Sea Rescue: Information for Writers with Nickey Myburgh

Fiona- Hello friends. 

     Have I got a treat for

     you today. I want 

     you to meet a woman

     who is a true hero.

     She lives the life 

     that our best heroines

     live - as a matter of

     fact, if I were

     funded, I would jump

     on a plane and fly to

     the Wild Coast

     where Nickey 

     lives and write her story.

     Nickey, will you start by 

     telling us a little bit about where you live and about you?

Nickey - I am known as either Nickey or

      Monique. I am originally from

      Johannesburg, South Africa where I worked

      as a nurse and then joined as emergency

      service technician (ALS).  My hubby is the

      Traffic Police Chief here. We both

      worked in Johannesburg and Soweto for

      many years. Due to security reasons, I keep

      my writing separate from my work and

      therefore use a pseudonym. 

     I am presently working and living in the Transkei, Wild Coast.

     The Wild Coast used to be the former Transkei. The homeland

     was previously governed separate from South Africa. It is a

     unique and often volatile area. Here I have my own company. 

     I train students and also work as EMT and NSRI (National Sea

     Rescue Institute) sea and shore crew member.

Fiona - Today, we are going to be talking about sea rescue, and you

      are going to be taking us through some of the ways that this 

      differs from land rescue. Can you start at the beginning? Where 

      are you when the call for help goes out?

Nickey - We are all volunteers. This is the largest stretch of coast

      line, app 200km. Usually, when we get a call it is at the most

      inappropriate time - that is always the case. People either

      contact the base station using radio or a mobile often from the

      beach area. I am sure by now you know we are infamous for

      our shark attacks.

Fiona - Yipes! Have you responded to a shark attack?

Nickey - Yes, twice. On Saturday, it was pretty vicious and again

      fatal. Even if we were at scene at that very moment we could

      not have done anything. He was in waist-deep water when the

      shark grabbed him in front of his wife and friends. A tourist

      from Austria. Apparently, the shark actually lifted him out of

      the water. He kept fighting as it dragged him into deeper waters.

Fiona - And the victims die from blood loss? From an artery being

      severed? Or shock?

Nickey - Blood loss. In this case he was amputated from waist

      down. Usually the shark returns. It was not a single bite wound.

Fiona - ARGH! In my mind, they tasted you and let go because

      humans aren't their regular food. If it were to happen to one of

      our characters, what could someone who saw it happen do to

      prevent the death?

Nickey - If at all possible, stop the bleeding and treat for shock.

      Over here, the sharks return and finish the job. I swam here

      often until the first call. The reality of it is very brutal, and it

      changed my perception completely.

Fiona - Amputation 

     from the waist down

     can't be saved. That

     is gruesome. How do

     you handle things

     like that? Some 

     people are

     always okay with it, 

     some just shove it

     down, others grow 

     thick skin - what is the case for you?

Nickey - I manage it very well. My husband and I worked together

      in Johannesburg and Soweto for a long time so the violence is

      nothing new.We are a classic case of a cop married to a medic,

      so we both discuss things. I tend to go over

      events in my mind, now that I am older, and question my

      judgement. I also talk with the lifesavers and other medics

      because they are often very alone in what they feel.

     We do not receive support in that area, so we discuss things

     informally. My hubby and I meet with the crews and just talk

     (debrief). It is getting harder. I find that child victims are the

     toughest.

Fiona - Are children a large part of those you rescue? What types

      of accidents befall them?

Nickey - Yes. Rogue waves are a big problem and motor vehicle

      collisions. We do not have barriers next to our roads, and it is a

      regular thing for a vehicle to roll down the embankment and end

      up in the river (Umzimvubu).

Fiona - So what do you do when you get that call - is the water

     deep enough that these are usually recovery rather than rescue

     calls?

Nickey - We have wet-suits and gear. Part of the ritual is getting

      dressed in motion.

     We treat everything predominantly as a rescue until we are sure

      of the actual situation. It is very difficult when the community

      contact us for help because they do not provide adequate

      information. Even on scene, they are sometimes so confused

      that they will refuse to say how many people were in the

      vehicle or on the boat.

Fiona - So you don't know if you've accounted for everyone? That's

      difficult.

Nickey - Yes, you have to look for clues. Sometimes there are

      childrens' clothing but no child. We are also dealing with people

      who are not very trusting of authority, so you have to keep a

      kind and authoritative posture, not show your urgency and

      continue to search.The most important thing is to

      compartmentalize what you feel. Put it away and focus on your

      team and the information you have. Situational awareness is

      everything. 

    

Launching site

 
Nickey -  If possible, the vessel will stop right in front of our place,

    and I  get in from where we do a launch from the Umzimvubu 

    into the sea. That is a very tricky skill; only a handful of skippers

   can master.

Fiona - Is the water treacherous there. What requires the skill?

Nickey - When you are in the vessel you keep an eye open for the

     waves to assist the skipper. Also, you look out for any

     debris. Unfortunately, people usually do not wear clothing that

     are very visible, so it is amazingly difficult to actually find a 

     person or even a yacht.

     One of the many reasons for the stormy seas are the sudden

     drop of the continental shelf which not only powers the waves

     but can cause the opposite, a sudden drop or hole in the ocean.

     When you are out there it is an exquisite experience. When

     steering the vessel the skipper often faces into the wave with

     just the right amount of power otherwise it becomes airborne,

     and you end up flying off the crest with a tremendous force.

     In the boat, you feel every movement in your back and bones.

     It is exhilarating. You smell and taste salt in your bone marrow. 

     The rougher the ocean, the scarier and stronger the adrenaline 

     rush. When in rough seas, it is surprisingly difficult to see a

     person in the ocean or even a capsized boat. This is even more

     true if they are not wearing reflective life jackets, or if the hull

     of the boat is white or blue.  

     Our calls are very diverse. It could be anything really; our unit

     was involved in the rescue of the passengers of the Oceanos in

     1991. Part of our training includes being airlifted from a boat by

     a helicopter, or placing a patient in the rescue basket or harness

     for airlift, retrieving a patient from the water, providing

     emergency medical treatment and collecting a patient from

     another vessel if the conditions are not favorable for a helicopter

     rescue. We regularly have to tow a defective vessel to safety.

     The helicopter we use as training is a BK 117 Army 'copter'. We

     don't jump from it anymore unless we really have to and then

     only if it is lower than 8 meters

Fiona - Why have you stopped 

    jumping? What injuries were

    the rescuers sustaining?

Nickey - The jumping causes an

    immense amount of sudden

    stress on your spine if you're

    posture is incorrect. It can be

    very dangerous and is

    unpredictable. Think of the

    same concept that happens

    during concussion, the last

    thing you need is a team

    member with a serious head or

    neck injury, disorientation,

    paralysis and so forth.

Fiona - Yes - that's what I would suppose. So once you're in the

    water, would you ascend by harness?

Nickey - Yes, the harness is the same type of material as a seat-

     belt and fits around your shoulders and between your legs. 

     You cross your arms in front of you. The cable of the helicopter

     must touch the vessel or even the water first so that there is a

     static release. Otherwise it can give you a nasty jolt.

Fiona - A very cool detail! How does the turbulence of the ocean

     water impact your patient care on the way to an emergency

     room?

Nickey - It is an experience because it is wet and noisy, and oh yes

      very slippery. It is very difficult to put up a line (IV) and even

      listening to the lungs and heart (taking vitals) is challenging.

Fiona - I hadn't thought of that - yes!

Nickey - We take our vitals manually, with a BP cuff and stet. 

     I use other senses, for example feeling the patients skin,

     pulse, that tells me a lot about the rhythm of the heart and its

     strength. I look at the pupil size, and count the respirations.

Fiona - Are there other issues that we might not have thought to

     include in our plot lines?

Nickey - When you move into a wave crest, the vessel becomes

      airborne so do you and the patient. It takes balance,

      coordination, and a sense of humor to do this. One of the

      biggest problems is hypothermia. 

      In June and July, we have the

      sardine run. It is winter and the water temp is about 15 degrees

      C. (59F) We have schools of sardines with dolphin pods of up

      to 20,000 dolphins hunting, also whales and sharks.

Pacific Sardine (Sardinops sagax) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

     This is the time

     when divers come

     down as well as film

     crew. Free diving -

     no cages. You have

     to watch out for the

     sea life. 

      It is incredible to

      actually see a 

      whale up close, but

      you should never be closer than 100 m. 

     They are wild. 

Fiona - Holy moly! How hard would it be to get, say a shark victim

      with and leg amputation to a hospital?

Nickey - It all depends on resource availability. If we can get a

      helicopter, then it might be anything up to an hour. We stabilise

      as best as possible on sea, before coming in through the ways.

      Then if there is an ambulance, which is rare, we will stay with

      the patient for the 15 minute drive to the clinic. Our clinic is not

      an ER or hospital, so I will get out and carry on working with

      the sisters over there.

Fiona - No kidding - kuddos! for even trying. How long is the 

     average trip to land/hospital? What is the survival rate if rescued

     at sea?

Nickey - You must take into account that this is a very rural area.

     So even with a shark attack victim, it can still take up to 15

     minutes, and that is only after we have reached land.

Fiona - Before I forget - and I am cringing as I type this - can you

     tell me about your favorite scar?

Nickey - Oh, no sharks A small stab wound on my left shin.

Fiona - And with all of that going on, you write prolifically across

     genre. Tell me about your writing, is it an escape from your

     everyday heroism or do you use your work to inform your

     writing?

Nickey - My writing used to be my outlet, but as I became more

      involved, I started to write academically. That is actually a

      coping mechanism. I have recently started to write from my

      own experiences and feelings. It is very honest and

      vulnerable...it is a new experience.

     Of everything I had written, the teaching manual to Sangomas 

     on how to recognize emergencies and refer them for appropriate

     assistance means the most. I think that it is possible to prevent a

     lot of the pain and hurt if we start at the source. So I teach

     Sangomas how to interpret actual signs and symptoms. It is a

      very interesting journey.

Fiona - I'm sorry, but I'm not familiar with Sangomas - can you tell

      me a little and what their situation is?

Sangoma in fur and leather (Photo credit: K. Kendall)

Nickey - They are Traditional

     Healers, they visit the Transkei to

     perform rituals and help the sick

     in the community using herbs and

     muti.

Fiona - (information about muti)

Nickey - The sea is of great

       significance to them because it is

       the place of their ancestors.

       Sometimes muti is herbs, but it

       can be a concoction of anything.

       You will get a better idea if you

       surf muti killings.

Fiona - I just Googled muti-killings and am horrified. 

     I had no idea. We'll have to leave that discussion
     for another article.

Thank you so much Nickey for visiting with us today. I am so looking forward to your coming back to tell us more about your efforts to teach medicine to the healers in your area. You are, as I said at the beginning of this article, an incredible heroine. 

Fiona Quinn's Newsletter Link, Sign up HERE

Thank you so much for stopping by. And thank you for your support. When you buy my books, you make it possible for me to continue to bring you helpful articles and keep ThrillWriting free and accessible to all.