Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) crews have played a leading role in a multi-agency bus crash exercise at Lake Macquarie.
The simulated bus rollover was staged at the Edgeworth depot of bus company, CDC NSW, to allow firefighters and other first responders to fine tune their skills in emergency vehicle rescues.
According to the weekend mock scenario, two buses and a utility collided on a road, causing a rollover.
Firefighter training
Firefighters from Morisset, Toronto and Lambton, working alongside NSW Ambulance paramedics, were taught the most efficient methods to cut open access points on the overturned bus, using hydraulic cutting equipment.
Rural Fire Service volunteers acted as injured commuters, and dummies were placed in the wreckage as additional casualties.
Exercise co-ordinators kept the details of the simulated emergency from the first responders, until they arrived on scene, to maintain a realistic environment.
Comments from the Rescue Training Officer
FRNSW Rescue Training Officer, Jeff Hartley, said these types of rescue exercises are invaluable. “When our crews respond to real-life operations, like the Greta bus crash, they immediately know what to do,” Station Officer Hartley said.
“They are familiar with the challenging environment and they are used to working side-by-side with ambulance crews and other emergency agencies,” he said.
“It also allows us to formulate extrication plans that focus on positive outcomes for potential patients."
