Paramedics plea | Noosa Today

By Abbey Cannan

Paramedics have raised the alarm after a spate of near drownings across Queensland overshadowed the start of summer.

During December alone, Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS) responded to 82 near drownings, with 16 of these close calls occurring on the Sunshine Coast region and two in the Wide Bay.

Concerningly, almost half of these patients have been under the age of 12.

QAS Acting Director Lachlan Parker said this number was an alarming increase in near-drowning incidents compared to previous years.

“The statistics are very clear that the vast majority of these drownings or near-drownings occur in backyard pools,“ he said.

“For toddlers or young children from 0 to 4, near-drowning is one of the…