Fairhaven lifesaver teaches skills in Sri Lanka

FAIRHAVEN SLSC volunteer and Victorian Westpac Lifesaver Rescue Helicopter crew member Liam O’Callaghan is sharing his skills in Sri Lanka this week.

Mr O’Callaghan is delivering lifesaving search and rescue training to Sri Lankan emergency service and military personnel.

He started as a crewperson with the Victorian Westpac Lifesaver Rescue Helicopter Service in 2016, and the valuable experience he has gained has helped prepare him to deliver training to teams from the Sri Lankan Navy, Coast Guard, Air Force and police, as well as local lifesaving volunteers.

Life Saving Victoria has been delivering lifesaving training in Sri Lanka for the past six years as part of its Building Leaders Scholarship program, which empowers emerging lifesaving leaders with professional development skills and the experience of delivering lifesaving training overseas.

Drowning is a serious issue in Sri Lanka, with more than 1,200 preventable deaths occurring each year. By comparison, there were 291 drowning deaths in Australia in 2016/17, 45 of which occurred in Victoria.

This is Mr O’Callaghan’s second trip to Sri Lanka as part of the program. Having been a scholarship participant in the program in 2016, he has returned with his experience this year to act as a mentor to the 2017 scholarship team.

He said his experience as a volunteer Westpac Lifesaver crewperson has been invaluable in delivering training and mentoring fellow lifesavers in Sri Lanka.

“Our helicopter training involves clear routines and step-by-step procedures, and being able to break down tasks like this has certainly helped with teaching here in Sri Lanka.

“My experience on the helicopter crew has helped me develop advanced skills in evaluating the risks vs gains in emergency situations and this has been important in mentoring the scholars and supervising them delivering training.”

Alongside lifesaving volunteering, which Mr O’Callaghan has been involved in for seven years, he is studying a science degree and hopes to eventually study medicine or paramedicine.

The Victorian Westpac Lifesaver Rescue
Helicopter Service has 21 volunteer crewpersons and six pilots, and has completed more than 350 missions since it was established in 2009.