This may not develop too much excitement for the majority of Katherine residents, however for a small group of volunteers from the Northern Territory Emergency Service (NTES), a rise in the river level provides an opportunity to practice boat skills in floodwater.

Over the past week, volunteer boat operators from the NTES Katherine Volunteer Unit have been able to spend a number of hours on the Katherine River in both vessels allocated to the Katherine unit.

The main aim of this exercise was to boost confidence of the operators, familiarise them with using the vessel’s equipment, especially the bow-loading capability, and to allow them get a feel for how the vessel handles and reacts in fast flowing and shallow floodwater.

The QEIII has been in operation in Katherine since 1999 and is the smaller of the two floodboats and is more of a general purpose vessel than the larger ESV401, which is a bow-loading utility barge.

The larger vessel enhances NTES capability in the Katherine Region by allowing the option of transporting more weight such as relief supplies, or even a quad which can assist with relief efforts and searches in difficult to access areas during the wet or along an accessible river system. It has the seating to carry approximately 10 passengers, which in some cases could be a whole search team.

On Sunday, NTES volunteers aboard ESV401 worked alongside a St John Ambulance paramedic to determine the process for safely loading two ambulance stretchers onto the boat and securing them.

“In effect, it is an opportunity for developing flood resilience and testing the capabilities of our equipment in a variety of situations”, commented St John Ambulance Katherine OIC Rhys Dowell.

“Often in extreme situations we would use more basic stretchers, however, today we were looking at a more comfortable method of non-emergency patient transfer.”

NTES boat operators were very positive about the scenario that was played out. “It was a great opportunity to train alongside other Emergency Service organisations to be the most prepared we can be,” Katherine Volunteer Unit’s Deputy Unit Officer Ron Green said.

“It is a great opportunity for our volunteers to get onto some real flood water to consolidate their skills, to regain their confidence or simply work as a deckhand.

“The wet season is unpredictable and we need a team of operators who are current in their skills and operationally ready. This readiness provides Emergency Services Headquarters with the confidence to deploy our team to an emergency situation without reservations. By training with other services we become familiar with their equipment and how they operate, and vice versa,” detailed Ron Green.

Although St John Ambulance paramedics may not be often seen on the river, NTES volunteers in Katherine will continue to practice their skills between Low Level and Knott’s Crossing throughout the wet season.