By ANDREW BELL
DESPITE all the recent improvements in vehicle safety and road design, Queensland roads are still a place of risk for you and your family. Rural Fire Brigades in certain areas of the state can be called upon to assist at Road Crash Rescues (RCR).
This means that we support the First Responders at the accident scene. So naturally having the skills and knowledge of the equipment and techniques to remove occupants quickly and safely from vehicles involved in serious road crashes, is an essential part of our training tool box.
While Ambulance services treat and transport the injured, they are not equipped to extricate victims from crash scenes. RCR Fire crews administer primary first aid, stabilise both vehicles and casualties, and then remove them for further medical attention if necessary, using the latest technology in hydraulic rescue equipment, often referred to as the ‘jaws of life’.
Recently a group of volunteers from the Doonan Brigade accompanied by our colleagues from surrounding brigades including Eumundi, attended a RCR training session at Caloundra Fire Station.
The training course had a very large emphasis on safety and provided personnel with skills to assist in various types of emergencies on our local roads.
Various road accident rescue equipment and procedures were covered, which include; vehicle construction, RCR rescue equipment, managing injuries at the incident scene and vehicle stabilisation, airbag management, to name but a few.
In small groups, we were all given a fairly modern car to stabilise, and using all the RCR equipment including the cutting gear, were guided through the procedure to rescue someone trapped in a vehicle. This was total immersion training and very hands on. The gear is both heavy and very dangerous (to both the user and the person being rescued), so safety was paramount. No one came away without a sense of achievement and without breaking into a sweat!
All members of the Brigade who attended thought the training was excellent and went away armed with the knowledge that if called upon could ably assist RCR crews.
We would sincerely like to thank Mark Campbell and all his team at Caloundra for the excellent hands on training, hospitality and efforts.
On a final note, please drive responsibly and safely (it’s not a race out there) and hopefully our training will not be needed!
