the disaster area
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Have you visited the NZMAT Website?
Its official - NZMAT has its own website!
The website is hosted by the Ministry of Health and can be accessed
it via http://www.health.govt.nz/nzmat.
Is there is any information you are
looking not found on the website let
the NZMAT Programme Manager.
On this website you can find information covering the following
areas:
 About NZMAT
 Volunteering information
 Background
 Applying
 Deployment
 Notice of deployment
 Reference Group
 Prerequisites for
volunteering
 Team Structure
 Training
 Photos
 What to expect on
 Information about any
deployment
current deployment
 Resources
 Related publications
 Employer information  Related websites
 Past Newsletter
editions
 Q & A sheet
For Further Information about the NZMAT Contact:
Judy Fairgray
NZMAT Programme Manager
Judy.Fairgray@middlemore.co.nz
Charles Blanch
Director, Emergency Management – MoH
Charles_Blanch@moh.govt.nz
Martin Buet
Regional Emergency Management Advisor (Midlands) – MoH
Martin_Buet@moh.govt.nz
Do you have a burning question related to NZMAT?
Is there information you would like to see in
Newsletter?
Send your questions and comments to:
Judy.Fairgray@middlemore.co.nz
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