Goondiwindi Regional Council announces it will supply regional farmers with first aid training

The sobering statistic that a majority of farming accidents in the country happen in Queensland and NSW was enough to wake up one regional council. Here’s how a Southern Queensland town is trying to counteract tragedies.

Disturbing statistics reveal that 87 per cent of all Australian farming accidents take place in Queensland and NSW, and one Southern Queensland town is trying to prevent this.

Goondiwindi Regional Council on Wednesday announced they would provide residents and landowners across the local government area with free, nationally recognised remote first aid training.

The council has partnered with DJB AGRI Solutions to provide the workshops to farmers in southern Queensland.

The workshops will run in May at Cement Mills, Yelarbon, Billa Billa, and Weengallon in the Goondiwindi region.

This training is deliberately different from the standard first aid training offered in more urban centres to deal with the types of injuries or accidents which could occur on rural properties.

The two-day first aid courses focused on preventing deaths on rural properties will be free of charge for residents in the Goondiwindi Region.

The unique combination of working with stock and machinery, limited access to water, and excessive distances to basic services exposes workers to risk, and the ability to deal with that should something go wrong requires a unique set of skills and training.

The two-day course will cover standard and advanced skills, including prolonged casualty management, emergency service co-ordination, management of major bleeding, risk planning, CPR, casualty movement, and multi-casualty incident response.

Goondiwindi mayor Lawrence Springborg AM encouraged rural residents to make the most of the opportunity and participate in this potentially lifesaving training.

“Empowering our remote residents with essential first aid skills has the potential to save lives for years to come,” he said.

“Through partnerships like this, we are equipping individuals with the knowledge and confidence needed to respond effectively to emergencies, ultimately making our region a safer place for everyone.”

Council has been fortunate to receive funding from the Queensland Government to support this initiative and others across the region, including the free Bush Kids first aid workshops and ‘Community Wellbeing’ workshops with Chantal Corish, the Rural Psychologist.

The news comes shortly after a horror fatal accident in the state’s west, at St George.

Emergency services were called to a St George property just after 11am on April 10. Sadly, a 58-year-old man was pronounced dead on scene.

A Queensland Ambulance Service spokeswoman said paramedics rushed to the Stubby Lane property, where a man was in a critical condition after a farming accident.

You can sign up to the free courses here.

Originally published as Goondiwindi Regional Council announces it will supply regional farmers with first aid training