QLD Section still do jam tin/dunny role flare landings onto property strips, but really only out of Mount Isa and Charleville bases, occasionally Cairns as well.
The only road landings in Qld are onto the purpose built road strips. Still good fun though, seeing all that traffic held up while you come in and do your thing then depart.
It’s genuinely a fantastic job and as others have said, you’re very appreciated by those who rely on the service. Yes there’s some pretty ordinary moments medically wise, some that still haunt me to this day. But if you’ve got any sort of tolerance for seeing a bit of blood and suffering, then you walk away with a great sense of satisfaction.
I can’t speak much about requirements to get into Qld these days, they appear to have changed so much because of the lack of applicants compared to years gone by. What I do hear though is where they might have 1 fail to qualify over a 5 year period, they’re now getting 1 every 6 months or so
. And I wouldn’t put that down to bad training, I’d simply put that down to them not being able to attract the right people.