National Parks and Wildlife Service Staff Commendation

Ms VERITY FIRTH (Balmain—Minister for Climate Change and the Environment, Minister for Women, Minister for Science and Medical Research, Minister Assisting the Minister for Health (Cancer)) [3.22 p.m.]: I commend staff from the Central Coast-Hunter Range region of the National Parks and Wildlife Service who attended a serious incident whilst undertaking a hazard reduction burn in the Hunter region on Saturday. The incident involved a woman who suffered severe burns at her home. These burns were unrelated to the hazard reduction being undertaken nearby. My understanding is that the woman was holding a petrol can when the vapours caught alight. The woman received extensive burns to her face. Her partner raised the alarm with the National Parks and Wildlife Service staff working in the area.

National Parks and Wildlife Service staff Lee Turbayn and Alan McDonough, who were working on the ground, contacted the incident controller of the hazard reduction, Tony Horwood, who immediately dispatched a helicopter to the scene. The helicopter pilot, Dave Clifford, and crew, Heath Jones, were able to assess the woman's condition and apply a special burns mask. The woman was then airlifted to meet a Westpac rescue helicopter several kilometres away. It was the quick thinking and response of these National Parks and Wildlife Service officers that helped to make this woman's journey to hospital quicker and less painful than it might otherwise have been. The partner of the woman has since been in contact with the local parks office to express his gratitude to the staff involved.

National Parks and Wildlife Service staff work extremely hard to keep our national parks and reserves safe and accessible to the public. These hazard reduction burns involve highly skilled and sometimes dangerous work. The brave men and women who undertake this work receive few public accolades for their efforts. This incident shows the entire community the calibre of the National Parks and Wildlife Service staff working in this State. I applaud the staff involved in this impromptu rescue operation. They went well above and beyond the call of duty to attend to this serious incident. I send the best wishes of the House to the woman involved, who, I believe, is still in a relatively serious condition in Royal North Shore Hospital, and wish her a speedy recovery.

Ms PRU GOWARD (Goulburn) [3.25 p.m.]: On behalf of the Opposition I support the sentiments expressed by the Minister for Climate Change and the Environment. The staff of the National Parks and Wildlife Service go above and beyond the call of duty, and heroism, which is without gender, as has been highlighted on this occasion, should always be acknowledged. We must not forget that this is not the first, nor will it be the last, time and the House applauds their efforts.