Bill Griggs
Encyclopedia
Dr William "Bill" Middleton Griggs AM ASM
Ambulance Service Medal (Australia)
The Ambulance Service Medal is awarded for distinguished service by a member of an Australian ambulance service. The ASM was introduced in 1999.Awards are made by the Governor-General, on the nomination of the responsible minister in each state and territory...

, began his medical career in 1976 as a volunteer paramedic
Paramedic
A paramedic is a healthcare professional that works in emergency medical situations. Paramedics provide advanced levels of care for medical emergencies and trauma. The majority of paramedics are based in the field in ambulances, emergency response vehicles, or in specialist mobile units such as...

 while studying as a medical student. As a paramedic
Paramedic
A paramedic is a healthcare professional that works in emergency medical situations. Paramedics provide advanced levels of care for medical emergencies and trauma. The majority of paramedics are based in the field in ambulances, emergency response vehicles, or in specialist mobile units such as...

 he attended his 100th fatal road crash prior to graduating as a doctor
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...

 in 1981. Since then he has had a long involvement in the care of the injured and has been involved in caring for the victims of many multiple casualty events, including structure collapses, bombings, bus, train and aircraft crashes. He has completed many hundreds of aeromedical retrievals including a number of maritime helicopter winch rescues. He has also been deployed, as either a Royal Australian Air Force
Royal Australian Air Force
The Royal Australian Air Force is the air force branch of the Australian Defence Force. The RAAF was formed in March 1921. It continues the traditions of the Australian Flying Corps , which was formed on 22 October 1912. The RAAF has taken part in many of the 20th century's major conflicts...

 Specialist reservist
Reservist
A reservist is a person who is a member of a military reserve force. They are otherwise civilians, and in peacetime have careers outside the military. Reservists usually go for training on an annual basis to refresh their skills. This person is usually a former active-duty member of the armed...

 or as a civilian, to manage evacuations
Aeromedical evacuation
Aeromedical Evacuation usually refers to specialized medical transportation units in the United States Air Force. Within the U.S. Air Force, AE is coordinated by Air Mobility Command located at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois...

 and tend to victims in a number of disasters including both the 2002 and 2005 Bali Bombings, the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami, the crash of Garuda Airlines flight GA200
Garuda Indonesia Flight 200
Garuda Indonesia Flight 200 was the scheduled domestic passenger flight of a Boeing 737-497 operated by Garuda Indonesia between Jakarta and Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The aircraft crashed and burst into flames while landing at Adisucipto International Airport on March 7, 2007...

 in Yogyakarta in 2007, the maritime fire/explosion at Ashmore Reef
Siev 36
SIEV-36 was a boat from Indonesia carrying 47 apparently Afghan asylum seekers and two Indonesian crew members. The vessel exploded and sank near Ashmore Reef, Australia in the early morning of 16 April 2009, shortly after being intercepted by an Australian patrol boat...

 in 2009 and the Samoan tsunami in 2009. He is considered a world authority on trauma
Physical trauma
Trauma refers to "a body wound or shock produced by sudden physical injury, as from violence or accident." It can also be described as "a physical wound or injury, such as a fracture or blow." Major trauma can result in secondary complications such as circulatory shock, respiratory failure and death...

 and disaster medicine
Disaster medicine
Disaster medicine is the area of physician medical specialization serving the dual areas of providing medical care to disaster survivors and providing medically related disaster preparation, disaster planning, disaster response and disaster recovery leadership throughout the disaster life cycle...

.

In 1989 he invented a surgical instrument and a procedure, now called the "Griggs technique", to perform percutaneous tracheotomy
Tracheotomy
Among the oldest described surgical procedures, tracheotomy consists of making an incision on the anterior aspect of the neck and opening a direct airway through an incision in the trachea...

 and make an artificial airway
Airway
The pulmonary airway comprises those parts of the respiratory system through which air flows, conceptually beginning at the nose and mouth, and terminating in the alveoli...

 for the critically ill and injured. This technique is used worldwide and was used to help Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...

 in February 2005.

He has strong interests in road safety and injury prevention. In 2004 he conceived, designed and funded the Roads 2 Survival Program, a community-based young person road safety initiative.

Positions

Dr Griggs' specialty is trauma and retrieval; he is the Director of Trauma Services and Senior Consultant (Intensive Care, Retrieval Services and Anaesthetics) at Royal Adelaide Hospital
Royal Adelaide Hospital
The Royal Adelaide Hospital is Adelaide's largest hospital, with 680 beds. Founded in 1840, the Royal Adelaide provides tertiary health care services for South Australia and provides secondary care clinical services to residents of Adelaide's city centre and inner suburbs.The hospital is situated...

. He is Director, Retrieval Coordination for MedSTAR
MedSTAR
MedSTAR is the single retrieval service for the state of South Australia. Formed in 2007, it is controlled by the state government under the Department of Health through the SA Ambulance Service and provides high quality emergency medical retrieval services. MedSTAR is designed to respond to...

 Emergency Medical Retrieval. He is the South Australian State Controller (Health and Medical) for disasters. He is a Clinical Associate Professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...

 at Adelaide University and has previously been a senior lecturer
Lecturer
Lecturer is an academic rank. In the United Kingdom, lecturer is a position at a university or similar institution, often held by academics in their early career stages, who lead research groups and supervise research students, as well as teach...

 at Griffith University
Griffith University
Griffith University is a public, coeducational, research university located in the southeastern region of the Australian state of Queensland. The university has five satellite campuses located in the Gold Coast, Logan City and in the Brisbane suburbs of Mount Gravatt, Nathan and South Bank. Current...

 and the University of Otago
University of Otago
The University of Otago in Dunedin is New Zealand's oldest university with over 22,000 students enrolled during 2010.The university has New Zealand's highest average research quality and in New Zealand is second only to the University of Auckland in the number of A rated academic researchers it...

. He also works for the South Australian Ambulance Service
South Australian Ambulance Service
SA Ambulance Service is a Government agency under SA Health, that is the sole provider of emergency ambulance transport, clinical care and patient transport services to over 1.5 million people, distributed across an area of 1,043,514 square kilometres in South Australia, Australia.The service...

 and has been a volunteer with St John Ambulance Australia
St John Ambulance Australia
St John Ambulance Australia is a self-funding charitable organisation dedicated to helping people in sickness, distress, suffering or danger. It is part of an international organisation that consists of eight Priories that form the Order of St John.- History :St John First Aid training centres...

 since the mid 1970s. He was one of the founding members and is a past president of the Australasian Trauma Society
Australasian Trauma Society
The Australasian Trauma Society is a medical specialist interest group for medical and paramedical individuals working in the area of traumatic injury...

.

Dr Griggs serves Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

 as a Group Captain
Group Captain
Group captain is a senior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. It ranks above wing commander and immediately below air commodore...

 in the Royal Australian Air Force
Royal Australian Air Force
The Royal Australian Air Force is the air force branch of the Australian Defence Force. The RAAF was formed in March 1921. It continues the traditions of the Australian Flying Corps , which was formed on 22 October 1912. The RAAF has taken part in many of the 20th century's major conflicts...

 Specialist Reserve (Medical). He saw active service in the Gulf War
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...

 attached to the US Navy hospital ship Comfort
USNS Comfort (T-AH-20)
USNS Comfort is the third United States Navy ship to bear the name Comfort, and the second to join the navy fleet. The USNS prefix identifies the Comfort as a non-commissioned ship owned by the U.S. Navy and crewed by civilians. In accordance with the Geneva Conventions, USNS Comfort and her...

 and the US Navy aircraft carrier Ranger
USS Ranger (CV-61)
The seventh USS Ranger is one of four Forrestal-class supercarriers built for the US Navy in the 1950s. Commissioned in 1957, she served extensively in the Pacific, especially the Vietnam War, for which she earned 13 battle stars. Near the end of her career she also served in the Indian Ocean and...

, and was honoured by the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 with a Navy Unit Commendation.

Deployments

In 1991 he deployed to the Gulf War
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...

 with the Australian Defence Force
Australian Defence Force
The Australian Defence Force is the military organisation responsible for the defence of Australia. It consists of the Royal Australian Navy , Australian Army, Royal Australian Air Force and a number of 'tri-service' units...

 during Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm.

In 1994 and 1998 he deployed to Bougainville
Bougainville Island
Bougainville Island is the main island of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville of Papua New Guinea. This region is also known as Bougainville Province or the North Solomons. The population of the province is 175,160 , which includes the adjacent island of Buka and assorted outlying islands...

 in support of the peace efforts there.

In 1999, Dr Griggs was deployed as a civilian to Darwin
Darwin, Northern Territory
Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 127,500, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities...

 and East Timor
East Timor
The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, commonly known as East Timor , is a state in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the nearby islands of Atauro and Jaco, and Oecusse, an exclave on the northwestern side of the island, within Indonesian West Timor...

 to provide emergency aeromedical evacuation support to the United Nations Emergency Mission in East Timor.

In 1999, Dr Griggs was deployed with the Royal Australian Air Force to East Timor
East Timor
The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, commonly known as East Timor , is a state in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the nearby islands of Atauro and Jaco, and Oecusse, an exclave on the northwestern side of the island, within Indonesian West Timor...

 as part of INTERFET
INTERFET
The International Force for East Timor was a multinational peacekeeping taskforce, mandated by the United Nations to address the humanitarian and security crisis which took place in East Timor from 1999–2000 until the arrival of United Nations peacekeepers...

 and was based in Dili
Dili
Dili, spelled Díli in Portuguese, is the capital, largest city, chief port and commercial centre of East Timor.-Geography and Administration:Dili lies on the northern coast of Timor island, the easternmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands....

, where he worked with the First Field Surgical Team (1FST) and with the Australian Army
Australian Army
The Australian Army is Australia's military land force. It is part of the Australian Defence Force along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. While the Chief of Defence commands the Australian Defence Force , the Army is commanded by the Chief of Army...

's 5th Aviation Regiment.

In 2002, Dr Griggs played an active role in the Australian medical response to the first Bali Bombings, helping to coordinate the evacuation of those injured in the attack through Darwin
Darwin, Northern Territory
Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 127,500, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities...

 to the Major Trauma and Burns
Burn (injury)
A burn is a type of injury to flesh caused by heat, electricity, chemicals, light, radiation or friction. Most burns affect only the skin . Rarely, deeper tissues, such as muscle, bone, and blood vessels can also be injured...

 Units all around Australia.

In 2004, Dr Griggs was on the first Australian military aircraft into Banda Aceh
Banda Aceh
Banda Aceh is the provincial capital and largest city in the province of Aceh, Indonesia, located on the island of Sumatra, with an elevation of 35 meters. The city regency covers an area of 64 square kilometres and according to the 2000 census had a population of 219,070 people...

 as part of the military response following the Asian Boxing Day Tsunami disaster.

In 2005, Dr Griggs was involved in the Australian response to the second Bali Bombings
2005 Bali bombings
The 2005 Bali bombings were a series of terrorist suicide bomb and a series of car bombs and attacks that occurred on October 1, 2005, in Bali, Indonesia. Bombs exploded at two sites in Jimbaran Beach Resort and in Kuta away, both in south Bali. The terrorist attack claimed the lives of 20 people...

, travelling to Bali on the first Australian C-130 and working as part of a RAAF Critical Care Aeromedical Evacuation (AME) Team.

In 2007, Dr Griggs deployed to Yogyakarta in Indonesia as part of a RAAF medical response to the crash of Garuda Airlines Flight GA-200
Garuda Indonesia Flight 200
Garuda Indonesia Flight 200 was the scheduled domestic passenger flight of a Boeing 737-497 operated by Garuda Indonesia between Jakarta and Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The aircraft crashed and burst into flames while landing at Adisucipto International Airport on March 7, 2007...

.

In 2009, Dr Griggs deployed to Truscott Airfield in West Australia with the RAAF to assist in the medical evacuation of the victims of the fire/explosion on Suspected Illegal Entry Vessel (SIEV) 36
Siev 36
SIEV-36 was a boat from Indonesia carrying 47 apparently Afghan asylum seekers and two Indonesian crew members. The vessel exploded and sank near Ashmore Reef, Australia in the early morning of 16 April 2009, shortly after being intercepted by an Australian patrol boat...

 at Ashmore Reef.

In 2009, Dr Griggs led the South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...

n Australian Disaster Medical Assistance Team (AUSMAT) which deployed to Samoa
Samoa
Samoa , officially the Independent State of Samoa, formerly known as Western Samoa is a country encompassing the western part of the Samoan Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It became independent from New Zealand in 1962. The two main islands of Samoa are Upolu and one of the biggest islands in...

 following the October earthquake/tsunami.

Honours

Dr Griggs was made a Member of the Order of Australia
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...

 (AM) in the 2003 Queen's Birthday Honours for service to medicine
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....

, particularly through trauma, emergency and care management and education, and critical care and retrieval and in support of the Australian Defence Force
Australian Defence Force
The Australian Defence Force is the military organisation responsible for the defence of Australia. It consists of the Royal Australian Navy , Australian Army, Royal Australian Air Force and a number of 'tri-service' units...

.

In 2006, Dr Griggs was the recipient of the award of Australian of the Year
Australian of the Year
Since 1960 the Australian of the Year Award has been part of the celebrations surrounding Australia Day , during which time the award has grown steadily in significance to become Australia’s pre-eminent award. The Australian of the Year announcement has become a very prominent part of the annual...

 for South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...

 and was a national finalist.

In 2006, Dr Griggs was awarded the Keys to the City
Freedom of the City
Freedom of the City is an honour bestowed by some municipalities in Australia, Canada, Ireland, France, Italy, New Zealand, South Africa, Spain, the United Kingdom, Gibraltar and Rhodesia to esteemed members of its community and to organisations to be honoured, often for service to the community;...

 of Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...

.

Dr Griggs was awarded the Ambulance Service Medal
Ambulance Service Medal (Australia)
The Ambulance Service Medal is awarded for distinguished service by a member of an Australian ambulance service. The ASM was introduced in 1999.Awards are made by the Governor-General, on the nomination of the responsible minister in each state and territory...

 in the 2009 Queen's Birthday Honours.

In 2009, Dr Griggs was named the South Australian of the Year for 2009.

In 2010, Dr Griggs was chosen to appear on the cover of the 2010/2011 Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...

 White Pages Telephone Directory under the theme "Courageous Australians" as a result of a rescue in which he was involved during 1994.

Education

Dr Griggs attended Prince Alfred College
Prince Alfred College
Prince Alfred College is an independent, day and boarding school for boys, located on Dequetteville Terrace, Kent Town, near the centre of Adelaide, South Australia...

. He then obtained his MBBS
MBBS
MBBS was a popular BBS system in the Nordic countries during the mid-1990s. It was created by a team of Oslo-based enthusiasts, led by Mike Robertson. As many BBS systems of that era, it was only available for the DOS platform. Since one process could only handle one node, multitaskers such as...

 from the University of Adelaide
University of Adelaide
The University of Adelaide is a public university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third oldest university in Australia...

 in 1981 and the FFARACS (Anaesthesia - 1986 and Intensive Care - 1989) followed by the FANZCA in 1992, FFICANZCA in 1993 and FJFICM in 2002. He obtained his Post Graduate Diploma in Aviation Medicine
Aviation medicine
Aviation medicine, also called flight medicine or aerospace medicine, is a preventive or occupational medicine in which the patients/subjects are pilots, aircrews, or persons involved in spaceflight...

 from the University of Otago in 2000. He qualified for his MBA
Master of Business Administration
The Master of Business Administration is a :master's degree in business administration, which attracts people from a wide range of academic disciplines. The MBA designation originated in the United States, emerging from the late 19th century as the country industrialized and companies sought out...

 from the University of Adelaide
University of Adelaide
The University of Adelaide is a public university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third oldest university in Australia...

 in December 2009.

Dr Griggs was made a Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Adelaide
University of Adelaide
The University of Adelaide is a public university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third oldest university in Australia...

at the end of 2006.

Publications

Dr Griggs has written over 70 articles and publications appearing in various journals. A full list can be found here: http://www.rah.sa.gov.au/trauma/publications_griggs.php

External links

Royal Australian Air Force newsletter
  • http://www.defence.gov.au/news/raafnews/EDITIONS/4723/topstories/story06.htm


Working in Banda Aceh
  • http://www.defence.gov.au/optsunamiassist/images/gallery/050105c/index.htm


Working in Samoa
  • http://www.defence.gov.au/opex/global/opsamoa/images/gallery/2009/1005a/index.htm


Australian of the Year award 2006
  • http://www.australianoftheyear.gov.au/pages/page125.asp


Member of the Order of Australia (9 June 2003)
  • http://www.itsanhonour.gov.au/honours/honour_roll/search.cfm?aus_award_id=1043767&search_type=simple&showInd=true


National Medal (30 April 1993) and first clasp (19 August 2002)
  • http://www.itsanhonour.gov.au/honours/honour_roll/search.cfm?aus_award_id=1038558&search_type=simple&showInd=true
  • http://www.itsanhonour.gov.au/honours/honour_roll/search.cfm?aus_award_id=1137275&search_type=simple&showInd=true


Ambulance Service Medal (8 June 2009)
  • http://www.itsanhonour.gov.au/honours/honour_roll/search.cfm?aus_award_id=1140760&search_type=simple&showInd=true


South Australian of the Year 2009
  • http://www.sagreat.com.au/awards/south-australian-of-the-year/2009-south-australian-of-the-year
  • http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,26378465-5006301,00.html


University of Adelaide
  • http://www.health.adelaide.edu.au/icu/rah/ss_griggs.htm


Royal Adelaide Hospital Trauma Service
  • http://www.rah.sa.gov.au/trauma/staff_griggs.php


Roads 2 Survival
  • http://www.roads2survival.com.au/index.htm


Percutaneous Tracheostomy and Pope John Paul II
  • http://www.mdis.org/News/190.htm


2010/2011 Adelaide White Pages Telephone Directory
  • http://www.whitepagescommunity.com.au/content/courageous-australian-bill-griggs-adelaides-white-pages%C2%AE


Copyright photos: 1999,2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2009
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