It's highly probable that if you have breasts and go into cardiac arrest, people are less likely to give you life-saving CPR.
Research suggests this is because most members of the public are reluctant to touch exposed breasts or the chest area in case it's seen as inappropriate, acting general manager of education and training Mark Molloy from the ACT Ambulance Service (ACTAS) says.
He is based at the ACT Emergency Services Agency training centre in Hume where everyone, from paramedics and firefighters to community volunteers must go to learn the basics of emergency aid or refresh their knowledge.
He and paramedic clinical educator Erin Mengler are thrilled ACTAS has invested in state-of-the-art breast sleeves, costing about $500, to be used during resuscitation training on mannequins.
The new tool is among dozens of prosthetics, wigs, severed synthetic limbs, a bariatric body suit, and rubber face masks (adult and toddler sizes) used regularly in training.
One of an ACTAS educator's many roles includes whipping up fake blood, vomit and other fluids for training sessions.
But ACTAS' most precious tools are their high-fidelity mannequins, named after Simpsons characters and dressed in the staffs' old clothes, including a complex model used in drills involving childbirth.
Their newest mannequin, Uter, used to represent a child between three and six years old, cost nearly $100,000 because it can breathe, blink, secrete oral fluids, simulate a swollen head, and seizures.
An outdoor training space behind the centre hosts "the house with many roofs" is central to preparing paramedics and firefighters for real-world situations.
For example, the house has three different roof sections made of different materials to train firefighters to access different types of properties during a fire.
The house has multiple furnished rooms to simulate accidents reported in people' living rooms, bedrooms, and bathrooms, and train first responders to make the best use of space in a real setting.
"We've used it a number of times to simulate that kitchen experience, choking perhaps. We often get called to nursing homes, where a resident has eaten something and aspirated and they're really unwell," Ms Mengler says.
At the time of writing, ACTAS had been using bells tied around chocolate Lindt bunnies to train for incidents where children may have choked on them.
"This room gets a real workout and we're super thankful for the air-conditioning, because it's brutal without it," Ms Mengler says.
The type of simulations they design and their outcomes can be dictated by trends in the community, whether it's shootings, stabbings, or drug overdose incidents.
"We've seen an increase in things like strong opiods in the community which has affected the the way in which we ... we've done increasing simulations on elements of that," Mr Molloy said.
The Canberra Times witnessed their emergency response training in action after Ms Mengler and fellow paramedic, Gemma Armarego, were called to a woman in cardiac arrest at the house with many roofs.
They walk in to see Monty, a high-fidelity mannequin wearing the new breast sleeves, lying in bed and ask the neighbour (this masthead's intern Lucy Riley) who reported the incident, "did you see what happened?"
Unfortunately, in this simulation, the patient was found in this state and the neighbour, more than willing to take turns performing CPR with Ms Mengler, knows nothing else.
Ms Amarego uses the radio on her shoulder to call for two intensive care paramedics before pulling out the patient's bedside drawers, inspecting a cabinet above the fridge, and a number of clear containers, looking for medication, needles, or information that can help their response.
The three of them lift the mannequin together and lay her on the floor, where Ms Mengler cuts open the patient's shirt and bra to begin resuscitation just as intensive care paramedics Mark Molloy and Alex Cameron arrive to provide specialist emergency care.
Throughout the exercise that lasted 20 minutes, but felt like an hour, the four responders and the civilian do not give up on the patient.
This included Mr Molloy inserting a tube into the patient's throat for assisted breathing, and flicking on a suction machine whose blaring volume completely masked the beeping of the heart monitor.
Ms Cameron even used a bone drill into Monty's right shin to push adrenaline and other medications through an intravenous line.
The ICP's treatment bag mimics the real thing, complete with small glass bottles filled with fake fluid but accurate labels.
However, after communicating with her colleagues, Ms Amarego informs the neighbour kneeling in front of her that they have tried everything but the patient cannot be revived and will need to be declared dead.
The outcome was designed by a fifth paramedic, Jacob Ratcliffe, who has been sitting at a table in the same room "DJing" the patient's responses, including their pulse.
Ms Mengler covers up the patient to protect her dignity and Ms Amarego offers to call a support person for the neighbour, as the ICPs leave the scene to attend the next job.
