On Tuesday, ADHSU members from the Shoalhaven/Illawarra area met to discuss the results of a survey put to members last week. The results of the survey were overwhelmingly to impose the below bans to keep members safe. As COVID cases in the Illawarra Zone grow, it is essential that ADHSU members stay protected. As we have seen time and again over the past 18 months, NSWA is more reactive than proactive.

To anticipate this, 93.88% of respondents voted for the following ban:

• If an ADHSU member is required to do a full 14-day quarantine and is unable to do so at home, NSW Ambulance must provide suitable accommodation no more than 20km, or a reasonable distance determined by delegates, from their residence.

Although it is sometimes necessary for Illawarra members to support their colleagues in South Sydney, it is essential that those paramedics who are called to those hotspot areas to assist are kept safe by the Service. If there are any issues with adequate PPE supply at your station or a member has not been offered a reasonable opportunity to get fit tested, contact your local delegate. At this stage of the pandemic there should be no breaches caused by a lack of supply.

89.80% of respondents voted for the following:

• Those who have not been issued with appropriately fitted full PPE, including eyewear, will not go into Sydney or identified COVID hotspots.

Lastly, as the weather heats up, 89.80% of area members concerned about overheating in layers of PPE voted for the following:

• During shift, if a member feels that they will overheat in uniform, they will wear their own T-shirt, beneath all required PPE, until an appropriate hot weather uniform option is provided by NSWA.

See the full results here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/results/SM-TJVWFN5D9/

These commonsense bans will help to keep members and their communities in the Illawarra Zone safe. ADHSU members from the Illawarra are meeting more often to raise issues, hear from colleagues and make their voices heard.