After the part of the training specific to my post, I then had the chance to be invited by Paul Laforêt from the TAAF (Terres Australes et Antarctiques Françaises) for a few sessions with the doctors who would be deployed on the sub Antarctic islands and the Antarctic coastal station Dumont D’Urville. We all share the fact that we might have to perform rescue procedures in remote conditions, and we have to be autonomous for any medical situation that could arise over the period of a year. At Concordia, the situation is slightly different in that it is an Italian doctor who is responsible for the medical facilities, but in the event of an emergency, I would of course assist as much as possible.
We first met in the local hospital in Sallanches, did some last minute shopping after a quick inspection revealed some of us did not have the necessary equipment in view of the snow forecasts, and drove to Chamonix. The next day we hiked up to the “Refuge du plan de l’Aiguille” where we stayed for the whole week; it was back to dorm rooms and bunk beds! Every morning we had lectures on various subjects; TAAF, the various sub Antarctic islands and their outposts, Antarctica, the Marion Dufresnes and Astrolab ships and most importantly the medical situations we were most likely to be confronted to. In the afternoon we went outdoors and did various simulation exercises, learnt about ropes, knots and pulley systems (we got entangled more than once!!!) and took out the harnesses for a little climbing. We practised how to recover an injured person at the bottom of a cliff by hoisting them back up. I played the role of the victim for the final exercise, and almost regretted it a few times on the way up, constricted by various ropes and dangling on a spine board whilst my colleagues decided on the best route…. It was a great opportunity to realise that, in difficult conditions and with limited means, priorities can change and often the first thing to think of is evacuating the victim and getting them back indoors!
It was a great opportunity to spend a week mostly outdoors. We ate our lunches on the terrace of the chalet, watching a few wingsuit jumpers fly over us. I discovered passionate people who all had followed atypical but inspiring career paths. It was also a chance to meet briefly with Julien Cartier, who I would see again in December and January working as the doctor on two of the raids to Concordia, and Didier Schmitt, who works at the Space Task Force of the European External Action Service.
I met the whole team again in Caen the next week, for some practical surgical training for emergencies such as appendicitis or inserting external fixators for displaced bone fractures. This turned out to be a very good and much-needed revision of anatomy!
The training was definitely turning out to be a flurry around Europe; I had never taken so many planes and caught so many trains in such a short time!!!
75 Degrees South 