A Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) crew has teamed up with NSW Health to conduct an emergency exercise in the Southern Tablelands.
The Southern NSW Local Health District (SNSWLHD) recently invited the crew from 236 Station Braidwood to simulate a hazardous materials (HAZMAT) emergency outside the Braidwood Multipurpose Service (MPS).
The mock scenario involved an individual intent on carrying a bag of ‘toxic’ chemicals inside the health facility to disrupt operations.
On-call Braidwood firefighters
The drill saw the person ‘overwhelmed’ by chemical fumes and rendered unconscious
The drill saw the person ‘overwhelmed’ by chemical fumes and rendered unconscious.
The On-call Braidwood firefighters responded immediately and after an initial assessment, a ‘snatch and grab’ rescue was performed to remove the patient/role player from harm’s way before they were decontaminated and handed over to hospital staff for further treatment.
The Braidwood crew then put on chemical spillage suits to identify and then clean up the hazardous materials spillage before handing the area back over to the MPS management.
FRNSW exercises
The simulation proved very effective, prompting plans for similar FRNSW exercises
The simulation proved very effective, prompting plans for similar FRNSW exercises in the state’s south-east, next year.FRNSW Zone Commander, Mark Cavanough, said the FRNSW crew found the drill very beneficial
“We had two recruits who took part in the exercise and neither had worn chemical spillage suits before at an incident,” Superintendent Cavanough observed.
“We also had an Acting Captain who had never performed the role of Incident Commander at a Hazmat emergency before, so it was a very valuable learning experience for the four-person crew.”