Safety - and our responsibilities !

The tragic death of an air ambulance paramedic on Christmas eve must shine the spotlight on the risks we take when we go into dangerous situations - and our expectation that others will come and rescue us.

We often ignore the pleadings and directions from the police and other safety authorities to avoid danger. At the moment, a cyclone off the Queensland coast is causing epic swells on Sydney's beaches and they are closed for safety reasons - but a lot of people simply disregard this warning and go for a swim anyway.

Emergency beacons are available free of charge for those proposing to go hiking in the Blue mountains national parks. These are dangerous places - subject to rock falls, sudden flooding and the always possible risk of snake bite - but people so often decline to pickup a beacon, get lost and put rescuers at risk when a search is organised.

Is it fair for the many public spirited men and women who donate their time to emergency services to be put at risk by the stupidity of others ?

The sensible answer would be in the negative, but thats not the way the system works. There always will be people who put others before themselves. This includes the volunteers of the State Emergency Service ( SES ) who spend countless hours trekking through the bush looking for lost hikers - and the people who man our beaches to provide safety for those lacking water skills.

Risk comes into collision with the freedom we Australians hold so dear when it comes to making our own decisions and avoiding the stifling hold of officialdom - but when the sign says that the beach is closed for safety reasons - should we face a penalty if we then go into the water ?

If an act of our own stupidity results in remedial action such as a helicopter response or an army of people performing a search, would it not be reasonable to demand that the culprit contributes to the cost ?

Perhaps that is the only way we are going to make people accept some responsibility for their own safety. Appeals for safety consideration seem to fall on deaf ears. Perhaps a good, solid whack on the hip pocket nerve for an act of stupidity may bring a change of thinking.

One thing is certain. Help will always be there for those in trouble. It is not in the Australian psyche for those who volunteer for rescue work to simply shrug their shoulders and walk away when a life is in danger.

Unfortunately, occasionally the lost life happens to be their own !