pursue the most logical course of action: the supply of more appropriate firearms. EDITORIAL SAPOL also asserted that, in ANDY DUNN operational situations, shrapnel injuries would be highly unlikely to occur. This assertion would come as cold comfort to the police or civilian victim of a shrapnel injury, should one occur. And, on the day after the Channel Nine news item, another member wound up with shrapnel embedded in Cops made of stern stuff his right forearm after a further incident. The most recent incident, reported Any scenario in which they might 23 on March 16, emerged as possibly the Port Lincoln community constable and Police have failed to cheat death was one Police Journal most disturbing. A member Association member, Ian that Kylee "...didn't even want to undertaking outdoor firearms training Ryan, lost virtually everything he think about..." "That's the scariest at Fort Largs sustained a 5mm cut owned in the Black Tuesday thing..." she told the Police Journal. from flying shrapnel, which embedded bushfire. He was naturally And how mentally tough was the itself in his upper left forearm. devastated. drawn-out disaster for Greg Van April 2005 A firearms instructor applied a And, although the members of his Den Broek, whom the fire forced bandaid to his wound, which had begun family survived, he eventually came away from his own wife and child as to bleed profusely. However, blood to wonder how he might have they fled into the sea to survive? www continued to flow through the bandaid, carried on had he lost them as well. How many men or women could prompting the instructor and a .policejournalsa.org.au "I don't know how anybody could have endured the frustration of colleague to apply a bandage. have coped with that," he told the separation from their families in that Later, in the Fort Largs reception Police Journal. kind of crisis? area, the member received further fist But one of his fellow association But just as Ian Ryan and Janelle aid and fresh bandaging. members, Janelle Carman, had to Carman broke through their deep Once the blood flow had stopped ­ cope with exactly that: the tragic emotional pain, so, too, did Kylee 25 minutes later ­ the member felt deaths of her young niece and Walsh and Greg Van Den Broek. stinging around the wound and sought nephew, whom she had loved so With their courage, and hospital treatment. An x-ray revealed dearly. determination to bounce back, all shrapnel inside the wound. She said she could not "even put four officers showed the true depth Medical advice was that it (the into words" what she felt when she of their characters. shrapnel) might work its own way out was told of their deaths. To the benefit of their families, and through the member's skin. Somehow, she mustered the the communities they serve, they PASA wrote to SAPOL on February emotional strength and mental are made of sterner stuff than most. 2 with a request for the number of toughness to carry on, in both her reports, and details, of shrapnel work, as a Port Augusta police ...and condolences incidents that have occurred. No officer, and her private life. Her For the tragic loss of her niece response has yet come from SAPOL. emergence, from under the pall and nephew, Star and Jack Some hold the concern that the true which must have hung over her, has Borlase, the Police Journal extends number of shrapnel incidents might be been inspirational. its deepest sympathy to Janelle significantly higher than that so far But the story of each member Carman and her family. reported to the Police Association. who featured in the Cops' Black Also lost earlier this year was Members should, in a timely manner, Tuesday pain was an object lesson former CIB detective, Rick "Ski" advise the Police Association of all Stills from the Channel Nine in human resilience. Rudzinski, as reported in From shrapnel-discharge incidents ­ even News report on the Smith & Wesson revolvers. Consider the ordeals of Whyalla under Soviet thumb to SA those that do not result in injury. It is police officer, Kylee Walsh, and detective. The Police Journal vitally important that the association West Coast Intel officer, Greg Van extends its deep sympathy and has all appropriate information to hand Den Broek. support to his wife, Joyce, and the so as to scrutinize the level of safety Despite a conspiracy of events ­ a many members of his family of afforded its members. late evacuation, a missing dog, cars three generations. thomasscheffler@pasa.asn.au not starting ­ Kylee, her police editor@pasa.asn.au officer husband, Michael, and their two young children literally cheated death as they drove through the fire. 2005 August October November February March