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A PHOTOGRAPHER is expected to press charges after being kicked in the head by the lead singer of the Queens of the Stone Age during a concert on the weekend.

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Queens of the Stone Age got up close and personal with some of the Territory’s favourite reptile

QUEEN of the Stone Age’s lead singer, Josh Homme, kicked a photographer in the face while performing on stage on the weekend.

The incident took place as Chelsea Lauren was snapping photos in the front row at the KROQ Acoustic Christmas gig in Los Angeles, which also featured Thirty Seconds To Mars and Muse.

“Josh [Homme] was coming over and I was pretty excited. I’ve never actually photographed Queens Of The Stone Age before — I was really looking forward to it,” Ms Lauren told Variety.

“I saw him coming over and I was shooting away. The next thing I know his foot connects with my camera and my camera connects with my face, really hard. He looked straight at me, swung his leg back pretty hard and full-blown kicked me in the face. He continued performing. I was startled — I kind of stopped looking at him. I just got down and was holding my face because it hurt so badly.”

The photographer continued working at the concert but later sought medical treatment at a nearby hospital. She told Variety that she’s planning to press charges against the singer.

“I feel like if I don’t do anything, he gets to kick people in the face and not get in trouble because he’s a musician,” she said. “That’s not right.”

After kicking Ms Lauren, Homme reportedly pulled out a knife on stage and cut his head open.

He can be seen bleeding in several photos from the gig.

Seems fairly over the top for a concert. Hopefully someone had first aid training skills. If you would like to know how to deal with bleeding and any other first aid training scenarios please book in to one of our courses at www.canberrafirstaid.com

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ALMOST every capital will see temperatures above 30C as summer makes a sticky entry with warnings of “severe heatwaves”.

Australia will face a heatwave this week — and NSW will be among the worst hit. Image: Bureau of MeteorologySource:Supplied

AUSTRALIA — we’re in for a scorcher in the coming week.

With the mercury set to soar above 30C across all capital cities, except Hobart, in the days ahead, Aussies are urged to slip, slop, slap and stay out of the heat. Even Tasmania won’t be far off the 30C mark.

Perth could get to 35C, Melbourne 36C and Adelaide a suffocatingly hot 38C.

Bureau of Meteorology meteorologist Ashleigh Langey said NSW would reach peak temperatures on Thursday, followed by a short cool change on Friday.

“Over the next couple of days there will be a high pressure system influencing the state with pretty warm conditions. From Tuesday onwards it looks like we have got a low intensity heatwave developing, and by Thursday it will be a severe heatwave in parts of the state.

“There will be clear skies as well, which means things will heat up.”

Western Sydney will bear the brunt of the hot weather, climbing to 42C near Penrith and remaining in the mid to high 30s throughout the week.

“The hottest day in Sydney will be Thursday, and we’re forecasting 34C (and hotter in the west). On Friday it will cool down to 27C because we have a southerly change moving through that will cool things down a bit,” she said.

”Even on Friday in the west of NSW it will still be quite warm. On Saturday it’s heating back up with 33C in Sydney.”

It’s a trend we’ll see happening Australia-wide this week, with all states and territories in for 30C or warmer except Tasmania.

Australia will face a heatwave this week. Image: Bureau of MeteorologySource:Supplied

SYDNEY:

Sydney will enjoy sunny days with temperatures in the high 20s before hitting a high of 35C s on Thursday followed by a late shower which will bring temperatures down into the 20s again for the rest of the week.

But it will be a different story in western Sydney, with Penrith sweltering through a week of temperatures in the 30s, reaching 41C on Thursday.

CANBERRA:

The nation’s capital is set to swelter this week, with a low of 30C on Monday followed by five days of temperatures in the low to mid 30s. It will hit a peak of 34C on Thursday, followed by showers until Saturday.

MELBOURNE:

It will be partly cloudy for most of the week in Melbourne, with temperatures in the mid to high 20s most days, with the thermometer topping 36C on Wednesday.

ADELAIDE:

It will be a warm few days in Adelaide, reaching a sunny 36C on Tuesday followed by cloud and a high of 38 Con Thursday. Temperatures will then drop to the mid to high 20s for the following three days.

DARWIN:

Darwin will hit 35C all week except Friday, when it will reach 34C.

PERTH:

It will be 35C with a possible shower in Perth on Monday, followed by a few days in the high 20s before reaching 30C again on Friday.

HOBART:

Hobart will be the only capital that doesn’t reach the 30 degree mark, hitting a high of 29C on Wednesday. Temperatures will stay in the mid 20s for most of the week.

BRISBANE:

The temperature will be in the high 20s with possible showers early in the week, followed by a sunny 32C on Friday and Saturday.

Stay cool by booking in to one of our first aid course in Canberra this summer. Check the website www.canberrafirstaid.com

First published Wednesday, 6^th December, 2017 • by 

George Wigmore (Senior Communications Officer)

A new game based educational resource is now available which helps frontline healthcare staff to improve their knowledge and confidence when dealing with emergency situations outside the workplace.

Health professionals may encounter situations outside their usual working environment where their skills could help to save a life. But administering first aid in an unknown environment can be a dauting prospect, and staff may lack confidence to assist in an emergency.

The Game has been developed in a collaboration between senior academics from the School of Health Sciences at City, University of London, and Focus Games Ltd, specialists in educational games for healthcare training. It is designed to help all grades of staff improve their confidence around managing an incident, providing first aid and caring for injured people outside of their workplace.

This is the third board game for health and social care professionals which has been developed at City, University of London in collaboration with Focus Games Ltd. The First Aid Game follows the already successful Drug Round Game and Drug Recovery Game.

Dr. Rachael-Anne Knight, Associate Dean, Excellence and Innovation in the School of Health Sciences at City, University of London, said:

“At City, University of London’s School of Health Sciences we pride ourselves on providing excellent and innovative education to our students and health care professionals. Serious games can have a significant impact on learning and when designing the First Aid Game the focus was on making learning fun whilst providing an evidence based teaching tool. This resource, developed by our senior academics, continues our tradition of game-based learning, and will encourage students to develop their skills and confidence in the crucial area of first aid.”

The First Aid Game leads players through four common emergency scenarios – road traffic collision, scald, choking and chest pain, challenging them to think about safety, prioritising casualties and incident management to provide safe and effective first aid. Questions and scenarios in the game are designed to stimulate discussion, encouraging players to share knowledge and experiences and to learn from each other.

The game explores:

• Professional & legal responsibilities outside the workplace
• Managing an incident
• Prioritising casualties
• Keeping yourself and others safe
• Communicating information to the emergency services
• Helpful tools including DRSABCD, SBAR and AMPLE
• Knowledge of first aid required in the given scenarios
• Other basic knowledge, including FAST test and anaphylaxia

To find out more and purchase The First Aid Game, visit www.firstaidgame.co.uk

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New research, conducted by scientists at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, suggests that rare cases of unexplained anaphylaxis may, in fact, be caused by an allergic reaction to a molecule found in red meat.

Red meat might be to blame for cases of anaphylaxis that have so far eluded an explanation.

Anaphylaxis is a serious, potentially fatal allergic reaction. During an anaphylactic episode, the airways become blocked and blood pressuredrops, leading to troubled breathing or even fainting.

While most cases of anaphylaxis are caused by known allergens in food, certain medications, or insect bites, there are anaphylactic episodes whose causes remain a mystery.

These are referred to as “idiopathic anaphylaxis” (IA) by medical professionals, meaning an episode with unknown triggers. It is currently estimated that 30,000 people in the United States have IA.

In the new study, 70 study participants with IA were examined, and six of them were found to be allergic to a sugar molecule commonly found in red meat, such as beef, pork, and lamb.

Dr. Melody C. Carter — staff clinician in the Laboratory of Allergic Diseases in the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Division of Intramural Research — is the first author of what was deemed a “unique, prospective study,” by the researchers.

Their findings were published in the journal Allergy.

Red meat-free diet stops IA in six patients

The sugar molecule is called “galactose-alpha-1,3-galactose,” or “alpha-gal.” Alpha-gal is found in the flesh of most mammals, and it is believed to be spread by the Lone Star tick.

In this study, Dr. Carter and colleagues found IgE antibodies — a marker of an allergy to the alpha-gal molecule — in the blood of six participants.

“Upon institution of a diet free of red meat, all patients had no further episodes of anaphylaxis,” write the authors.

Alpha-gal allergy: What you need to know

We take a look at the causes, symptoms, treatment, and prevention of the so-called red meat allergy.

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The reason why physicians had not found the cause of the anaphylaxis they misclassified as idiopathic, the researchers suggest, is that alpha-gal allergy has different signs from other, more common food allergies.

Routine allergy tests do not screen for IgE antibodies, explain the researchers. Additionally, the alpha-gal allergic reaction starts within 3 to 6 hours after the consumption of red meat, which makes it all the more difficult to detect.

“This unusually long time gap between a meal and an allergic reaction is probably a big reason that alpha-gal allergies are often initially misdiagnosed,” says study co-author Dr. Dean Metcalfe, chief of the Mast Cell Biology Section in NIAID’s Laboratory of Allergic Diseases.

“If you start to have trouble breathing in the middle of the night, you probably are not going to blame the hamburger you had for dinner,” Dr. Metcalfe adds.

NIAID Director Dr. Anthony S. Fauci also weighs in on the findings, saying, “Alpha-gal allergy appears to be yet another reason to protect oneself from tick bites.”

The study’s lead author echoes the same message, saying:

“We often think of ticks as carriers of infectious diseases, such as Lyme disease, but the research strongly suggests that bites from this particular species of tick can lead to this unusual allergy.”

Dr. Melody C. Carter, lead author

“The association is increasingly clear,” Dr. Carter continues, “but we still need to discover exactly how these two events are linked and why some people with similar exposure to tick bites seem to be more prone to developing alpha-gal allergy than others.”

“Food allergies can range from an inconvenience to a life-threatening condition and pose a serious and growing public health problem that urgently requires more research,” adds Dr. Fauci.

Updated Sat at 4:51pm

PHOTO: Forecasters are expecting up to 100 millimetres of rain to fall in Canberra within 24 hours. (ABC News: Ian Cutmore)

Canberra’s wet weather has kept emergency services busy, with work to repair damage expected to continue throughout the evening.

By 4:30pm Canberra Airport had recorded 55 millimetres of rain since Friday morning, with 17 millimetres falling since 9am Saturday.

The ACT State Emergency Service (SES) had responded to 179 calls for help, with localised flash flooding sweeping across the city.

PHOTO: Keep your raincoats handy, as the wet weather is unlikely going anywhere for a while. (ABC News: Gregory Nelson)

The Bureau of Meteorology predicted further downpours across the ACT and surrounding region in the afternoon but said it would ease overnight.

A severe weather warning remained in place as of late Saturday afternoon.

Chief officer at the SES Georgeina Whelan said the worst flooding had been in Gungahlin in Canberra’s north, as well as in Wanniassa and Greenway in the south.

“The number of trees falling is increasing because soil is not absorbing water and that’s impacting the stability of the trees,” she said.

PHOTO: Heavier rain and more severe conditions are expected to bring more flash flooding. (ABC News: Adrienne Francis)

But by 4:30pm she said the localising flash flooding had settled significantly.

“Most damage has been to solar panels in homes and tiling on roofs,” she said.

“They’ve kept crews busy and jobs are still coming in. We will work into the evening so we’re asking people to be patient as we prioritise jobs.”

PHOTO: NSW State Emergency Service volunteers respond to a leaking skylight in Queanbeyan. (ABC News: Adrienne Francis)

She said no rivers in the region had flooded, but the Murrumbidgee River could develop moderate flooding over the weekend.

The Bureau of Meteorology forecast the showers would ease late on Saturday, with lighter rain returning throughout the week.

Since 9am Friday the territory had seen more than half of December’s average rainfall.

PHOTO: Water levels have been steadily rising at Point Hut Crossing, Canberra. (ABC News: Ian Cutmore)

SES calls in extra staff to cope with busy day

Ms Whelan said she had called in additional crews to respond to today’s jobs, but was not aware of any injuries as a result of the weather.

“The greatest risk is electrical threat,” Ms Whelan said.

“A significant number of ceilings have water is leaking through. People aren’t sure how to respond and generally alarms are going crazy.”

She warned of the electrocution risk and said residents who aren’t comfortable with isolating power should ring 000.

“We are continuing to remind people of the risks associated with stormwater drains,” she said.

If you have a current first aid course certificate help the

NSW prepares for widespread flooding

Across the border in southern NSW, the SES has deployed extra volunteers equipment and aircraft to prepare for widespread flooding.

NSW SES spokesperson Phil Campbell said the emergency crews’ areas of greatest concern were in and around the township of Tumut, the Albury area and communities on smaller tributaries like Billabong Creek in the Riverina.

“At the moment of most concern is the Riverina through to the Snowy Mountains and the south-west slopes of NSW — those areas are bearing the brunt of current heavy rain, and that rain is likely to continue with localised flash flooding for the remainder of today,” Mr Campbell said.

“We’re urging communities in the affected areas to make sure they are well prepared. To lift pumps and to relocate livestock to higher ground and if they’re expecting to be isolated to make sure they’re well stocked up on food, fuel and other essentials.”

PHOTO: The Murrumbidgee River could develop moderate to major flooding over the weekend. (ABC News: Adrienne Francis)

A severe thunderstorm warning has been issued for Saturday evening around Sydney, Gosford, Orange, Moree, Dubbo and Parkes.

Heavy rain which may lead to flash flooding is likely in the Riverina, South West Slopes, parts of the Central West Slopes and Plains, Central Tablelands and the western parts of the Southern Tablelands and Snowy Mountains districts during Saturday.

“We’re expecting some major flooding on the Sunday on the Murrumbidgee river into Gundagai and some moderate flooding in Wagga Wagga,” Mr Campbell said.

Other locations on flood watch are Eden, Goulburn, Cooma, Yass, Bombala, Parkes, Condobolin, Young, West Wyalong and Tumbarumba.

Mr Campbell warned residents to keep out of floodwaters and contact the SES if they needed any emergency flood assistance, rescues or help with sandbagging.

The SES has the following advice for people in areas with severe weather warnings:

• Move your car under cover or away from trees
• Secure or put away loose items around your house, yard and balcony
• Keep at least eight metres away from fallen power lines or objects that may be energised, such as fences
• Keep clear of creeks and storm drains
• Don’t walk, ride your bike or drive through flood water
• If you are trapped by flash flooding, seek refuge in the highest available place and ring 000 if you need rescue
• Unplug computers and appliances. Avoid using the phone during the storm
• Stay indoors away from windows, and keep children and pets indoors as well
• For emergency help in floods and storms, ring the SES (NSW and ACT) on 132 500
• Book in to a first aid course in Canberra so you have the skills to help

Book in to a first aid course before summer. We have limited spots available. Great trainers and great value.

Dr Rebel Skirving thinks human injuries are “gross” but when a newborn goat she had delivered wasn’t breathing, she dived into mouth-to-nose resuscitation without a second thought.

“It was in desperation,” she said, recounting the story to a full room at her first animal first aid course.

“I blew into its nostrils to inflate its lungs and massaged its chest to try and get the heart going. After a few minutes it did start to breathe on its own and had its own heartbeat.”

While responding to animal emergencies is the veterinarian’s job, it’s a skill regular pet owners in her regional town of Mount Gambier, in south-east South Australia, have been keen to learn.

Her course has attracted a mix of dog breeders, hobby farmers and young students curious about how to handle crises from snakebites to kangaroo fights.

“In a lot of emergency situations, the time taken to get that animal to a clinic can mean the difference between life and death,” Dr Skirving said.

“So if the owners are trained and confident in doing first aid procedures then they can make the difference.

“These preparations … don’t take the place of proper veterinary care but it’s information so that if an emergency does come up, there are things that you can do involving just common sense and using common items around the place.”

Household items ‘can be lifesavers’

Many of the first-response treatments recommended at the course involved household items likely to be in most bathroom or kitchen cabinets.

Your dog ate a fish hook or a shard of glass? Feeding it cotton wool — perhaps mixed with gravy to make a tastier meal — can “literally be a lifesaver”, according to Dr Skirving.

“It can do a really good job of wrapping up sharp things and protecting the gut,” she said.

“I had a call once from a client whose dog had eaten a knife blade … of course they were camping in the middle of nowhere.

“They still had it to take it to the vet but in the meantime the cotton wool had managed to actually encase it perfectly in the stomach and prevent anything like a puncture.”

PHOTO: Many of the first-response treatments involve common household items such as bandages, cotton wool or washing soda (not washing powder). (ABC South East SA: Lucy Robinson)

Washing soda or sodium carbonate — not to be confused with washing powder — can be used to induce vomiting in dogs who have eaten poison, one of the most touch-and-go emergencies.

“You generally have about 10 minutes before it’s too late,” Dr Skirving said.

“Often if someone notices their dog has eaten bait, they’ll throw them in the car or on the ute and rush them in to the vet but … the drive is too long and they don’t make it.”

Courses build confidence

With human first aid courses commonplace, Dr Skirving said she wouldn’t be surprised to see the animal versions take off in popularity.

“There are not a lot of actual hands-on courses out there at the moment,” she said.

“Some vet clinics in the cities offer them but I’m not aware of many country practices that offer first aid courses.”

She said knowing the basics of procedures like animal CPR could dramatically boost people’s confidence when responding to emergencies.

“People surprise themselves with their own abilities,” she said.

“There are a lot of people out there who don’t like the gooey bits that come out of animals … they don’t like dog saliva but might just do mouth-to-nose resuscitation to save their best friend.”

Course participant Michelle Carey had previously found herself in that situation with a newborn Rottweiler puppy, that she managed to save.

PHOTO: Nose-to-mouth resuscitation can sometimes save newborn puppies who struggle to take their first breath on their own.(ABC News: Giulio Saggin)

“It’s very empowering,” she said.

“My animals are my passion, they’re my life, so to take one of them and help them breathe life was a natural response.”

She said she would feel more comfortable dealing with other emergencies after completing the course.

“I’d actually done a person’s first aid but this is the first animal first aid that I’ve been to,” she said.

“I got a lot of knowledge out of it.

“I’ve been around animals my whole life but … just having all the ideas I may have had confirmed, putting them into practice will be a lot easier.”

First Aid Course in Canberra including asthma and anaphylaxis training. The best trainers in Canberra. Free First Aid Manual. Book now at www.canberrafirstaid.com

Thunderstorm asthma alerts and all severe thunderstorm warnings for Victoria were cancelled on Saturday night but people can expect more “tropical Queensland” weather on the way.

Health authorities had earlier warned that storms, wind and high temperatures and pollen counts meant a “high” risk of a thunderstorm asthma event in central and north-east Victoria.

Asthma symptoms are especially likely during and after thunderstorms.

Authorities were warning people to act if they develop wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness or a persistent cough.

A thunderstorm asthma event in Melbourne on November 21, 2016, claimed the lives of 10 people and saw about 8500 treated in hospitals across Melbourne and Geelong.

At 5.30pm, severe thunderstorms hit Melbourne’s south-east, leaving a swathe of damage around Berwick and Cranbourne.

Senior forecaster Chris Godfred said two cells had developed in the eastern suburbs and tracked rapidly southward.

“One of those cells did go over Berwick, so one of our gauges there recorded 30 millimetres of rain in 25 minutes,” he said.

“We had another one near Frankston and we’ve seen a few reports of some damage around the Frankston area as well.”

The SES received 34 calls for assistance between 5pm and 6pm, 20 of those at Berwick.

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Forecaster Michael Efron said the storm had weakened as it moved south east, with all warnings cleared after 8pm.

“I think we’ll see further showers overnight along with the risk of a thunderstorm,” he said.

“However, as we head into the late morning and into the afternoon we will see that thunderstorm becoming more extensive across the state and including Melbourne.

“There is the potential for some fairly large thunderstorms across the state during Sunday afternoon and so that could affect the Melbourne region as well.

Sunday will be another warm day across the state.

“For Melbourne, we are expecting a top of 29 degrees so once again temperatures above average for this time of year and also quite humid conditions more like you’d see up in Queensland.”

Cool southerly winds will move across Melbourne on Sunday, bringing relief on Monday forecast to reach a maximum of 22 degrees.

First aid courses in Canberra run by the best trainers. Book in to one of our well priced first aid courses at the website www.canberrafirstaid.com

Ellison Bloomfield knows that immersing herself in the stories of individuals who have benefited from mental health first aid training is a gratifying way to raise awareness.

Recently, the marketing manager with Mental Health First Aid Australia did this by promoting MHFAA’s online video campaign I Am One.

The campaign, which champions World Mental Health Day and celebrates the two million mental health first aid-trained individuals worldwide, features the stories of five first aiders who have put their training to good use.

“It’s something to be really proud of, hearing the stories from these people about when they’ve seen someone in a crisis situation and they’ve been able to have that conversation,” Bloomfield says.

“Potentially the conversations these people are having are saving lives.”

MHFAA is a national not-for-profit mental health first aid training provider that teaches trainers to skill the community to identify and respond effectively when others are experiencing both subtle and obvious mental health issues.

Bloomfield says her day’s to-do-list includes activities such as managing the MHFAA’s customer-facing website, promoting e-learning courses to universities, preparing to release the final instalment of the I Am One video campaign and assisting a colleague to review teaching notes for a course scheduled to launch in the next few months.

Through her work, she tries to influence perceptions, education and the discourse around mental health.

“There’s a lot of conversation about stigma and I don’t really like the word,” she says.

“I think it’s just more so that people don’t understand what someone who is unwell can look like and they don’t understand how to talk to someone about it.”

Bloomfield, an experienced marketer who started in the role in June, has previously worked in a range of related areas such as global social media marketing manager for skincare company Aesop, social media marketing manager for ad agency BWM Dentsu and digital content developer for Deloitte Digital.

Having reached a point in her career where she is enthusiastic to use her marketing chops for altruistic reasons, Bloomfield says MHFAA is a perfect fit.

But with a move to Victoria’s Surf Coast on the cards for early next year, she’s seeking to start a new role accordingly.

Given her passion for health advocacy, it feels like a safe bet to say that she won’t be working for a cigarette company.

“Having done this sort of work in a place that is so supportive and let’s me do work I’m really passionate about, I know I’m not going to take a role with a company that doesn’t align with those values,” she says.