Salamander Bay firefighters attended several critical incidents over the past week. On Sunday morning firefighters assisted in the delicate operation of moving a seriously injured kayaker from a boat into an ambulance, and then on to a waiting helicopter.
The kayaker had been run over by a six-metre aluminium boat at Shoal Bay.
At 12.30 on the same day firefighters rescued an elderly woman who had fallen five metres from a breakwall at Nelson Bay on to rocks below. Firefighters put the patient on a specialised rescue stretcher, known as a Stokes Litter, then lifted her back onto the break wall where she was attended to by ambulance officers.
At 5pm, also on Sunday, Salamander fire crew were called to an explosion in a fire pit at Corlette. The incident left a teenager with severe burns to his face, arms and chest. Four other men were also injured. The explosion was caused by methylated spirits being applied to the fire. Two helicopters from Sydney were used to transport the victims to hospital.
On Wednesday morning a car was accidently driven through the front window of a pharmacy at Salamander Bay, travelling about 12 metres through the store until it hit a counter at the rear of the store. A male pharmacist was pinned by the car and suffered leg and hip injuries.
Salamander Bay fire crew helped free the man and carried him to a waiting ambulance.
