Good first moves

MVA comprise about a third of Noojee Fire Brigade's callouts each year. Road rescue assets can take up to an hour or more to reach an accident scene in the distant parts of the brigade's assigned area. Because road rescue can be a long way off, training the brigade to make good first moves can make a big difference to the outcomes for the victims.

Understanding this, Noojee sought help from the Warragul SES unit to better prepare the brigade to deal with MVAs. Two Sunday sessions covered theory and hands-on training. Noojee learned about incident handover, scene search and assessment, making vehicles safe and stable, patient care as well as assisting with cutting vehicles for victim extraction.

Using these new-found skills in conjunction with first-aid training has prepared Noojee for first-on-scene tasks and how to make ready for the arrival of follow-on support. This includes preliminary vehicle preparations and passing information by radio to incoming rescue units so they can hit the ground running. The brigade is also better able to provide hands-on assistance to SES when the task stretches its manpower.

Just as importantly, Noojee Fire Brigade and Warragul SES have established a working relationship that promises better outcomes for MVA victims. That's a good first move.