Members of several brigades, VICSES, St John Ambulance and Victoria Police have come together for Kiewa Fire Brigade’s annual motor vehicle accident training night.
This year’s scenario was a single car into a power pole with two people trapped and power lines down.
To add to the crew’s workload, one person was missing from the vehicle and a stream of oil and coolant was making its way to the Kiewa River.
CFA crews and Victoria Police were first on scene, reassuring the trapped passengers and advising them to remain in the vehicle due to the power line hazard.
Shortly after, VICSES and St John Ambulance arrived. Once power was disconnected, VICSES crews went straight to work assessing the scene and stabilising the vehicle, assisted by St John.
CFA crews were involved various tasks including scene preservation, removing patients from the vehicle, ensuring the river was protected from the oil and coolant leaks, and conducting a land search with VICSES using thermal imaging cameras to locate the missing person.
The scenario also provided local police with the opportunity to stop passing motorists to remind them about the 40km/hr speed limit when driving past emergency services vehicles with flashing lights.
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While the two passengers in the car were transported to hospital with leg and back injuries, the missing person was located deceased. This allowed brigades to focus on how they would address member welfare at an active incident as well as helped them learn more about protecting evidence for crash investigators.
Kiewa captain Aaron Wallace said all agencies worked together for a great outcome.
“We achieved the goals we set out to do in the exercise and most importantly we all worked as one team. It’s a better exercise when all services come together,” he said.
“This is the fourth year we’ve ran a multi-agency training exercise. It’s become really important in building relationships, sharing information and equipment, and learning how to work cohesively so that when we get to the real thing - we’re as prepared as we can be.”
Kiewa Fire Brigade, Bonegilla Fire Brigade, Kergunyah Fire Brigade, CFA Commander Mark Owens from District 24, Tallangatta SES, Tangambalanga Police, and St John Ambulance Wodonga were involved in the scenario.
Prior to the live scenario all parties met to share knowledge including the importance of protecting crime scenes and how to support members after traumatic incidents. A CFA Chaplain attended to talk about the services CFA people can access to support their wellbeing.
The car used in the scenario was donated by Indigo Shire Council.
Author: Shaunnagh O'Loughlin